Functions, features & formats

For a long time, I have used a framework called the '3Fs' on all web content projects.

The 3Fs are the Functions, Features and Formats of content.

Here's how it works...

Let's say I'm working on a website for a political party. A core function of content is to persuade visitors to vote for their candidates. A series of biographies (features) would be one way to do that. Delivering those biographies as videos (format) would likely work well, especially for social channels.

The 3Fs framework is simple and effective.

It's a great way to help non-expert business teams make good content decisions.

But it's not enough.

I regularly find that teams struggle to produce effective content after a project ends when activity shifts back to business-as-usual.

Without expert guidance, they become overwhelmed by the sheer variety of options available. With little time to choose good features and formats, they end up defaulting to what they know best.

FAQs (a bad feature) and PDFs (a bad format).

Solving this problem has been a goal of mine for some time.

I now think I have an answer.

8 forms of content

Instead of explaining what good content is like, I show them.

I have identified 8 'forms' of content (described below) that non-web business teams can use to assess their options and make better decisions. The 8 forms are:

• Unitary
• Series
• Algorithmic
• Instructive
• Descriptive
• Explanatory
• Discursive
• Narrative

You may notice how each 'form' expands in scope as you go down the list, from narrow and simple (Unitary, Series) to wide and complex (Discursive, Narrative). 

Taken together the 8 forms work a bit like - though not exactly like - design patterns.

Design patterns offer prebuilt solutions for commonly occurring interactions, e.g. password reset, error states, etc. Some organisations also maintain content patterns. For instance, the UK GDS team maintains a content library for various types of pages, e.g. if a service is unavailable.

This approach is useful. But it is also very specific. Too specific to cover every eventuality.

What if the content you need is not on the list? You're out of luck.

That's where the model of content 'forms' comes in.

Using content 'forms' is like activating a beacon

Unlike design patterns, this model doesn't deliver exact solutions. Rather, it helps non-expert business teams to analyse their options and identify the form of content that best matches users' needs.

Deciding on the right features and formats then becomes much, much easier.

For example, the first form - Unitary - describes instances where publishing a single word, number, photo, document, etc could provide everything the user needs.

I wonder what time it is in London? 3:30pm.    

In contrast, the Discursive form describes complex circumstances potentially requiring many features and formats (text, images, videos, etc) to satisfy the user.

Off-shore vs on-shore windfarms, I wonder which is better? One the one hand… but, on the other hand.

To formalise this approach, I have added content forms to the existing 3Fs framework.

Yes, that means 3Fs is now 4Fs - but the change is worth it. Without exaggeration this approach has saved me hundreds of hours on content projects.

Analysing content based on 'form' is like activating a beacon. Teams just seem to "get it". Confusion recedes and the right answers stand out.

To see how the model works, let's stress test it against the most complex content challenge of recent years - COVID19 - using some common (though simplified) scenarios.

We'll see how the 8 'forms' make content decisions much easier. 

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Content Form 1 - Unitary

Scenario: It's mid-2021. Jane wants to know the latest count of new Covid cases.

In this scenario, Jane has a very simple information need. The form of content that matches this need is equally simple. In fact, it's the simplest possible.

All we need to publish is a single number. Nothing else.

Today's count of new Covid cases is: 12,535.

The temptation here (and across all 8 forms) is to add much, much more content than is actually required. "Welcome to our website! See photos from the mayor's visit to the COVID clinic. Find out about our new energy-saving roof panels." etc. 

Keeping things simple requires real skill.

It is worth noting that some websites are composed almost entirely of content in this basic form, e.g. Open Data websites. Sites like this don't explain what their content is about. They just give links to data because that's all the users really want. Perfect.

(Of course, short descriptions are often useful. However, the examples here are highly simplified.)

Examples of the Unitary form

The next UK bank holiday.

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Content Form 2 - Series

Scenario: Jane wants to know if her local COVID vaccine clinic is open today.

Here again, Jane has a very simple information need. And again, the form of content can also be very simple. The right answer is limited to a known series.

In this case, it's binary. The COVID clinic is either open or closed. That's it.

So, just give her the right answer and then stop.

Today the clinic is open.

Of course, in real life, it sometimes makes sense to add some further information, e.g. if clinic will close early. But that is extra. The important lesson is that the right content can often be very, very, very simple.

Examples of the Series form

Ferry sailings updates. Either the ferry is sailing on-time, delayed or cancelled.

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Content Form 3 - Algorithmic

Scenario: Jane wants to know if she is eligible to get vaccinated at the clinic today.

Yet again, the thing to recognise here is that there is only 1 right answer. However, unlike the Unitary or Series cases, content in this form requires a bit more sophistication.

The reason is that the answer, in part, depends on Jane. She needs to check if she meets all the necessary conditions to qualify - and there could be a lot of them.

Most websites use the 'Descriptive' form of content in this case, e.g. long pages of text, reams of FAQs. It's a shame because the Descriptive form is a fantastically awful way to satisfy this type of user need. (More below.)

The best way to help Jane is to present her a decision model - an algorithm - that can spit out the right answer. A series of straightforward yes/no (or similar interactions) will give her exactly what she needs and create a very high level of confidence in the result.

Check if you are eligible to be vaccinated today

Enter your age: [ 42 ]
Enter your postcode:  [ ABC123 ]

You are eligible to be vaccinated today.

Book your appointment and find out how to prepare for your visit.

Further discussion

As stated, very few websites use the Algorithmic form of content in this type of scenario, with most preferring the Descriptive form. The worst thing about this is that it shifts all the effort of figuring out the right answer onto the user.

For instance, using the Descriptive form in this scenario means that Jane has to read absolutely *everything* before she can arrive at a conclusion. Even if she somehow chooses the right answer, she will probably remain uncertain ("perhaps I made a mistake?!")

Organisations that use the Descriptive approach for this type of need typically suffer from huge backlogs of queries from confused customers. And they deserve it.

Examples of the Algorithmic form

Citizenship. Check if you satisfy the conditions. Simple yes/no answers.

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Content Form 4 - Instructional

Scenario: Jane has booked her appointment and now wants to prepare for her visit.

In this scenario, we have 1 job. We need to give Jane *everything* she needs to know in order to have a successful visit. It's on us.

The very best way to do that is to be explicitly instructional. Don't "describe" the process to Jane. State it directly. If there is a procedure, set it out step-by-step. If there are musts and shoulds, list them.

Tell Jane *exactly* what she needs to do and how to do it.

Step 1. Prepare your documentation
Make sure you have an official form of identity with you before you leave home,. This can include …

Step 2. Sign in at the clinic
When you arrive at the clinic, go to the booth marked "Today's appointments" to sign-in

Step 3. … etc
… etc.

Further discussion

I love the Instructional form of content. Indeed, I spend a lot of time rewriting Descriptive content into this form. It should be used much more widely, especially in government.

It's odd that so many institutions avoid it. It's a shame because Instructional content is much easier to create, much clearer for users and can be delivered in many formats.

Think of the looping videos used at airport security, "First, remove your laptop from its case and place it in a tray. Next, remove your shoes …" These videos don't "describe" the security system, they give you instructions about what you need to do to get through.

Examples of the Instructional form

Replace old or damaged notes and coins. Just follow the steps to exchange your money.

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Content Form 5 - Descriptive

Scenario: Before she leaves for her appointment, Janes wants to learn about the vaccine she will receive.

OK, now we are getting into more traditional web content. Content in the Descriptive form is perhaps the most widespread across the internet. And it has its place.

Just not for absolutely *everything*.

As we have seen, this form is widely misused. In many cases users would be far, far better off with simpler forms: Unitary, Series, Algorithmic or Instructional.

Nevertheless, Descriptive content is correct in this scenario. To satisfy Jane's need, all we need to publish is some plain language text on a web page. Job done.

The main skill is knowing where to set the limit in terms of the depth and breadth of content. For example, does Jane really need to know the chemical formulae of the vaccine or the name of its inventor? Probably not.

Comarinty Vaccine (Pfizer)

We use the Comirnaty vaccine in our clinic. Comirnaty is a vaccine for preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in people from the age of 6 months.

Examples of the Descriptive form

There are too many, but perhaps the ubiquitous 'About us' page is a good example.

This content has a very simple job - to describe an organisation. It doesn't explain or discuss the organisation. It just describes it.

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Content Form 6 - Explanatory

Scenario: Before she leaves for her appointment, Jane wants to know why the Comarinty Vaccine was chosen.

The truth is that Explanatory content is often used in tandem within the Descriptive form. This is because sometimes you need to do more than just describe a concept - you need to explain it (especially if it's a new concept).

Just remember, not *everything* needs an explanation. Also, creating explanatory content can vastly expand your production effort and volumes. The trick is knowing if it's really needed.

For example, if your job is to publish data about homelessness it probably makes sense to describe the data in outline (scope, time period, etc). But, do you really need to explain homelessness? Maybe - but it will require a lot of extra production.

That said, in the previous instance, it would seem natural to include an explanation about why the Comarinty Vaccine was chosen.

We use this vaccine instead of others because it has the highest effectiveness and the fewest side effects ...

Examples of the Explanatory form

AI. Proposals for how and where to use it.

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Content Form 7 - Discursive

Scenario: As she is waiting for her appointment to begin, Jane decides to learn more about the pros-and-cons of the national vaccination strategy.

The identifying feature of Discursive content is that it signals a move into editorial and opinion.

Although widespread over the internet, content in this form is relatively rare for public institutions. That is because their job is to deliver information and services as defined (e.g. as set by legislation or government policy), not to speculate on alternatives.

Nevertheless, some Discursive content is seen on institutional blogs or in commentary sections. It is also deployed more freely on social media, where opinion and exchange is expected.

As regards Jane's scenario, it is unlikely the website of her local clinic would include information on the pros-and-cons of various approaches. That is outside their remit. Most likely, she would need to visit a central government website - or simply read online press commentary.

Why we are following a national vaccination strategy

We are following a national vaccination strategy based on the advice of our most senior scientists. Their research has found that a zero-COVID approach would not work well for several reasons ....

Examples of the Discursive form

Blog. Commentary from European Central Bank staff and researchers.

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Content Form 8 - Narrative

And lastly we get to the Narrative form. Narrative is generally understood to mean 'storytelling'.

So yes, this form includes press releases, marketing, promotions, proselytising and similar stories.

Examples of the Narrative form

Shell Oil and its climate targets.

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Not everything is an 'article'

Those who know me, know my mantra. "Not everything is an 'article' (or an FAQ)." The right answer to every question is not more descriptive text!

That's why the 8 forms of content work so well. They help non-expert business teams to analyse their web options and select better content to satisfy users' needs. 

While each one is useful on its own, you may often use several together.   

Just remember. Simpler forms usually work much, much better and are much, much easier to create.

• Unitary. A single word or number could provide everything the user needs.
• Series. The answer could be just 1 of 2 things. So publish the right one.
• Algorithmic. Don't make the user read *everything*. Give them a system to get the right answer.
• Instructional. Don't "describe" the process. State it explicitly, step-by-step.

The 8 basic forms really work with business teams, but there are probably additional forms. If you have comments on the model, I'm interested to hear them.

Lastly, I hope to add more examples to show the variety of features and formats that are possible for each form. Images, video, documents, audio, interactive.

There are lots of way to deliver good content.

Labels: Content Design, Content Strategy, UX