From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0001.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0002.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0003.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0004.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0005.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0007.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0008.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0009.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0001.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0010.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0002.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0011.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0003.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0012.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0004.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0013.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0005.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0014.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0006.htm From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0015.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0007.htm From dtp at she-philosopher.com Thu Aug 21 22:43:07 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:43:07 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Cafe, A (new?) typeface for ID uses is advertised in the latest (Aug. 2008) FontShop News: "With FF Netto, Daniel Utz has stripped letters of any historical detail, leaving them with the barest, clearest forms possible. This makes FF Netto ideal for wayfinding, where quick recognition is essential. A series of simple and useful icons and arrows add to its utility for information design, and intelligent borders let you group the pictograms using just a few keystrokes." See sample at http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html I kinda like it.... Not sure about some of the icons, though. E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent a baby? And if so, what message is it supposed to convey? ... that an area is baby-friendly -- that is, has tables for changing diapers, or some such? Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From SWANSONG at ecu.edu Thu Aug 21 22:59:30 2008 From: SWANSONG at ecu.edu (Swanson, Gunnar) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:59:30 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <556BA53FA6DBA14CBD1605F1735C0FEC0129B989@ecufs9.intra.ecu.edu> Deborah Taylor-Pearce > http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html [snip] > the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent > a baby? And if so, what message is it supposed to convey? I think it symbolizes joy, light, and truth radiating from diapers. Gunnar ---------- Gunnar Swanson Design Office 1901 East 6th Street Greenville, North Carolina 27858 gunnar at gunnarswanson.com +1 252 258 7006 at East Carolina University: +1 252 328 2839 swansong at ecu.edu -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 2860 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080821/b1336c36/attachment-0001.bin From frank at limov.com Fri Aug 22 02:07:37 2008 From: frank at limov.com (Frank Wales) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:07:37 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: > http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html > > Not sure about some of the icons, though. I want to know what the designer has against arms, and why the person in the top row is apparently bursting to go to the bathroom. (Maybe they're stuck trying to choose between doors labelled 'pair of tweezers' and 'bell'.) > E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent a baby? "Beware upside-down surprised pigs with mexican moustaches", perhaps? I'd also like to understand how come the 'car' outline has a bit missing, why the 'bed' and 'straightened-out paper clip' symbols are in circles, and what a 'sleeping one-eyed pig' is doing between a 'caravan' and a 'can opener'. -- Frank Wales [frank at limov.com] From alan at alphabyte.co.nz Fri Aug 22 04:16:46 2008 From: alan at alphabyte.co.nz (Alan Litchfield) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:16:46 +1200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: On 22/08/2008, at 12:07 PM, Frank Wales wrote: > Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: >> http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html >> >> Not sure about some of the icons, though. > > I want to know what the designer has against arms, and why the > person in > the top row is apparently bursting to go to the bathroom. (Maybe > they're > stuck trying to choose between doors labelled 'pair of tweezers' and > 'bell'.) > >> E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to >> represent a baby? > > "Beware upside-down surprised pigs with mexican moustaches", perhaps? It's quite simple really. It means "beware, road kill ahead". > > > I'd also like to understand how come the 'car' outline has a bit > missing, > why the 'bed' and 'straightened-out paper clip' symbols are in > circles, What bed? The two circles seem to contain a B on its back and a ... well ... I think it is a football player doing a header, but I can't think why it needs to be memorialised in a symbol. > and > what a 'sleeping one-eyed pig' is doing between a 'caravan' and a > 'can opener'. Hmmm. Pig, caravan and can opener? Boy I can't see those. But then I can never see the 3D images either. "With FF Netto, Daniel Utz has stripped letters of any historical detail, leaving them with the barest, clearest forms possible. This makes FF Netto ideal for wayfinding, where quick recognition is essential." I find this statement to be entirely contradictory. It is through knowledge of our world and what we have learned through experience, and therefore the apprehension of historical detail within the context of our world, that makes recognition of visual forms possible. When these details are stripped from images the result is something that is more easily misinterpreted, because they lack the cues that confirm the viewer's assumptions about their meaning. Of course there will be those who do not have the cultural or historical knowledge to make a correct interpretation, but what he has created is something that fails in even that regard. While it may be true that his goal was to produce a style that conveys meaning to a wider range of viewers, instead he has created one in which more are likely to misunderstand the meanings. What it seems is the case here is there are icons in which there are distilled representations of his own understanding of the world. For example, there appear to be male and female forms shown, but they are represented by the most basic and stereotypical conceptions. There are some that I simply do not understand, for example what is that thing in the top row, second from the right? The exit sign fails because the meaning in the icon is so stripped of meaning it has become necessary to add the intention of the sign in writing, but it is in latin text, and in English. Alan -- Alan Litchfield MBus(Hons), MNZCS AlphaByte PO Box 1941, Auckland, NZ. 1140 http://www.alphabyte.co.nz From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0016.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0009.htm From dtp at she-philosopher.com Thu Aug 21 22:43:07 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:43:07 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Cafe, A (new?) typeface for ID uses is advertised in the latest (Aug. 2008) FontShop News: "With FF Netto, Daniel Utz has stripped letters of any historical detail, leaving them with the barest, clearest forms possible. This makes FF Netto ideal for wayfinding, where quick recognition is essential. A series of simple and useful icons and arrows add to its utility for information design, and intelligent borders let you group the pictograms using just a few keystrokes." See sample at http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html I kinda like it.... Not sure about some of the icons, though. E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent a baby? And if so, what message is it supposed to convey? ... that an area is baby-friendly -- that is, has tables for changing diapers, or some such? Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From SWANSONG at ecu.edu Thu Aug 21 22:59:30 2008 From: SWANSONG at ecu.edu (Swanson, Gunnar) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:59:30 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <556BA53FA6DBA14CBD1605F1735C0FEC0129B989@ecufs9.intra.ecu.edu> Deborah Taylor-Pearce > http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html [snip] > the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent > a baby? And if so, what message is it supposed to convey? I think it symbolizes joy, light, and truth radiating from diapers. Gunnar ---------- Gunnar Swanson Design Office 1901 East 6th Street Greenville, North Carolina 27858 gunnar at gunnarswanson.com +1 252 258 7006 at East Carolina University: +1 252 328 2839 swansong at ecu.edu -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 2860 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080821/b1336c36/attachment-0002.bin From frank at limov.com Fri Aug 22 02:07:37 2008 From: frank at limov.com (Frank Wales) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:07:37 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: > http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html > > Not sure about some of the icons, though. I want to know what the designer has against arms, and why the person in the top row is apparently bursting to go to the bathroom. (Maybe they're stuck trying to choose between doors labelled 'pair of tweezers' and 'bell'.) > E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent a baby? "Beware upside-down surprised pigs with mexican moustaches", perhaps? I'd also like to understand how come the 'car' outline has a bit missing, why the 'bed' and 'straightened-out paper clip' symbols are in circles, and what a 'sleeping one-eyed pig' is doing between a 'caravan' and a 'can opener'. -- Frank Wales [frank at limov.com] From alan at alphabyte.co.nz Fri Aug 22 04:16:46 2008 From: alan at alphabyte.co.nz (Alan Litchfield) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:16:46 +1200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: On 22/08/2008, at 12:07 PM, Frank Wales wrote: > Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: >> http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html >> >> Not sure about some of the icons, though. > > I want to know what the designer has against arms, and why the > person in > the top row is apparently bursting to go to the bathroom. (Maybe > they're > stuck trying to choose between doors labelled 'pair of tweezers' and > 'bell'.) > >> E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to >> represent a baby? > > "Beware upside-down surprised pigs with mexican moustaches", perhaps? It's quite simple really. It means "beware, road kill ahead". > > > I'd also like to understand how come the 'car' outline has a bit > missing, > why the 'bed' and 'straightened-out paper clip' symbols are in > circles, What bed? The two circles seem to contain a B on its back and a ... well ... I think it is a football player doing a header, but I can't think why it needs to be memorialised in a symbol. > and > what a 'sleeping one-eyed pig' is doing between a 'caravan' and a > 'can opener'. Hmmm. Pig, caravan and can opener? Boy I can't see those. But then I can never see the 3D images either. "With FF Netto, Daniel Utz has stripped letters of any historical detail, leaving them with the barest, clearest forms possible. This makes FF Netto ideal for wayfinding, where quick recognition is essential." I find this statement to be entirely contradictory. It is through knowledge of our world and what we have learned through experience, and therefore the apprehension of historical detail within the context of our world, that makes recognition of visual forms possible. When these details are stripped from images the result is something that is more easily misinterpreted, because they lack the cues that confirm the viewer's assumptions about their meaning. Of course there will be those who do not have the cultural or historical knowledge to make a correct interpretation, but what he has created is something that fails in even that regard. While it may be true that his goal was to produce a style that conveys meaning to a wider range of viewers, instead he has created one in which more are likely to misunderstand the meanings. What it seems is the case here is there are icons in which there are distilled representations of his own understanding of the world. For example, there appear to be male and female forms shown, but they are represented by the most basic and stereotypical conceptions. There are some that I simply do not understand, for example what is that thing in the top row, second from the right? The exit sign fails because the meaning in the icon is so stripped of meaning it has become necessary to add the intention of the sign in writing, but it is in latin text, and in English. Alan -- Alan Litchfield MBus(Hons), MNZCS AlphaByte PO Box 1941, Auckland, NZ. 1140 http://www.alphabyte.co.nz From jk at nqpaofu.com Fri Aug 22 06:54:19 2008 From: jk at nqpaofu.com (Jouke Kleerebezem) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:54:19 +0200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: Good day, to Alan Litchfield who wrote: There are some that I simply do not understand, for example what is that thing in the top row, second from the right? In this sign there's a 'thing' and a letter U in the upper hand right corner. This is the sign for the subway, or 'U-bahn' in German (from 'Untergrundbahn', underground railway). Not only are these sign simply illegible, now we all have to learn German to be able to understand some of them... To me the 'baby' is an insect -- we might just as well use Rorschach blots for signage. Jouke Kleerebezem -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080822/b25c441c/attachment.htm From alan at alphabyte.co.nz Fri Aug 22 07:30:33 2008 From: alan at alphabyte.co.nz (Alan Litchfield) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:30:33 +1200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: On 22/08/2008, at 4:54 PM, Jouke Kleerebezem wrote: > In this sign there's a 'thing' and a letter U in the upper hand > right corner. This is the sign for the subway, or 'U-bahn' in German > (from 'Untergrundbahn', underground railway). Really? Never would have even come close to guessing that. > > Not only are these sign simply illegible, now we all have to learn > German to be able to understand some of them... > > To me the 'baby' is an insect -- :D Now that you mention it. > we might just as well use Rorschach blots for signage. > With the difference that ink blots are unintentional, whereas these are supposedly intentional. Cheers Alan -- Alan Litchfield MBus(Hons), MNZCS AlphaByte PO Box 1941, Auckland, NZ. 1140 http://www.alphabyte.co.nz From dtp at she-philosopher.com Fri Aug 22 08:44:56 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:44:56 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> > To me the 'baby' is an insect OK ... and given the serialized context ("A series of simple and useful icons ..."), my partner and I made sense of the insect and figure to its right as: Running only zone. Giant bugs in pursuit. ;-) Being the literal type that I am, I would, of course, question the iconicity of a 4-legged insect ... but then, since the human figures are missing limbs also, I suppose there is at least a sort of design consistency here.... (Having just returned from a late-night walk with my dog in a coastal canyon in Southern California, I was reminded of what a good warning sign actually looks like: we have a lot of "rattlesnake area" signs around here, and these *are* accurate representations of the species in question.) I agree with Alan that as far as the Netto icons are concerned, this is the worst sort of un-self-aware cultural specificity masquerading as "universal" art forms ... But I do want to ask those of you who actually know about these sorts of things about the type, as well. I thought the Netto type was attractive ... probably for "display" uses -- posters and the like.... What I'm wondering is how well it would work for wayfinding signage? Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From conrad at ideograf.demon.co.uk Fri Aug 22 10:57:30 2008 From: conrad at ideograf.demon.co.uk (Conrad Taylor) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:57:30 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: Deborah asked: >But I do want to ask those of you who actually know about these sorts >of things about the type, as well. > >I thought the Netto type was attractive ... probably for "display" >uses -- posters and the like.... > >What I'm wondering is how well it would work for wayfinding signage? Whether by co-incidence, commission or design, "Netto" is the name of a chain of cut-price, no-frills supermarkets, headquartered in Denmark, owned ultimately by the AP M?ller- M?rsk Group, with stores in Denmark, Germany, UK, Poland and Sweden. This no-frills font reminds me of the kind of lettering one used to make with tube-nibbed drawings pens and a matching architect's lettering template, such as Leroy. There, the no-frills-ness and minimisation or curve complexity was to assist the passage of the nib (or, with Leroy, the guide-pin) along the guiding groove. It worries me when people designing type intended for signage are seduced by an over-obeisance to geometry. >From the legibility point of view I guess this is not too bad (while being irredeemably ugly), but I'd look askance at three aspects: (a) Letters such as b, c, n, u, o are too box- like. This means that the letterspaces, made from the combined sidebearing spaces, are often significantly out of balance with the areas within the letterforms ("counters"). (b) Ascenders are not well marked, since the x-height is very large and the ascenders are stubby. Thus the word profiles are not as clear as in some other fonts, and I think which could be found to be problematic in distance viewing and by folks with partial sight, which are considerations for signage fonts. (c) Some "frills" can be significant differentiators between glyphs and that I think is why some people designing faces that are sans overall have retained a kind of serif on the backs of r and n, and feet of a and u, and either top or tail of i and l. "Netto" dispenses with all such concessions to human frailty. Regarding the silly icons, no comment for now. There, now I have cast my mild imprecations at Netto. Conrad -- From SWANSONG at ecu.edu Fri Aug 22 13:50:00 2008 From: SWANSONG at ecu.edu (Swanson, Gunnar) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:50:00 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com><48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <556BA53FA6DBA14CBD1605F1735C0FEC0129B98F@ecufs9.intra.ecu.edu> re: http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html Conrad is, of course, right on with his comparison to Leroy lettering. If Barry Deck gave us template lettering done by a drooling fool (was that really almost twenty years ago?) then Daniel Utz has given us an ideal of the dead-but-not-forgotten Rapidigraph world. I think it's a handsome typeface. The forms are even and smooth but their combination is not. That produces an almost sweet clumsiness that might be endearing but could, in many contexts, be irritating. I wonder about the "ideal for wayfinding" and "quick recognition" claims. I'd have to spend some time and do some experimentation but if bets have to be on the table, I'm guessing no on both. I joined in the symbol mockery but, for the most part, they are recognizable to anyone who can read the current common symbols such as the AIGA/DOT symbols common in the US. Anyone who calls them "universal" in the fullest sense, is a fool but Adolph Loos' famous Papuans rarely visit airports. (When they do, I suppose they'd need to follow a tour guide with an intricately tattooed flag.) The second to the left on the top pedestrian walkway sign had me stumped until I noted the context of the bicycle path sign. I'm still not sure about the one with Mr. Clippie in a hurry on the lower right. Other than that, they are as clear as signs for bathrooms, baby changing stations, and hotel availability ever are and perhaps as clear as they will be. The various "universal" symbol signs don't functions as Esperanto and don't try to. They are a pidgin. Inarticulate and not always precise but easy to learn for a broad range of people. They are not universal or all-inclusive--ideals never reached much of anywhere (and perhaps rightly so.) They are just minimally exclusive. My favorite symbol to mock in the AIG/DOT series is the "no food or drink" negated cup and hamburger one. I claim that it means "no thanks. Just the fries." (In case you don't know what I'm talking about but http://www.xpress-signs.com/images/OSHA/symbols/SYM_55.gif is similar.) Gunnar ---------- Gunnar Swanson Design Office 1901 East 6th Street Greenville, North Carolina 27858 gunnar at gunnarswanson.com +1 252 258 7006 at East Carolina University: +1 252 328 2839 swansong at ecu.edu -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 4364 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080822/4d537a60/attachment-0001.bin From dtp at she-philosopher.com Fri Aug 22 23:03:47 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:03:47 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <48AF29B3.2040901@she-philosopher.com> Conrad wrote: > Whether by co-incidence, > commission or design, > "Netto" is the name of a > chain of cut-price, no-frills > supermarkets, headquartered > in Denmark, owned ultimately > by the AP M?ller- M?rsk > Group, with stores in > Denmark, Germany, UK, > Poland and Sweden. Oh, great ... so on top of Mr. Utz's various sins in the icon design department, is he also in violation of some company's trademark? (I don't suppose Netto-the-typeface was originally designed as part of a corporate branding project? Does anybody recall what Netto-the-store's logo and signage actually looks like?) > the kind of lettering one > used to make with tube-nibbed > drawings pens and a matching > architect's lettering > template, such as Leroy. Believe it or not, I used to do all my writing with a Rapidigraph. I was a starving graduate student at the time, and couldn't afford the fancy fountain pens sold at the university bookstore. But Rapidigraphs were relatively cheap. Even more important, you could get this totally cool purple ink for them, and as soon as I saw that (a friend of mine, who shared my pen-and-ink fetish, took me to the bookstore one day to show me her discovery), I was sold.... No matter that I had to revamp my handwriting because the pen wouldn't work (ink wouldn't flow) if you didn't hold it upright.... At the time, that was a trade-off I could live with if it meant I had access to a veritable rainbow of cool-colored inks! (Truth be told, I was never really a Mt. Blanc [sp?] kind of black-or-blue ink traditionalist scholar. ;-) Of course, I would never have made this connection if it hadn't been for Conrad's and Gunnar's comments. (I really do marvel at how much you 2 can see in a typeface!) But now that I have made it, I can't help wondering if my generally-positive response to Netto-the-type was because it triggered subliminal warm-and-fuzzy associations with my Rapidigraphs and playful purple inks of yore. Re. the Netto icons, I probably wouldn't have paid them a whole lot of attention (yes, I *still* privilege verbal over visual ;-) if it weren't for the paragraph of marketing hype touting Netto-the-type as geared for the very sort of "information design" which I find the most objectionable (the quest for "clear" Platonic-style forms stripped of "any historical detail"). Gunnar reminds us, correctly I think, that: > The various "universal" > symbol signs don't functions > as Esperanto and don't try > to. They are a pidgin. > Inarticulate and not always > precise but easy to learn > for a broad range of people. Which raises the whole issue of standards. Daniel Utz strikes me a bit like Humpty Dumpty in _Through the Looking Glass_ "'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, 'it means what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less.'" with his idiosyncratic visual idiom that will never IMHO be mainstreamed ... which, contrary to FontShop's newsletter hype, is what it would take "for a broad range of people" to have enough exposure to it that we eventually learn to read it. In Southern California, our freeways (express ways) for intra- and interstate travel via automobile now have traffic signs warning motorists of unauthorized pedestrian crossings in certain areas. The sign that's used for this depicts the stereotypical bourgeois family (man, woman, and child) fleeing anxiously. I suppose if we replaced the present sign with Daniel Utz's lurching Everyman, and gave it sufficient exposure in a proper interpretive context, motorists would eventually *learn* how to read it, too. Even so, I doubt our visual literacy would develop at the same pace as it does with the sign we now have; nor would the texts absorbed with it be as poignantly felt. ... Which brings me back to something Alan said earlier about stereotypes: > For example, there appear > to be male and female forms > shown, but they are > represented by the most > basic and stereotypical > conceptions. Aren't icons inevitably tied to stereotypes? (I.e., if an icon doesn't represent/reinforce a cultural stereotype to begin with, it will itself become one as soon as it becomes a fixture of our visual culture.) When it comes to the need for signaling separate male and female public bathrooms, I find most of the existing signs for this incomprehensible. They only work because there's always 2 of them, and if you assume the binary male-female posing to begin with, and study the symbols long enough, you can usually figure out which symbol represents which gender. Of course, many of us are so used to the female in a triangular dress as the visual term of differentiation (as always, the woman as "other" and marker of difference ;-) that we don't have to study the known stereotype as much as we do some of its updated and more politically-correct versions. Personally, I'd like to see the o with cross and o with arrow used to identify gendered restrooms, but I don't suppose that's going to happen anytime soon! Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0017.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0010.htm From dtp at she-philosopher.com Thu Aug 21 22:43:07 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:43:07 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Cafe, A (new?) typeface for ID uses is advertised in the latest (Aug. 2008) FontShop News: "With FF Netto, Daniel Utz has stripped letters of any historical detail, leaving them with the barest, clearest forms possible. This makes FF Netto ideal for wayfinding, where quick recognition is essential. A series of simple and useful icons and arrows add to its utility for information design, and intelligent borders let you group the pictograms using just a few keystrokes." See sample at http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html I kinda like it.... Not sure about some of the icons, though. E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent a baby? And if so, what message is it supposed to convey? ... that an area is baby-friendly -- that is, has tables for changing diapers, or some such? Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From SWANSONG at ecu.edu Thu Aug 21 22:59:30 2008 From: SWANSONG at ecu.edu (Swanson, Gunnar) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:59:30 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <556BA53FA6DBA14CBD1605F1735C0FEC0129B989@ecufs9.intra.ecu.edu> Deborah Taylor-Pearce > http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html [snip] > the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent > a baby? And if so, what message is it supposed to convey? I think it symbolizes joy, light, and truth radiating from diapers. Gunnar ---------- Gunnar Swanson Design Office 1901 East 6th Street Greenville, North Carolina 27858 gunnar at gunnarswanson.com +1 252 258 7006 at East Carolina University: +1 252 328 2839 swansong at ecu.edu -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 2860 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080821/b1336c36/attachment-0003.bin From frank at limov.com Fri Aug 22 02:07:37 2008 From: frank at limov.com (Frank Wales) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:07:37 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: > http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html > > Not sure about some of the icons, though. I want to know what the designer has against arms, and why the person in the top row is apparently bursting to go to the bathroom. (Maybe they're stuck trying to choose between doors labelled 'pair of tweezers' and 'bell'.) > E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent a baby? "Beware upside-down surprised pigs with mexican moustaches", perhaps? I'd also like to understand how come the 'car' outline has a bit missing, why the 'bed' and 'straightened-out paper clip' symbols are in circles, and what a 'sleeping one-eyed pig' is doing between a 'caravan' and a 'can opener'. -- Frank Wales [frank at limov.com] From alan at alphabyte.co.nz Fri Aug 22 04:16:46 2008 From: alan at alphabyte.co.nz (Alan Litchfield) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:16:46 +1200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: On 22/08/2008, at 12:07 PM, Frank Wales wrote: > Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: >> http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html >> >> Not sure about some of the icons, though. > > I want to know what the designer has against arms, and why the > person in > the top row is apparently bursting to go to the bathroom. (Maybe > they're > stuck trying to choose between doors labelled 'pair of tweezers' and > 'bell'.) > >> E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to >> represent a baby? > > "Beware upside-down surprised pigs with mexican moustaches", perhaps? It's quite simple really. It means "beware, road kill ahead". > > > I'd also like to understand how come the 'car' outline has a bit > missing, > why the 'bed' and 'straightened-out paper clip' symbols are in > circles, What bed? The two circles seem to contain a B on its back and a ... well ... I think it is a football player doing a header, but I can't think why it needs to be memorialised in a symbol. > and > what a 'sleeping one-eyed pig' is doing between a 'caravan' and a > 'can opener'. Hmmm. Pig, caravan and can opener? Boy I can't see those. But then I can never see the 3D images either. "With FF Netto, Daniel Utz has stripped letters of any historical detail, leaving them with the barest, clearest forms possible. This makes FF Netto ideal for wayfinding, where quick recognition is essential." I find this statement to be entirely contradictory. It is through knowledge of our world and what we have learned through experience, and therefore the apprehension of historical detail within the context of our world, that makes recognition of visual forms possible. When these details are stripped from images the result is something that is more easily misinterpreted, because they lack the cues that confirm the viewer's assumptions about their meaning. Of course there will be those who do not have the cultural or historical knowledge to make a correct interpretation, but what he has created is something that fails in even that regard. While it may be true that his goal was to produce a style that conveys meaning to a wider range of viewers, instead he has created one in which more are likely to misunderstand the meanings. What it seems is the case here is there are icons in which there are distilled representations of his own understanding of the world. For example, there appear to be male and female forms shown, but they are represented by the most basic and stereotypical conceptions. There are some that I simply do not understand, for example what is that thing in the top row, second from the right? The exit sign fails because the meaning in the icon is so stripped of meaning it has become necessary to add the intention of the sign in writing, but it is in latin text, and in English. Alan -- Alan Litchfield MBus(Hons), MNZCS AlphaByte PO Box 1941, Auckland, NZ. 1140 http://www.alphabyte.co.nz From jk at nqpaofu.com Fri Aug 22 06:54:19 2008 From: jk at nqpaofu.com (Jouke Kleerebezem) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:54:19 +0200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: Good day, to Alan Litchfield who wrote: There are some that I simply do not understand, for example what is that thing in the top row, second from the right? In this sign there's a 'thing' and a letter U in the upper hand right corner. This is the sign for the subway, or 'U-bahn' in German (from 'Untergrundbahn', underground railway). Not only are these sign simply illegible, now we all have to learn German to be able to understand some of them... To me the 'baby' is an insect -- we might just as well use Rorschach blots for signage. Jouke Kleerebezem -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080822/b25c441c/attachment-0002.htm From alan at alphabyte.co.nz Fri Aug 22 07:30:33 2008 From: alan at alphabyte.co.nz (Alan Litchfield) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:30:33 +1200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: On 22/08/2008, at 4:54 PM, Jouke Kleerebezem wrote: > In this sign there's a 'thing' and a letter U in the upper hand > right corner. This is the sign for the subway, or 'U-bahn' in German > (from 'Untergrundbahn', underground railway). Really? Never would have even come close to guessing that. > > Not only are these sign simply illegible, now we all have to learn > German to be able to understand some of them... > > To me the 'baby' is an insect -- :D Now that you mention it. > we might just as well use Rorschach blots for signage. > With the difference that ink blots are unintentional, whereas these are supposedly intentional. Cheers Alan -- Alan Litchfield MBus(Hons), MNZCS AlphaByte PO Box 1941, Auckland, NZ. 1140 http://www.alphabyte.co.nz From dtp at she-philosopher.com Fri Aug 22 08:44:56 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:44:56 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> > To me the 'baby' is an insect OK ... and given the serialized context ("A series of simple and useful icons ..."), my partner and I made sense of the insect and figure to its right as: Running only zone. Giant bugs in pursuit. ;-) Being the literal type that I am, I would, of course, question the iconicity of a 4-legged insect ... but then, since the human figures are missing limbs also, I suppose there is at least a sort of design consistency here.... (Having just returned from a late-night walk with my dog in a coastal canyon in Southern California, I was reminded of what a good warning sign actually looks like: we have a lot of "rattlesnake area" signs around here, and these *are* accurate representations of the species in question.) I agree with Alan that as far as the Netto icons are concerned, this is the worst sort of un-self-aware cultural specificity masquerading as "universal" art forms ... But I do want to ask those of you who actually know about these sorts of things about the type, as well. I thought the Netto type was attractive ... probably for "display" uses -- posters and the like.... What I'm wondering is how well it would work for wayfinding signage? Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From conrad at ideograf.demon.co.uk Fri Aug 22 10:57:30 2008 From: conrad at ideograf.demon.co.uk (Conrad Taylor) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:57:30 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: Deborah asked: >But I do want to ask those of you who actually know about these sorts >of things about the type, as well. > >I thought the Netto type was attractive ... probably for "display" >uses -- posters and the like.... > >What I'm wondering is how well it would work for wayfinding signage? Whether by co-incidence, commission or design, "Netto" is the name of a chain of cut-price, no-frills supermarkets, headquartered in Denmark, owned ultimately by the AP M?ller- M?rsk Group, with stores in Denmark, Germany, UK, Poland and Sweden. This no-frills font reminds me of the kind of lettering one used to make with tube-nibbed drawings pens and a matching architect's lettering template, such as Leroy. There, the no-frills-ness and minimisation or curve complexity was to assist the passage of the nib (or, with Leroy, the guide-pin) along the guiding groove. It worries me when people designing type intended for signage are seduced by an over-obeisance to geometry. >From the legibility point of view I guess this is not too bad (while being irredeemably ugly), but I'd look askance at three aspects: (a) Letters such as b, c, n, u, o are too box- like. This means that the letterspaces, made from the combined sidebearing spaces, are often significantly out of balance with the areas within the letterforms ("counters"). (b) Ascenders are not well marked, since the x-height is very large and the ascenders are stubby. Thus the word profiles are not as clear as in some other fonts, and I think which could be found to be problematic in distance viewing and by folks with partial sight, which are considerations for signage fonts. (c) Some "frills" can be significant differentiators between glyphs and that I think is why some people designing faces that are sans overall have retained a kind of serif on the backs of r and n, and feet of a and u, and either top or tail of i and l. "Netto" dispenses with all such concessions to human frailty. Regarding the silly icons, no comment for now. There, now I have cast my mild imprecations at Netto. Conrad -- From SWANSONG at ecu.edu Fri Aug 22 13:50:00 2008 From: SWANSONG at ecu.edu (Swanson, Gunnar) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:50:00 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com><48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <556BA53FA6DBA14CBD1605F1735C0FEC0129B98F@ecufs9.intra.ecu.edu> re: http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html Conrad is, of course, right on with his comparison to Leroy lettering. If Barry Deck gave us template lettering done by a drooling fool (was that really almost twenty years ago?) then Daniel Utz has given us an ideal of the dead-but-not-forgotten Rapidigraph world. I think it's a handsome typeface. The forms are even and smooth but their combination is not. That produces an almost sweet clumsiness that might be endearing but could, in many contexts, be irritating. I wonder about the "ideal for wayfinding" and "quick recognition" claims. I'd have to spend some time and do some experimentation but if bets have to be on the table, I'm guessing no on both. I joined in the symbol mockery but, for the most part, they are recognizable to anyone who can read the current common symbols such as the AIGA/DOT symbols common in the US. Anyone who calls them "universal" in the fullest sense, is a fool but Adolph Loos' famous Papuans rarely visit airports. (When they do, I suppose they'd need to follow a tour guide with an intricately tattooed flag.) The second to the left on the top pedestrian walkway sign had me stumped until I noted the context of the bicycle path sign. I'm still not sure about the one with Mr. Clippie in a hurry on the lower right. Other than that, they are as clear as signs for bathrooms, baby changing stations, and hotel availability ever are and perhaps as clear as they will be. The various "universal" symbol signs don't functions as Esperanto and don't try to. They are a pidgin. Inarticulate and not always precise but easy to learn for a broad range of people. They are not universal or all-inclusive--ideals never reached much of anywhere (and perhaps rightly so.) They are just minimally exclusive. My favorite symbol to mock in the AIG/DOT series is the "no food or drink" negated cup and hamburger one. I claim that it means "no thanks. Just the fries." (In case you don't know what I'm talking about but http://www.xpress-signs.com/images/OSHA/symbols/SYM_55.gif is similar.) Gunnar ---------- Gunnar Swanson Design Office 1901 East 6th Street Greenville, North Carolina 27858 gunnar at gunnarswanson.com +1 252 258 7006 at East Carolina University: +1 252 328 2839 swansong at ecu.edu -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 4364 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080822/4d537a60/attachment-0002.bin From dtp at she-philosopher.com Fri Aug 22 23:03:47 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:03:47 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <48AF29B3.2040901@she-philosopher.com> Conrad wrote: > Whether by co-incidence, > commission or design, > "Netto" is the name of a > chain of cut-price, no-frills > supermarkets, headquartered > in Denmark, owned ultimately > by the AP M?ller- M?rsk > Group, with stores in > Denmark, Germany, UK, > Poland and Sweden. Oh, great ... so on top of Mr. Utz's various sins in the icon design department, is he also in violation of some company's trademark? (I don't suppose Netto-the-typeface was originally designed as part of a corporate branding project? Does anybody recall what Netto-the-store's logo and signage actually looks like?) > the kind of lettering one > used to make with tube-nibbed > drawings pens and a matching > architect's lettering > template, such as Leroy. Believe it or not, I used to do all my writing with a Rapidigraph. I was a starving graduate student at the time, and couldn't afford the fancy fountain pens sold at the university bookstore. But Rapidigraphs were relatively cheap. Even more important, you could get this totally cool purple ink for them, and as soon as I saw that (a friend of mine, who shared my pen-and-ink fetish, took me to the bookstore one day to show me her discovery), I was sold.... No matter that I had to revamp my handwriting because the pen wouldn't work (ink wouldn't flow) if you didn't hold it upright.... At the time, that was a trade-off I could live with if it meant I had access to a veritable rainbow of cool-colored inks! (Truth be told, I was never really a Mt. Blanc [sp?] kind of black-or-blue ink traditionalist scholar. ;-) Of course, I would never have made this connection if it hadn't been for Conrad's and Gunnar's comments. (I really do marvel at how much you 2 can see in a typeface!) But now that I have made it, I can't help wondering if my generally-positive response to Netto-the-type was because it triggered subliminal warm-and-fuzzy associations with my Rapidigraphs and playful purple inks of yore. Re. the Netto icons, I probably wouldn't have paid them a whole lot of attention (yes, I *still* privilege verbal over visual ;-) if it weren't for the paragraph of marketing hype touting Netto-the-type as geared for the very sort of "information design" which I find the most objectionable (the quest for "clear" Platonic-style forms stripped of "any historical detail"). Gunnar reminds us, correctly I think, that: > The various "universal" > symbol signs don't functions > as Esperanto and don't try > to. They are a pidgin. > Inarticulate and not always > precise but easy to learn > for a broad range of people. Which raises the whole issue of standards. Daniel Utz strikes me a bit like Humpty Dumpty in _Through the Looking Glass_ "'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, 'it means what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less.'" with his idiosyncratic visual idiom that will never IMHO be mainstreamed ... which, contrary to FontShop's newsletter hype, is what it would take "for a broad range of people" to have enough exposure to it that we eventually learn to read it. In Southern California, our freeways (express ways) for intra- and interstate travel via automobile now have traffic signs warning motorists of unauthorized pedestrian crossings in certain areas. The sign that's used for this depicts the stereotypical bourgeois family (man, woman, and child) fleeing anxiously. I suppose if we replaced the present sign with Daniel Utz's lurching Everyman, and gave it sufficient exposure in a proper interpretive context, motorists would eventually *learn* how to read it, too. Even so, I doubt our visual literacy would develop at the same pace as it does with the sign we now have; nor would the texts absorbed with it be as poignantly felt. ... Which brings me back to something Alan said earlier about stereotypes: > For example, there appear > to be male and female forms > shown, but they are > represented by the most > basic and stereotypical > conceptions. Aren't icons inevitably tied to stereotypes? (I.e., if an icon doesn't represent/reinforce a cultural stereotype to begin with, it will itself become one as soon as it becomes a fixture of our visual culture.) When it comes to the need for signaling separate male and female public bathrooms, I find most of the existing signs for this incomprehensible. They only work because there's always 2 of them, and if you assume the binary male-female posing to begin with, and study the symbols long enough, you can usually figure out which symbol represents which gender. Of course, many of us are so used to the female in a triangular dress as the visual term of differentiation (as always, the woman as "other" and marker of difference ;-) that we don't have to study the known stereotype as much as we do some of its updated and more politically-correct versions. Personally, I'd like to see the o with cross and o with arrow used to identify gendered restrooms, but I don't suppose that's going to happen anytime soon! Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From mxp at dynalabs.de Sat Aug 23 14:26:05 2008 From: mxp at dynalabs.de (Michael Piotrowski) Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:26:05 +0200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> <48AF29B3.2040901@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: On 2008-08-22, Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: >> Whether by co-incidence, commission or design, "Netto" is the name of >> a chain of cut-price, no-frills supermarkets, headquartered in >> Denmark, owned ultimately by the AP M?ller- M?rsk Group, with stores >> in Denmark, Germany, UK, Poland and Sweden. > > Oh, great ... so on top of Mr. Utz's various sins in the icon design > department, is he also in violation of some company's trademark? I don't think so. "Netto" is the German equivalent of "net," as in "net price" or "net weight." > (I don't suppose Netto-the-typeface was originally designed as part of > a corporate branding project? Unlikely. Discounters prefer bold type. > Does anybody recall what Netto-the-store's logo and signage actually > looks like?) Their colors are black and yellow, the logo consists of a terrier carrying a shopping basket and "NETTO" in a bold, Futura-like font; cf. . Note that in Germany there is another, unrelated, supermarket chain also called NETTO, cf. . Greetings -- Michael Piotrowski, M.A. Public key at (ID 0x1614A044) From dtp at she-philosopher.com Sat Aug 23 22:12:47 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:12:47 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> <48AF29B3.2040901@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <48B06F3F.8000307@she-philosopher.com> From Michael: >> Does anybody recall what >> Netto-the-store's logo >> and signage actually looks >> like?) > > Their colors are black and > yellow, the logo consists > of a terrier carrying a > shopping basket and > "NETTO" in a bold, > Futura-like font; > cf. . Wow. That's one well-branded page! I did notice, however, that their logo doesn't make the best favicon -- and I probably noticed this because it's a design problem I've been wrestling with myself of late. One would think black-and-yellow would be a stand-out combination for adding crispness and clean contrasts to a 16px-wide icon, but in my experience, it never does.... While I would expect the logo's shopping basket to lose its detail and be blurry at 16px across, I was surprised to see that the terrier's outline degraded also (perhaps because the favicon cuts the dog's figure off, giving a "bust" view only, which is an insufficient differentiator at such a small size?). I actually think a better favicon -- even though it would lack the most recognizable aspects of the NETTO brand (a terrier uniquely modified by the yellow background color and the shopping basket in its mouth) -- would be the plain little black terrier icon used elsewhere on the home page. But I suppose something like this would break basic marketing rules: what I think of as a strategic adaptation of the logo for the peculiar new genre of browser bookmarks and tabs would probably be dismissed by professionals as "diluting the brand." > Note that in Germany there > is another, unrelated, > supermarket chain also > called NETTO, cf. > . I must admit that I have never liked these kinds of logos, but it sure makes a better favicon. I assume this means that the NETTO Discount store logotype scales nicely all the way from billboard-sized signage down to the minimalist favicon ... which is pretty impressive when you think about it! One other thing I *really* liked about what I think is a well-designed Web page: the navbar at top. It manages to neatly incorporate 3 distinct information groups ... plus the drop-downs work well (too often, I find, these don't work so well -- don't fold up properly, or fold down strategically, and what should be ephemeral navigational content ends up dominating the page -- obliterating text in similar drop-downs on either side and/or key text on the main page). >> (I don't suppose >> Netto-the-typeface was >> originally designed as >> part of a corporate >> branding project? > > Unlikely. Discounters > prefer bold type. Because it's a reliable attention-grabber? In which case, how do you protect against over-saturation: too much bold chunky text screaming at us everywhere for our attention? I suppose the answer has something to do with effective space management. I know that the best retailers are master architects of retail spaces. E.g., David Weinberger writes about how the office supplies store, Staples, does extensive research in this area, redesigning stores as needed to boost sales. Fascinating stuff. (FWIW, I recommend Weinberger's _Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder_ ... which he lovingly dedicates "To the librarians.") Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, etc. One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From andrew at boag.co.uk Fri Aug 1 16:33:04 2008 From: andrew at boag.co.uk (Andrew Boag) Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:33:04 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 16:40:02 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 10:40:02 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - Can I answer any other questions you might have in regards to our project? Robert. -----Original Message----- From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Boag Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 10:33 AM To: InfoDesign Cafe Subject: Re: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Thanks, colleagues, for the useful thoughts on this subject so far. My take on this, : Rob's points all valid. Regarding condolences, this is a somewhat difficult area, in that no matter how short the expression of sympathy, there will be some people who don't want to be consoled. And I'm also interested in the area of probate, and organisations like solicitors and executors, for whom condolences will often not be necessary. Robert, your example here is very useful. The difficult thing for us is the tracking down of examples from a range of companies, because we can't open a sample account and then pretend the person has died! So if anyone has examples from their own experiences or from having carried out work of this kind I'd be very interested in hearing from you! Andrew On 01/08/2008 14:23, "Robert Linsky" wrote: > Andrew - > > We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign > a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were > getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info, no signature, etc) and almost > all of the money was leaving the company. We did some testing and redesigned > the information to make things easier to use and understand. The result was > the not in good order went down to less than 25% and the money staying with > the company increased by 35%. One thing that I think helped was changing the > title of the package from "Death Benefit Kit" to "Beneficiary's Guide to > Controlling Inherited Assets". But I think the big pieces were making the > information easier to understand and the form simpler to fill out. > > Robert. > > -----Original Message----- > From: infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org > [mailto:infodesign-cafe-bounces at list.informationdesign.org] On Behalf Of > Andrew Boag > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:08 AM > To: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications > > On behalf of a client we are looking at best practice in the ways that > organisations [primarily financial, i.e. Banks etc.] communicate with > customers, at various stages in the process from application forms and > packs, to welcome letters, pass books, account change requests, statements, > etc. > > One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with > customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the > company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure > that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. > > As it's rather difficult to lay hands on examples of these (so to speak), I > wondered if members of the caf? might have some pointers/best practice > suggestions, or indeed have good examples, that are worth sharing. I am sure > there must be some quite amusing examples ... ? > > Andrew Boag > > ----------------------- > Boag Associates > T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 > F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 > http://www.boag.co.uk > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > ----------------------- > The contents of this > e-mail are confidential > and intended for the > addressee only. > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: > infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: > http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe > > For all Information Design matters: > http://InformationDesign.org > > Problems? Write to: > InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org > ___________________________________________________________________ Andrew Boag ----------------------- Boag Associates T +44 (0)20 3008 6491 F +44 (0)20 3008 7759 http://www.boag.co.uk CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE ----------------------- The contents of this e-mail are confidential and intended for the addressee only. ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: infodesign-cafe at list.informationdesign.org To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: InfoDesign-Cafe-Admin at list.InformationDesign.org ___________________________________________________________________ From katie at raincharm.co.uk Thu Aug 7 11:36:16 2008 From: katie at raincharm.co.uk (Raincharm Communications Limited) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 10:36:16 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Last call for Design to Read - HCI 2008 Liverpool Message-ID: <28D479C00AB14BD9B4DDC869F61FAE71@KatiePC> Please note - there is still time to register for this workshop. The cost of the individual workshop is ?80 but you may wish to register for the whole conference. Early bird rates end 8 August. We already have a range of practitioners registered to attend from international backgrounds. Please do join us on the 2nd September in Liverpool. Email Caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk to register interest. DESIGN TO READ - Designing for people who do not read easily > A workshop at HCI 2008, Liverpool John Moores University, 2 September > 2008 > > POSITION PAPERS DUE Friday 11 July 2008 > > Workshop website > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ > > ............................................................................................................................................... > > Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. We learn at school, > practice as adolescents and perfect (or so we hope) the ability as > adults. It is something many of us do not even consider as a conscious > activity. > > Many people do not read easily. This might be because of an impairment > or disability, poor access to literacy or because English is not their > first language. In addition to reading the text itself, there are > often other barriers or obstructions to reading, often because of poor > design, layout and use of language. > This workshop introduces several ideas and approaches to understanding > why this is so, and will seek to find solutions to improve the > readability of information in a variety of formats including on computer > systems such as public information systems like e-government and e-social service systems. > The session will be interactive,engaging and informative encouraging > participants to share expertise and knowledge in a variety of 'try it > now' settings. In addition to exploring the reasons why some people do not > read easily, we will actively encourage attendees to question their own > approach to reading and how adaptations or >adjustments can be made to > improve accessibility for all. > >The workshop aims to be initial and exploratory, appealing to a range > of academics, researchers and design practitioners who not only want > to share knowledge and experience but ultimately have the goal of > improving the lives of all those who do not read easily. > > TO PARTICIPATE, send your position papers to: Caroline Jarrett > (caroline.jarrett at effortmark.co.uk) > > POSITION PAPER FORMAT : pls visit workshop web page to download paper > format. > > KEY DATES > Position Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 11 July 2008 > Notification of acceptance and comments: Monday 21 July 2008 > Submission of camera-ready copy: 28 July 2008 > Workshop start: Tuesday 2 Sept 2008 > > WORKSHOP WEBSITE > http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/research/idc/designtoread/ Raincharm Communications Ltd Tel 07971 909007 Registered No. 6267862 VAT No. 913 3364 44 www.raincharm.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080807/ac54376c/attachment-0018.htm From zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com Tue Aug 12 19:36:14 2008 From: zimt_arlcova at yahoo.com (zimt arlcova) Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:36:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications Message-ID: <603636.32870.qm@web90501.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Andrew and others -- A coworker is the executrix for her aunt's estate; the aunt passed away this past week, so I forwarded your question to her. In her situation, she is the one initiating communications with the companies rather than the other way around. In just five days' experience, however, she has a wish list for me to share: ***** First, it?s up to the executor/beneficiary to contact the bank/mortgage company/investment firm/etc. to let them know that the original policy owner has died. The institution then provides a list of things they need from the executor/beneficiary in order to close/transfer/reinvest the account ? usually a copy of the will/trust and a copy of the death certificate. What these sites need to do is have a page on their site that contains this list. They should also provide a form that the executor/beneficiary can fill out that will provide information (account number, executor/beneficiary name and address and email and phone, original policy owner name and address, close/transfer/reinvest/, reason, etc). The executor/beneficiary can submit it electronically. They can also print it out to send with their copy of the will/trust and death certificate. This will give the institution a heads-up. And they need to include the address of where to send stuff and a phone number in case assistance is required. The institution should also briefly detail exactly how the process works, whether it?s for closing, transferring or reinvesting the account ? the executor/beneficiary will want to see how simple things are, step-by-step, so they don?t freak out. Timelines are good, if possible. And, if they want, I think an institution can talk about how they?d be able to help the executor/beneficiary reinvest the account ? nothing wrong with selling your services behind a carefully painted mask of sympathy. ***** Hope this is useful. Cheers, Cinnamon Melchor ----- Original Message ---- From: Andrew Boag >One area that is especially interesting is how best to communicate with >customers in the context where the policy owner has recently died, and the >company needs to communicate sympathetically, yet efficiently, to ensure >that the policy is closed, reinvested, paid out, or whatever. From d.sless at communication.org.au Thu Aug 14 09:59:45 2008 From: d.sless at communication.org.au (David Sless) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:59:45 +1000 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: new courses Message-ID: Hi all, Members of this list may be interested in the new information design course that we will be offering over the coming months at: http://www.communication.org.au/ Warm regards from wintery Melbourne. David -- blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog web: http://www.communication.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080814/ef2adbf1/attachment-0011.htm From dtp at she-philosopher.com Thu Aug 21 22:43:07 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:43:07 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Cafe, A (new?) typeface for ID uses is advertised in the latest (Aug. 2008) FontShop News: "With FF Netto, Daniel Utz has stripped letters of any historical detail, leaving them with the barest, clearest forms possible. This makes FF Netto ideal for wayfinding, where quick recognition is essential. A series of simple and useful icons and arrows add to its utility for information design, and intelligent borders let you group the pictograms using just a few keystrokes." See sample at http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html I kinda like it.... Not sure about some of the icons, though. E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent a baby? And if so, what message is it supposed to convey? ... that an area is baby-friendly -- that is, has tables for changing diapers, or some such? Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From SWANSONG at ecu.edu Thu Aug 21 22:59:30 2008 From: SWANSONG at ecu.edu (Swanson, Gunnar) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:59:30 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <556BA53FA6DBA14CBD1605F1735C0FEC0129B989@ecufs9.intra.ecu.edu> Deborah Taylor-Pearce > http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html [snip] > the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent > a baby? And if so, what message is it supposed to convey? I think it symbolizes joy, light, and truth radiating from diapers. Gunnar ---------- Gunnar Swanson Design Office 1901 East 6th Street Greenville, North Carolina 27858 gunnar at gunnarswanson.com +1 252 258 7006 at East Carolina University: +1 252 328 2839 swansong at ecu.edu -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 2860 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080821/b1336c36/attachment-0004.bin From frank at limov.com Fri Aug 22 02:07:37 2008 From: frank at limov.com (Frank Wales) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:07:37 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: > http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html > > Not sure about some of the icons, though. I want to know what the designer has against arms, and why the person in the top row is apparently bursting to go to the bathroom. (Maybe they're stuck trying to choose between doors labelled 'pair of tweezers' and 'bell'.) > E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to represent a baby? "Beware upside-down surprised pigs with mexican moustaches", perhaps? I'd also like to understand how come the 'car' outline has a bit missing, why the 'bed' and 'straightened-out paper clip' symbols are in circles, and what a 'sleeping one-eyed pig' is doing between a 'caravan' and a 'can opener'. -- Frank Wales [frank at limov.com] From alan at alphabyte.co.nz Fri Aug 22 04:16:46 2008 From: alan at alphabyte.co.nz (Alan Litchfield) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:16:46 +1200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: On 22/08/2008, at 12:07 PM, Frank Wales wrote: > Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: >> http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html >> >> Not sure about some of the icons, though. > > I want to know what the designer has against arms, and why the > person in > the top row is apparently bursting to go to the bathroom. (Maybe > they're > stuck trying to choose between doors labelled 'pair of tweezers' and > 'bell'.) > >> E.g., the 2nd from right in middle row: is this supposed to >> represent a baby? > > "Beware upside-down surprised pigs with mexican moustaches", perhaps? It's quite simple really. It means "beware, road kill ahead". > > > I'd also like to understand how come the 'car' outline has a bit > missing, > why the 'bed' and 'straightened-out paper clip' symbols are in > circles, What bed? The two circles seem to contain a B on its back and a ... well ... I think it is a football player doing a header, but I can't think why it needs to be memorialised in a symbol. > and > what a 'sleeping one-eyed pig' is doing between a 'caravan' and a > 'can opener'. Hmmm. Pig, caravan and can opener? Boy I can't see those. But then I can never see the 3D images either. "With FF Netto, Daniel Utz has stripped letters of any historical detail, leaving them with the barest, clearest forms possible. This makes FF Netto ideal for wayfinding, where quick recognition is essential." I find this statement to be entirely contradictory. It is through knowledge of our world and what we have learned through experience, and therefore the apprehension of historical detail within the context of our world, that makes recognition of visual forms possible. When these details are stripped from images the result is something that is more easily misinterpreted, because they lack the cues that confirm the viewer's assumptions about their meaning. Of course there will be those who do not have the cultural or historical knowledge to make a correct interpretation, but what he has created is something that fails in even that regard. While it may be true that his goal was to produce a style that conveys meaning to a wider range of viewers, instead he has created one in which more are likely to misunderstand the meanings. What it seems is the case here is there are icons in which there are distilled representations of his own understanding of the world. For example, there appear to be male and female forms shown, but they are represented by the most basic and stereotypical conceptions. There are some that I simply do not understand, for example what is that thing in the top row, second from the right? The exit sign fails because the meaning in the icon is so stripped of meaning it has become necessary to add the intention of the sign in writing, but it is in latin text, and in English. Alan -- Alan Litchfield MBus(Hons), MNZCS AlphaByte PO Box 1941, Auckland, NZ. 1140 http://www.alphabyte.co.nz From jk at nqpaofu.com Fri Aug 22 06:54:19 2008 From: jk at nqpaofu.com (Jouke Kleerebezem) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:54:19 +0200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: Good day, to Alan Litchfield who wrote: There are some that I simply do not understand, for example what is that thing in the top row, second from the right? In this sign there's a 'thing' and a letter U in the upper hand right corner. This is the sign for the subway, or 'U-bahn' in German (from 'Untergrundbahn', underground railway). Not only are these sign simply illegible, now we all have to learn German to be able to understand some of them... To me the 'baby' is an insect -- we might just as well use Rorschach blots for signage. Jouke Kleerebezem -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080822/b25c441c/attachment-0003.htm From alan at alphabyte.co.nz Fri Aug 22 07:30:33 2008 From: alan at alphabyte.co.nz (Alan Litchfield) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:30:33 +1200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: On 22/08/2008, at 4:54 PM, Jouke Kleerebezem wrote: > In this sign there's a 'thing' and a letter U in the upper hand > right corner. This is the sign for the subway, or 'U-bahn' in German > (from 'Untergrundbahn', underground railway). Really? Never would have even come close to guessing that. > > Not only are these sign simply illegible, now we all have to learn > German to be able to understand some of them... > > To me the 'baby' is an insect -- :D Now that you mention it. > we might just as well use Rorschach blots for signage. > With the difference that ink blots are unintentional, whereas these are supposedly intentional. Cheers Alan -- Alan Litchfield MBus(Hons), MNZCS AlphaByte PO Box 1941, Auckland, NZ. 1140 http://www.alphabyte.co.nz From dtp at she-philosopher.com Fri Aug 22 08:44:56 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:44:56 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> Message-ID: <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> > To me the 'baby' is an insect OK ... and given the serialized context ("A series of simple and useful icons ..."), my partner and I made sense of the insect and figure to its right as: Running only zone. Giant bugs in pursuit. ;-) Being the literal type that I am, I would, of course, question the iconicity of a 4-legged insect ... but then, since the human figures are missing limbs also, I suppose there is at least a sort of design consistency here.... (Having just returned from a late-night walk with my dog in a coastal canyon in Southern California, I was reminded of what a good warning sign actually looks like: we have a lot of "rattlesnake area" signs around here, and these *are* accurate representations of the species in question.) I agree with Alan that as far as the Netto icons are concerned, this is the worst sort of un-self-aware cultural specificity masquerading as "universal" art forms ... But I do want to ask those of you who actually know about these sorts of things about the type, as well. I thought the Netto type was attractive ... probably for "display" uses -- posters and the like.... What I'm wondering is how well it would work for wayfinding signage? Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From conrad at ideograf.demon.co.uk Fri Aug 22 10:57:30 2008 From: conrad at ideograf.demon.co.uk (Conrad Taylor) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:57:30 +0100 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: Deborah asked: >But I do want to ask those of you who actually know about these sorts >of things about the type, as well. > >I thought the Netto type was attractive ... probably for "display" >uses -- posters and the like.... > >What I'm wondering is how well it would work for wayfinding signage? Whether by co-incidence, commission or design, "Netto" is the name of a chain of cut-price, no-frills supermarkets, headquartered in Denmark, owned ultimately by the AP M?ller- M?rsk Group, with stores in Denmark, Germany, UK, Poland and Sweden. This no-frills font reminds me of the kind of lettering one used to make with tube-nibbed drawings pens and a matching architect's lettering template, such as Leroy. There, the no-frills-ness and minimisation or curve complexity was to assist the passage of the nib (or, with Leroy, the guide-pin) along the guiding groove. It worries me when people designing type intended for signage are seduced by an over-obeisance to geometry. >From the legibility point of view I guess this is not too bad (while being irredeemably ugly), but I'd look askance at three aspects: (a) Letters such as b, c, n, u, o are too box- like. This means that the letterspaces, made from the combined sidebearing spaces, are often significantly out of balance with the areas within the letterforms ("counters"). (b) Ascenders are not well marked, since the x-height is very large and the ascenders are stubby. Thus the word profiles are not as clear as in some other fonts, and I think which could be found to be problematic in distance viewing and by folks with partial sight, which are considerations for signage fonts. (c) Some "frills" can be significant differentiators between glyphs and that I think is why some people designing faces that are sans overall have retained a kind of serif on the backs of r and n, and feet of a and u, and either top or tail of i and l. "Netto" dispenses with all such concessions to human frailty. Regarding the silly icons, no comment for now. There, now I have cast my mild imprecations at Netto. Conrad -- From SWANSONG at ecu.edu Fri Aug 22 13:50:00 2008 From: SWANSONG at ecu.edu (Swanson, Gunnar) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:50:00 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com><48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <556BA53FA6DBA14CBD1605F1735C0FEC0129B98F@ecufs9.intra.ecu.edu> re: http://www.fontshop.com/features/newsletters/aug08b/index.html Conrad is, of course, right on with his comparison to Leroy lettering. If Barry Deck gave us template lettering done by a drooling fool (was that really almost twenty years ago?) then Daniel Utz has given us an ideal of the dead-but-not-forgotten Rapidigraph world. I think it's a handsome typeface. The forms are even and smooth but their combination is not. That produces an almost sweet clumsiness that might be endearing but could, in many contexts, be irritating. I wonder about the "ideal for wayfinding" and "quick recognition" claims. I'd have to spend some time and do some experimentation but if bets have to be on the table, I'm guessing no on both. I joined in the symbol mockery but, for the most part, they are recognizable to anyone who can read the current common symbols such as the AIGA/DOT symbols common in the US. Anyone who calls them "universal" in the fullest sense, is a fool but Adolph Loos' famous Papuans rarely visit airports. (When they do, I suppose they'd need to follow a tour guide with an intricately tattooed flag.) The second to the left on the top pedestrian walkway sign had me stumped until I noted the context of the bicycle path sign. I'm still not sure about the one with Mr. Clippie in a hurry on the lower right. Other than that, they are as clear as signs for bathrooms, baby changing stations, and hotel availability ever are and perhaps as clear as they will be. The various "universal" symbol signs don't functions as Esperanto and don't try to. They are a pidgin. Inarticulate and not always precise but easy to learn for a broad range of people. They are not universal or all-inclusive--ideals never reached much of anywhere (and perhaps rightly so.) They are just minimally exclusive. My favorite symbol to mock in the AIG/DOT series is the "no food or drink" negated cup and hamburger one. I claim that it means "no thanks. Just the fries." (In case you don't know what I'm talking about but http://www.xpress-signs.com/images/OSHA/symbols/SYM_55.gif is similar.) Gunnar ---------- Gunnar Swanson Design Office 1901 East 6th Street Greenville, North Carolina 27858 gunnar at gunnarswanson.com +1 252 258 7006 at East Carolina University: +1 252 328 2839 swansong at ecu.edu -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 4364 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.webtic.nl/pipermail/infodesign-cafe/attachments/20080822/4d537a60/attachment-0003.bin From dtp at she-philosopher.com Fri Aug 22 23:03:47 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:03:47 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <48AF29B3.2040901@she-philosopher.com> Conrad wrote: > Whether by co-incidence, > commission or design, > "Netto" is the name of a > chain of cut-price, no-frills > supermarkets, headquartered > in Denmark, owned ultimately > by the AP M?ller- M?rsk > Group, with stores in > Denmark, Germany, UK, > Poland and Sweden. Oh, great ... so on top of Mr. Utz's various sins in the icon design department, is he also in violation of some company's trademark? (I don't suppose Netto-the-typeface was originally designed as part of a corporate branding project? Does anybody recall what Netto-the-store's logo and signage actually looks like?) > the kind of lettering one > used to make with tube-nibbed > drawings pens and a matching > architect's lettering > template, such as Leroy. Believe it or not, I used to do all my writing with a Rapidigraph. I was a starving graduate student at the time, and couldn't afford the fancy fountain pens sold at the university bookstore. But Rapidigraphs were relatively cheap. Even more important, you could get this totally cool purple ink for them, and as soon as I saw that (a friend of mine, who shared my pen-and-ink fetish, took me to the bookstore one day to show me her discovery), I was sold.... No matter that I had to revamp my handwriting because the pen wouldn't work (ink wouldn't flow) if you didn't hold it upright.... At the time, that was a trade-off I could live with if it meant I had access to a veritable rainbow of cool-colored inks! (Truth be told, I was never really a Mt. Blanc [sp?] kind of black-or-blue ink traditionalist scholar. ;-) Of course, I would never have made this connection if it hadn't been for Conrad's and Gunnar's comments. (I really do marvel at how much you 2 can see in a typeface!) But now that I have made it, I can't help wondering if my generally-positive response to Netto-the-type was because it triggered subliminal warm-and-fuzzy associations with my Rapidigraphs and playful purple inks of yore. Re. the Netto icons, I probably wouldn't have paid them a whole lot of attention (yes, I *still* privilege verbal over visual ;-) if it weren't for the paragraph of marketing hype touting Netto-the-type as geared for the very sort of "information design" which I find the most objectionable (the quest for "clear" Platonic-style forms stripped of "any historical detail"). Gunnar reminds us, correctly I think, that: > The various "universal" > symbol signs don't functions > as Esperanto and don't try > to. They are a pidgin. > Inarticulate and not always > precise but easy to learn > for a broad range of people. Which raises the whole issue of standards. Daniel Utz strikes me a bit like Humpty Dumpty in _Through the Looking Glass_ "'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, 'it means what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less.'" with his idiosyncratic visual idiom that will never IMHO be mainstreamed ... which, contrary to FontShop's newsletter hype, is what it would take "for a broad range of people" to have enough exposure to it that we eventually learn to read it. In Southern California, our freeways (express ways) for intra- and interstate travel via automobile now have traffic signs warning motorists of unauthorized pedestrian crossings in certain areas. The sign that's used for this depicts the stereotypical bourgeois family (man, woman, and child) fleeing anxiously. I suppose if we replaced the present sign with Daniel Utz's lurching Everyman, and gave it sufficient exposure in a proper interpretive context, motorists would eventually *learn* how to read it, too. Even so, I doubt our visual literacy would develop at the same pace as it does with the sign we now have; nor would the texts absorbed with it be as poignantly felt. ... Which brings me back to something Alan said earlier about stereotypes: > For example, there appear > to be male and female forms > shown, but they are > represented by the most > basic and stereotypical > conceptions. Aren't icons inevitably tied to stereotypes? (I.e., if an icon doesn't represent/reinforce a cultural stereotype to begin with, it will itself become one as soon as it becomes a fixture of our visual culture.) When it comes to the need for signaling separate male and female public bathrooms, I find most of the existing signs for this incomprehensible. They only work because there's always 2 of them, and if you assume the binary male-female posing to begin with, and study the symbols long enough, you can usually figure out which symbol represents which gender. Of course, many of us are so used to the female in a triangular dress as the visual term of differentiation (as always, the woman as "other" and marker of difference ;-) that we don't have to study the known stereotype as much as we do some of its updated and more politically-correct versions. Personally, I'd like to see the o with cross and o with arrow used to identify gendered restrooms, but I don't suppose that's going to happen anytime soon! Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From mxp at dynalabs.de Sat Aug 23 14:26:05 2008 From: mxp at dynalabs.de (Michael Piotrowski) Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:26:05 +0200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> <48AF29B3.2040901@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: On 2008-08-22, Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: >> Whether by co-incidence, commission or design, "Netto" is the name of >> a chain of cut-price, no-frills supermarkets, headquartered in >> Denmark, owned ultimately by the AP M?ller- M?rsk Group, with stores >> in Denmark, Germany, UK, Poland and Sweden. > > Oh, great ... so on top of Mr. Utz's various sins in the icon design > department, is he also in violation of some company's trademark? I don't think so. "Netto" is the German equivalent of "net," as in "net price" or "net weight." > (I don't suppose Netto-the-typeface was originally designed as part of > a corporate branding project? Unlikely. Discounters prefer bold type. > Does anybody recall what Netto-the-store's logo and signage actually > looks like?) Their colors are black and yellow, the logo consists of a terrier carrying a shopping basket and "NETTO" in a bold, Futura-like font; cf. . Note that in Germany there is another, unrelated, supermarket chain also called NETTO, cf. . Greetings -- Michael Piotrowski, M.A. Public key at (ID 0x1614A044) From dtp at she-philosopher.com Sat Aug 23 22:12:47 2008 From: dtp at she-philosopher.com (Deborah Taylor-Pearce) Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:12:47 -0700 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding In-Reply-To: References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> <48AF29B3.2040901@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: <48B06F3F.8000307@she-philosopher.com> From Michael: >> Does anybody recall what >> Netto-the-store's logo >> and signage actually looks >> like?) > > Their colors are black and > yellow, the logo consists > of a terrier carrying a > shopping basket and > "NETTO" in a bold, > Futura-like font; > cf. . Wow. That's one well-branded page! I did notice, however, that their logo doesn't make the best favicon -- and I probably noticed this because it's a design problem I've been wrestling with myself of late. One would think black-and-yellow would be a stand-out combination for adding crispness and clean contrasts to a 16px-wide icon, but in my experience, it never does.... While I would expect the logo's shopping basket to lose its detail and be blurry at 16px across, I was surprised to see that the terrier's outline degraded also (perhaps because the favicon cuts the dog's figure off, giving a "bust" view only, which is an insufficient differentiator at such a small size?). I actually think a better favicon -- even though it would lack the most recognizable aspects of the NETTO brand (a terrier uniquely modified by the yellow background color and the shopping basket in its mouth) -- would be the plain little black terrier icon used elsewhere on the home page. But I suppose something like this would break basic marketing rules: what I think of as a strategic adaptation of the logo for the peculiar new genre of browser bookmarks and tabs would probably be dismissed by professionals as "diluting the brand." > Note that in Germany there > is another, unrelated, > supermarket chain also > called NETTO, cf. > . I must admit that I have never liked these kinds of logos, but it sure makes a better favicon. I assume this means that the NETTO Discount store logotype scales nicely all the way from billboard-sized signage down to the minimalist favicon ... which is pretty impressive when you think about it! One other thing I *really* liked about what I think is a well-designed Web page: the navbar at top. It manages to neatly incorporate 3 distinct information groups ... plus the drop-downs work well (too often, I find, these don't work so well -- don't fold up properly, or fold down strategically, and what should be ephemeral navigational content ends up dominating the page -- obliterating text in similar drop-downs on either side and/or key text on the main page). >> (I don't suppose >> Netto-the-typeface was >> originally designed as >> part of a corporate >> branding project? > > Unlikely. Discounters > prefer bold type. Because it's a reliable attention-grabber? In which case, how do you protect against over-saturation: too much bold chunky text screaming at us everywhere for our attention? I suppose the answer has something to do with effective space management. I know that the best retailers are master architects of retail spaces. E.g., David Weinberger writes about how the office supplies store, Staples, does extensive research in this area, redesigning stores as needed to boost sales. Fascinating stuff. (FWIW, I recommend Weinberger's _Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder_ ... which he lovingly dedicates "To the librarians.") Deborah _____ Deborah Taylor-Pearce dtp at she-philosopher.com From mxp at dynalabs.de Sun Aug 24 22:21:25 2008 From: mxp at dynalabs.de (Michael Piotrowski) Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:21:25 +0200 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Typeface for wayfinding References: <48ADD35B.6040705@she-philosopher.com> <48AE0349.4090106@limov.com> <48AE6068.3060700@she-philosopher.com> <48AF29B3.2040901@she-philosopher.com> <48B06F3F.8000307@she-philosopher.com> Message-ID: On 2008-08-23, Deborah Taylor-Pearce wrote: >> Note that in Germany there is another, unrelated, supermarket chain >> also called NETTO, cf. . > > I must admit that I have never liked these kinds of logos, but it sure > makes a better favicon. And it sure is ugly :-) > I assume this means that the NETTO Discount store logotype scales > nicely all the way from billboard-sized signage down to the minimalist > favicon ... which is pretty impressive when you think about it! > > One other thing I *really* liked about what I think is a well-designed > Web page: the navbar at top. It manages to neatly incorporate 3 > distinct information groups ... plus the drop-downs work well (too > often, I find, these don't work so well -- don't fold up properly, or > fold down strategically, and what should be ephemeral navigational > content ends up dominating the page -- obliterating text in similar > drop-downs on either side and/or key text on the main page). Yes, from the technical point of view, the drop-down menus do indeed work quite well, but the submenus are still hard to navigate. >>> (I don't suppose Netto-the-typeface was originally designed as part >>> of a corporate branding project? >> >> Unlikely. Discounters prefer bold type. > > Because it's a reliable attention-grabber? Perhaps. Or perhaps because people have come to expect it. Or perhaps designers think they do. > In which case, how do you protect against over-saturation: too much > bold chunky text screaming at us everywhere for our attention? I don't think discounters in Germany think much about this. Competition is extreme and the only thing that counts are low prices. Thus, the supermarkets' flyers all look the same. Greetings -- Michael Piotrowski, M.A. Public key at (ID 0x1614A044) From RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com Fri Aug 1 15:23:15 2008 From: RLinsky at ArtPlusTechnology.com (Robert Linsky) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:23:15 -0400 Subject: InfoD-Cafe: Death communications In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Andrew - We did a project that seems quite similar. One of our clients had to redesign a package of information that went to the beneficiary of an annuity. They were getting 70-80% no in good order (missing info