Posts within the category: Contest

February 2, 2012

Video Contest: Win a Government Website Usability Test

 What? Monster trucks in government?! It's a video throwdown from GSA's First Fridays Product Testing Program. They're sponsoring a contest: make a two-minutes-or-less video explaining why your agency deserves a free usability test. You could win. That means testing your site or app with real live customers and getting expert guidance on how to improve it.  

Want to do usability testing on your federal website but don’t have funds or staff? Enter the "Win a Free Website Usability Test" Video Contest. Contest deadline is February 29, 2012.

Submit a video (two minutes or less) addressing why your government website or web application is a good candidate for a free usability test. Make a creative video explaining the importance of your site, the problems you think need fixing, and a creative push for why you should win.

• Your site must be a public-facing .gov or .mil website
• Your team must work with First Fridays to plan the test
• Your site stakeholder or designee must observe a First Fridays test
• If you win, your site stakeholder must attend your usability test

The GSA First Fridays Product Testing Program has tested over 25 government websites. After a morning of in-depth testing with real website customers, the team meets over lunch and identifies quick-fix solutions to the top three problems.

Now’s your chance. Contest winners must be willing to make site improvements within 30 days of the test and learn to do simple usability testing.  Why? Because small changes have a BIG impact on customer experience.

To sign up to observe a First Fridays test, email FirstFridays@gsa.gov

March 2, 2010

Winner of the Revise the "Office Plants" E-mail Contest

Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry in our Revise the "Office Plants" E-Mail Contest.

You bold people took one of the most tortured samples of workplace e-mail and reworked it into a direct, practical piece.  You fixed the oblique subject line Individual Office Plants and even smoothed out lumpy sentences such as During a recent Office of Environmental Safety courtesy walk through,
plants located in several individual offices are apparently not being
well cared for or properly maintained. I am impressed!

But, a contest can only have one winner or, in this case, two. So, without further ado, I hereby announce the winners of our Revise the "Office Plants" E-Mail Contest.

• First Place goes to David Kay for his excellent rewrite. David made the e-mail shorter, used lots of personal pronouns, and linked to an About.com list of acceptable plants. He wrote in a friendly, plain language style, but his e-mail didn't abandon the task of enforcing the rules. Great writing, David.

• Second Place goes to Margaret Elwood for her rewrite. About her limerick, she says "I just had to get it out of my system."
  
  

Please heed these official rants:

Take better care of your plants!

        You shouldn't ought 'ter

        Over water,

And we're sick of those bugs, pests and ants.

Each winner will receive a copy of our Clear, Correct, Concise E-Mail workbook.

Many thanks to all who entered. If you read each contest entry, as I did, you'll get a handy tutorial on how to do e-mail right:

• Brinda Moody wrote no-nonsense instructions but kept the writing friendly.
• Missy Curry engaged in a bit of word play and wrote clear instructions on plant care.
• Colleen Blessing used bullets to keep her e-mail short and sweet but was still able to work in the word ambience.
• Genie Smith demonstrated that she's no pushover when she wrote: "If you do not or cannot move your sick, infested, or dead plants, we will."
• Claudia Cooper revised sentences deeply, looking for plain language substitutes for confusing or bureaucratic language.
• Connie Raab cut every bit of fat. Her version = 74 words. The original e-mail = 267 words.
• EInspiration gave it to plant owners straight: keep those plants healthy or they're outta here.
• Bonnie Wahiba used a direct tone and exactly three exclamation points to drive the point home.
• Anonymous trimmed wordiness, cut verbiage, and trimmed some more.
• Naomi Allen streamlined the original and made the message much clearer.

-- Leslie O'Flahavan

February 2, 2010

Writing Contest: Revise the "Office Plants" E-Mail and Win Our Workbook

No, the "Individual Office Plants" e-mail (below) isn't a joke, we didn't make it up, and it's not going to be featured in an upcoming Dilbert cartoon. In fact, "Individual Office Plants" is an authentic e-mail forwarded to me by a Writing Matters reader who shall remain nameless. Like many of you, the person who sent me this specimen has a fondness for language, even language foibles. And, like many of you, the person who sent me this e-mail is an excellent writer.

That's why I'm sponsoring this e-mail contest. I know those of you who read this blog can really turn a phrase, so I'm challenging you to revise (repair??!) the "Individual Office Plants" e-mail and send me your revision before March 2, 2010. The person who sends in the most improved and most readable version will win bragging rights and a copy of our Clear, Correct, Concise E-Mail workbook. Here's the e-mail:

To: All Staff
From: Office of Environmental Safety
Subject: Individual Office Plants

Plants add tremendously to our environment and office atmosphere.  They are a blessing and a gift!  However, over the past several months our Office of Environmental Safety has received multiple reports and complaints of plant born infestations.  During a recent Office of Environmental Safety courtesy walk through, plants located in several individual offices are apparently not being well cared for or properly maintained.  In some cases this lack of attentiveness has caused contaminated, resulting in an infestation.  This is a safety violation!  Staff members who maintain plants to their offices are solely responsible for their care and maintenance. 

• PLEASE minimize the number of plants in your office space. Generally, it is recommended that an individual have a maximum of two plants in their office.
• Remove or dispose those plants that require higher-maintenance to reduce the worry about watering and care.
• Do not over water your plants!  Plants grown in offices usually have a diminished need for watering since light levels, low humidity and cool, comfortable temperatures are constant. 
• Plants are not created equally…especially with regards to their adaptability to a particular office environment, tolerances, or neglect…please constantly check your plants.

The Office of Environmental Safety and the Office of Building Management are committed to ensure a safe and healthy work environment to all staff members.  Those who continually neglect caring for their office plants will be subject to citation and a removal of all their plants from their offices.  Please care for your plants. If you need any assistance in removing your plant, please contact the Office of Environmental Safety via the Intranet.

Contest Rules:

1. Revise the e-mail as deeply as you'd like, but don't change the overall meaning or intent.
2. Post your revision as a comment or e-mail it to me, so I can post it as a comment. 
3. Send your entries by March 2, 2010.

-- Leslie O'Flahavan

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