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Initiatives
Inis Communications
Burgess COMMENTARY
Peter Burgess
Gmail Peter Burgess
Dear Peter,
Hope this note finds you well.
We thought you might be interested to read one of our recent news items:
Time for a ‘user-friendly’ upgrade of global health information products (http://bit.ly/inisnews_10_13)
It describes the current shift away from producing conventional documents/reports, and highlights some of the ‘new’ information products being increasingly used in their place.
Happy to send further information if helpful.
With kind regards,
Tim
Tim France, PhD
Managing Director
Inís Communication
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Email: tim@iniscommunication.com
Web: www.iniscommunication.com
Mobile ph: +66 898554672
Twitter: @francetim
Time for a ‘user-friendly’ upgrade of global health information products
Wednesday, 30 October 2013 00:00 Inis Communication
Print
The range of options being used to publish global health-related information has expanded dramatically in the past year or two. The move away from conventional documents and reports has been driven in part by organizations facing funding squeezes, which has imposed smaller print runs and distribution budgets for printed materials. The popularity of social media has also transformed readers’ expectations and attention spans. These changes require an upgrade in how we should all understand the term ‘user-friendly’.
User-friendly used to mean a publication or report that was well-structured, designed to make the content as accessible as possible, and in which figures and tables illustrated major points highlighted in the main text. The advent of increasing internet connectivity, the explosion in the number of global health stakeholders, and the relative ease of self-publishing, have turned what was already a steadily increasing flow of health-related content into a deluge. As competition for readers’ time and attention increases, organizations are forced to adopt new, more compressed and user-friendly publication approaches as quickly as possible.
The demand for new options is being driven from both sides: Overwhelmed readers are increasingly seeking information in pre-digested, bite-sized pieces, while organizations are urgently looking for new ways to communicate content effectively and save money.
During the course of 2013, the Inis team was asked by several clients to suggest and develop solutions that even just a year or so ago were only being explored and used by the most cutting edge institutions. Below we share three examples and a brief description of the value of each approach. In each case we also reflect on the relative total cost compared to printed alternatives.
Infographics
One of the most popular outputs that our team worked on this year was a series of three infographics summarizing the allocation of the new World Health Organization (WHO) budget across its various programmes, departments and regions.
In their simplest form, infographics are visual representations of information or data that are easier to interpret than the same information in written form. This was the case with the WHO budget infographics: Even if interested readers did come across the pre-World Health Assembly document describing the budget allocations, it was relatively time-consuming to read and understand. The infographics our team developed (solely based on that document) allowed many more people to understand the planned distribution of the WHO budget, instantly. As there were no printed counterparts available with the same level of user-friendliness, the relatively small cost of developing the infographics was regarded as a worthwhile investment. There were also extremely limited costs associated with their distribution through web sites and social media.
Short animations
Just a few years ago, developing an animation, or any kind of video presentation, was a complex and expensive undertaking largely reserved for big budget programmes. Distribution was also a barrier, because DVDs still had to be physically sent around the world so they could be watched. The popularization of online video storage and viewing, combined with the ability to do so using mobile devices, has dissolved many of these barriers. The value of animation in particular to communicate fairly complex issues and information to audiences in minutes has suddenly become obvious.
A popular format in current use in the health and development sector is whiteboard animation, which combines a narrative explanation and simple drawings to elaborate specific issues and also retain viewers’ attention. One of the challenging parts of preparing an effective whiteboard animation is writing the narrative script in its simplest, most essential form – quite different from drafting of conventional publications. The above example is a whiteboard animation on pesticide use in South East Asia, which the Inis team developed as part of a longer video for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) earlier this year. This was the first time this specific GIZ programme had communicated the rationale for and details of its programme at all, and so a lot of research and distillation of content had to be completed in order to develop the animation storyboard. A videographer and illustrator were specifically selected because of their abilities to understand and communicate the nature of the content. Although the costs associated with such a process are higher than development of a corresponding printed brochure, for example, the animation/video can be distributed free of charge online, and readily adapted to other languages at minimal further cost.
Responsive (HTML5) web sites
New web site approaches support the development of sites that provide an optimal viewing experience, including easy reading and navigation, with minimal resizing and scrolling. So-called ‘html5’ sites can also be used across the full range of devices from desktop computers, to laptops, tablets and mobile phones.
The responsive web sites above were developed during 2013 by the Inis team for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (left), in support of a new three-year communication campaign, and for UNITAID (right). The sites use simple, appealing designs yet incorporate relatively large amounts of content, as well as automatically integrated news searches. One of the main values of such sites, as also mentioned above, is the relatively large amounts of content that can be presented in visually attractive and innovative ways, and be used by viewers using any kind of device. These characteristics are particularly important for communication campaigns that also seek to integrate with social media platforms. Similar project plans conducted for several clients have shown that the total cost of developing and deploying a mid-size responsive web site is approximately half of that associated with design/layout, printing and distribution of a 200-page printed publication. An added advantage is that once completed, such web sites can easily be updated/maintained periodically.
Our mission is to help leading health and development organizations worldwide engage
with their key stakeholders in the most authentic and effective ways.
DEDICATED SUPPORT
FAST DELIVERY
For over a decade, we have provided committed support to our development clients and partners.
Our focused approach and working knowledge of the sector enables us to work in a way that suits you.
LISTENING
At Inis Communication we believe that great ideas come first from listening. We make a serious effort to find out exactly what you need by asking the right questions. Then we work hard to fulfil your requirements. Our dedicated Project Managers are always on hand to discuss essential changes, help you minimize your workload and to keep you fully informed of your project’s progress. We are also tuned in to news and shifts in the global health and development arena, so that we can see your project and its aims in the broader context.
Our understanding of your audiences and organizational environment means we can respond quickly to your needs and ideas, whatever direction they take. From technical editing to logo design, publication layout to video production, we always deliver on schedule – no matter how tight the deadline.
COST-EFFICIENCY
High quality information products and solutions don’t have to be expensive. We provide innovative, cost-#effective options, such as localized, on-demand printing, to help you stay within your budget and make additional savings where possible. We also help you optimize the shift from delivery of printed materials towards more cost-effective online dissemination and engagement approaches.
Photo: The United Nations in Viet Nam
DEDICATED SUPPORT
FAST DELIVERY
For over a decade, we have provided committed support to our development clients and partners.
Our focused approach and working knowledge of the sector enables us to work in a way that suits you.
LISTENING
At Inis Communication we believe that great ideas come first from listening. We make a serious effort to find out exactly what you need by asking the right questions. Then we work hard to fulfil your requirements. Our dedicated Project Managers are always on hand to discuss essential changes, help you minimize your workload and to keep you fully informed of your project’s progress. We are also tuned in to news and shifts in the global health and development arena, so that we can see your project and its aims in the broader context.
Our understanding of your audiences and organizational environment means we can respond quickly to your needs and ideas, whatever direction they take. From technical editing to logo design, publication layout to video production, we always deliver on schedule – no matter how tight the deadline.
COST-EFFICIENCY
High quality information products and solutions don’t have to be expensive. We provide innovative, cost-effective options, such as localized, on-demand printing, to help you stay within your budget and make additional savings where possible. We also help you optimize the shift from delivery of printed materials towards more cost-effective online dissemination and engagement approaches.
Online visibility
Monday, 11 March 2013 06:07 Inis Communication
Print
At Inis Communication, we don’t just transform your information products into digital media, such as interactive PDFs and electronic presentations, for you to use as attention-grabbing communication tools at meetings and conferences. We also help you boost your presence online.
Today the Internet and social media serve as massive, worldwide communication tools and the new opportunities offered by their scale and reach can help you extend your networking reach enormously. However, the Internet is a very competitive, fast-moving marketplace and there are hundreds of web-based options and platforms to choose from.
We’re here to guide you through the process and help you expand your Internet presence and extend your network for collaboration.
Our digital offering includes:
Social media management
Infographics
Electronic publications
Animation
Video
Social media management
One of the simple secrets of effective social media approaches is consistent implementation. Once your social strategy is defined, we can provide additional support to make sure your online presence is regular and on-target. The critical stages of social execution range from: daily research/selection of appropriate online content (including from your own sites); editing and repackaging to suit specific goals and/or social platforms; to monitoring of agreed key performance indicators, to make sure your social media strategy is on track and that you make the most of strategic opportunities as they arise.
Inis can provide support as part of your organizations social media/communications team, or you can choose to outsource an entire strategy or campaign.
Infographics
Infographics are a great way to communicate complex data without overwhelming your audience. They combine design, writing and analysis to communicate new evidence or advocacy priorities in an engaging visual shorthand.
Our team of experts are able to analyse and interpret data to determine what information you should present. From this, we then create link-worthy infographics, which have the potential to go viral and help you reach new audiences.
Electronic publications
For a long time, printed publications have been a highly effective way for an organization to deliver information and raise their profile.
However, with the rapid expansion of the Internet community, electronic media is now just as important as printed media. What’s more, electronic publications offer some additional benefits; they are interactive, cost-efficient, easy to share and can be readily updated.
Whatever your publishing needs, from annual reports to factsheets, we will help you deliver your publication electronically.
Animation
Animation is a great way to make your message engaging and convey complicated details in a clear, easy to watch manner. Also, animation can be used to portray something that could not be visualized by any other means.
We work with talented animators to help you tell your story in a powerful way.
Video
A professionally produced short video is one of the most powerful ways to showcase ideas and tell important stories about your work, and to bring remote realities close to a wide range of stakeholders.
Videos are an effective tool that can be optimized for PowerPoint embedding, presentations and even streamed online to audiences across the world.
We work closely with skilled filmmakers who are experienced at helping organizations to humanize development challenges. We develop a detailed creative brief and storyboard with you that informs on-site filming, interviews and use of graphics. The final video is created through detailed editing and professional post-production, including dubbing, captioning, graphics, original music composition and titling as required.