As we age, we gain a type of intelligence called ‘crystallised’ intelligence
This means that people draw on what they already know. Crystallised intelligence comes from our experiences and the knowledge we have stored in long term memory. We become very good…
The research methods we use
I was at a marketing conference recently, and I introduced myself to people as ‘a researcher’. The question I was asked was: ‘Qual or quant?’ I said ‘Both – and…
The ONE reason why business writers use jargon, and how to fix it
Jargon: everyone hates it but most of us use it. Why is that? Jargon is the technical language that makes sense to people in a particular speciality or company but…
Why reading is like running
Here is a short video I made about how reading is like running. If you test your content with users, your readers will not feel like this. https://youtu.be/FbbIB1C1sys Reading is…
Insights about upcoming retirees
In this post I summarise some recent academic work on retirement focussing on people who could retire but don’t, or who are going through the transition to retirement, and add…
Empathy and mythology in this year’s Christmas magazines
Each year, Lynne Freeman and I do a visual analysis of major women’s magazines’ Christmas editions in the UK and Australia We do this because we believe that magazines in…
Why use a retiree insights specialist for your over 55s research
These are the benefits you gain from using a specialist in retiree insights for your over 55s research 1. You will see beyond the stereotypes Stereotypes about older people, seniors…
What content testing is and when you need it.
Content testing (also called ‘message testing’) is a research method similar to user testing but it focusses exclusively on content – usually written content. Content testing tells you whether your…
An Introduction To Plain Language
What is Plain Language? Information That Readers Can Find, Understand, And Use ‘A communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended…