The days of broadcasting messages to audiences and hoping they would respond in the way you expected are over. Online communication must be interactive. It must provide spaces where an audience can engage – with you and with each other – to ask questions, to comment, and to discuss your content, product, service, or related issues. It must provide different media and different platforms to serve the needs and tastes of various audiences – those who prefer videos to text, for example, and those who access the Internet from mobile devices rather than desktops.

Hello, I’m Pamela Livingston, a graduate of Quinnipiac University’s Master of Science program in Interactive Communications, renamed Interactive Media. The name change recognizes the expanding scope of communication in the Internet age as well as the field of study in the Quinnipiac master’s program. The two-year program covers disciplines essential to anyone working in interactive media. It has prepared me to be particularly effective in areas where I had previous experience. Please read further to see how I can help you create, manage, and organize your website and website content. Or click through the menu above for work samples and details.

… Creating and managing useful, usable content

Writing for the web requires fewer words and shorter sentences to meet users’ needs for content that is easily scanned and understood. Writing for the web is often, in the words of user-experience consultant Ginny Reddish, “like a conversation.” Content must be written to anticipate users’ questions and must answer them quickly and clearly. It must also be timely and relevant. A content management system, used in combination with a web content strategy tailored to website goals and objectives, can achieve this end. I am skilled in writing for the web, developing strategies for content management, and in managing content using enterprise content management systems. For details, please click Web Content Strategy.

… Organizing content for findability

If users can’t find content, it doesn’t exist. If website organization does not meet business needs, the website fails its business objectives. I am effective in creating website structures that meet both user and business needs. I base content organization on user research, business requirements, and information architecture best practices, as promoted by professional organizations and leaders in the field. For details, please click Information Architecture.

… Designing the user interface to meet users’ needs

A user interface, whether on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device, must provide tools that can be used quickly and with little effort. It must also be visually appealing, using color, space, and typography to engage users and to make actions easy to perform. Conventions for user-interface navigation and tools are well established through years of user research. Best practices for use of color, space, and typefaces are also well established. I follow these design conventions to create user interfaces that users can easily understand and use. I conduct usability testing with users to identify design issues and make any necessary refinements. I am accustomed to working in a collaborative environment and using an iterative process for designing and testing. For details, please click User-Centered Design.

… Multimedia, social media, and more

Online communication requires more than text and interactive widgets. News websites and e-commerce sites alike require audio, video, and animation to draw in visitors with relevant and engaging content. Both kinds of sites typically also require social media in the form of comment streams and social media buttons to engage visitors in conversation and to encourage them to share site information through Twitter, Facebook, or other social media platform. A grounding in copyright law pertaining to Internet content is essential for publishing and managing content on either kind of website. Experience with project planning using industry-standard tools is important to anyone working in web-based content creation and delivery. Through the Quinnipiac master’s program, I have gained knowledge and skills in these areas. For details, please click Other Web Design Skills.

… Content and user advocate

I came to the Quinnipiac master’s program with experience in technical communication, usability testing, and user-interface design. Each of these areas required me to think about content and the user interface from the user’s perspective. Is content easy to find and comprehend? Can it be read through quickly? Does the user interface provide information that users want and in the areas they expect? Does site navigation meet users’ needs and expectations? Do button labels and link names accurately represent the action or content that appears when clicked? I have observed and recorded the frustration of users when buttons and another widgets were in the wrong place or were incorrectly labeled, when text was unclear, and task flows were maddeningly slow. I have experienced the same frustration myself many times, on many websites and with many apps. I am dedicated to advocating for the user in providing useful, usable content and user-interface designs. For details, please click About Me.