16/01/24
I attended a workshop on natural language processing (I was working at Cuddle.ai and this workshop would help me design better for NLP based data search we were building) at Design Up conference many years ago. In this workshop, I learned a big deal about making copy crisp structurally. Here's how it went:
Original public announcement
"Attention, passengers flying on Air Indigo Flight Number 6E571, departing Chennai at 15:15 today and arriving at Guwahati at 17:45. The flight is delayed. New departure time is 15:45 with an arrival time of 18:13. Boarding will commence at 14:45 at gate number 3. Please standby for any additional announcements. We apologise for any inconvenience."
Step 1: Remove prepositions & glue words
"Attention, passengers flying on
Air Indigo Flight Number 6E571, departing Chennai at
15:15 today and
arriving at
Guwahati at 17:45. The flight is
delayed. New departure time is 15:45 with
an
arrival time of
18:13. Boarding will
commence at
14:45 at
gate number 3. Please standby for
any
additional announcements. We apologize for
any
inconvenience."
Step 2: White space (pauses) in auditory displays
"Attention, passengers flying {space}
Air Indigo Flight Number 6E571, departing Chennai {space}
15:15 today {space}
arriving {space}
Guwahati at 17:45. The flight {space}
delayed. New departure time is 15:45 {space}
{space}
arrival time {space}
18:13. Boarding {space}
commence {space}
14:45 {space}
gate number 3. Please standby {space}
{space}
additional announcements. We apologize {space}
{space}
inconvenience."
Step 3: Structure & organise
"Attention, passengers flying Air Indigo Flight Number 6E571, departing Chennai {space} 15:15 today {space} arriving {space} Guwahati at 17:45
. The flight is {space}
delayed. New departure time is 15:45 {space}
{space}
arrival time {space}
18:13. Boarding {space}
commence {space}
14:45 {space}
gate number 3. Please standby {space} {space} additional announcements. We apologize {space} {space} inconvenience.
"
Step 4: Redo step 3
"Attention, passengers flying
Air Indigo Flight Number
6E
571. The flight is {space}
delayed. New
departure time is 15:45 {space}
{space}
arrival time {space}
18:13. Boarding {space}
commence {space}
14:45 {space}
gate number 3.
Step 5: Add white space & read aloud
Air Indigo 571...is delayed. (Five-seven-one, NOT five-seventy-one or five-hundred-seventy-one)
Boarding time... gate 3... 3:15 pm. (use region appropriate date/ time styles)
Departure time... 3:45 pm.
Arrival Guwahati... 6:13 pm.
Final step: Bringing it all together
Framework: Attention → Deliver fact → Pause → Optionally repeat
Air Indigo 571
This is a delay announcement for... Air Indigo... 6E 571.
Boarding ... gate 3 ... 15:15
Departure time ... 15:45
Arrival Guwahati ... 18:13
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Content design
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