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Articles by Kate Garklavs
Good Stewards of the Earth
To say that we are siblings is not enough. I’m not speaking just in terms of biology, but of the physicality. When we lay our arms side by side on the table, there exists still a shadow of doubt that they belong to the same person: Jake’s is broader and more densely haired. We are not twins in the sense of having shared the womb, but I rightly claim the term as mine. An orange peel takes eight years to decompose; a glass bottle, one hundred.
Voice and Tone as IA
Essential components of effective content design in information architecture are the voice and tone of written communications. Voice is a consistent reflection of an organization’s unique personality and core values, while tone varies by context and immediate purpose while still conveying a larger meaning. Together, carefully crafted voice and tone help an organization connect emotionally with its audience and convey messages with the appropriate intent.
Taking an agile approach to content
So, you’ve recently joined an agile team — congratulations! Here at 18F, we work in an agile way — in other words, we base our designs on user needs, conduct usability testing, iterate quickly, and release MVPs (minimum viable products) rather than highly finalized releases. We take an agile approach to content too. While there’s really no “ideal” project or process most of the time, we’ve found that these guidelines help us develop useful services for millions of people.
A guide to the 18F Writing Lab
We’ve got some exciting news on the content front: To help our Writing Lab become even more efficient, we’re introducing our Writing Lab guide. The guide is designed to equip 18F staff with the information they need to quickly and easily request writing and editing help from the Lab, and also to provide our Lab editors with guidance on editing styles and workflows so we can provide a smooth experience for staff who request the Lab’s help.
Five questions for NASA's Chief Historian, Dr. Bill Barry
NASA’s design choices — in particular, their iconic “meatball” and “worm” logos — have long been a source of public fascination, and no one is better aware of this than Dr. Bill Barry. Barry has served as NASA’s Chief Historian since 2010. His tenure with NASA began in 2001; prior to his current role, he served as NASA’s European Representative at the United States Embassy in Paris and as a Senior International Programs Specialist in NASA’s Office of External Relations.
18F: Digital service delivery | Lending a helping editorial hand: the 18F Writing Lab
Envision, if you will, the following scene: It’s Monday evening. Everyone else has gone home for the day, but you’re still at your desk, staring at a blank Google doc and mildly stressing about the presentation you’ll be giving on Friday.
18F: Digital service delivery | Meet MyUSA: Your one account for government
Quick! How many times did you visit a government website during the past year? If you’re like most people, you probably visited a U.S. government website at least once (though most likely more than once); some studies indicate that at least 82 percent of of all Internet users have looked for information or completed a transaction on a government website.
Hackathons: Not Just For Folks Who Code
A few weeks back, my colleague Sarah Allen asked me to volunteer at GovTechHack, a hackathon in promotion of civic good. Stoked on lending a hand, I agreed, but I harbored secret concerns about the extent to which I’d be able to contribute. I’m not, after all, a developer. Confession time: Prior to this event, I held the unfortunate prejudice that less-than-techy folk like myself couldn’t make a substantial contribution at a hackathon. Fortunately, I was wrong.
GovTechHack: Hacking for Civic Improvement
On a recent breezy San Francisco evening, groups of developers, designers, marketing folks, and others convened for GovTechHack — a hackathon for civic good. The event’s premise was simple: To bring together people interested in improving the accessibility and transparency of federal digital resources for a two-day work session.
Focus on Accessibility
Last week, we published this post about the accessibility of images on Twitter. For those of you who haven’t read it, the general gist is as follows: Twitter doesn’t allow alt-tags for images, which makes it difficult for some Twitter users — those with visual impairments and those with slow internet connections — to experience the images as intended. To increase the accessibility of the images we Tweet, @18F has started replying to photo-centric Tweets with a description of what’s in the photo.
18F by the numbers
Today, we’re celebrating our first anniversary. We wanted to take a look at some of the numbers that have helped define 18F during our first year.
A Day in the Life of an 18F Content Designer
In preparation for our one-year anniversary, we at 18F are introducing a new blog feature — our Day in the Life Series. Once a month, a different team member will share the details of their typical day in the office. (Well, there are no “typical” days here — only extraordinary ones — but you get the gist.) Up first is Kate Garklavs, 18F’s first content designer. Kate was drawn to 18F by the prospect of increasing the accessibility of written governmental resources.
Five Ways to Turn a Bad Idea into a Great One: Steve Portigal Event Recap
Last Friday, consultant and author Steve Portigal left behind the California sunshine to speak at the 18F headquarters. Steve — principal at Portigal Consulting, author, podcaster, and ramen aficionado — expounded on the topic of bad ideas: Namely, how they add value to the creative process and why we should seek them out. We encourage you to watch the entirety of Steve’s presentation (including the Q&A), and you can view his Slideshare here.
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