Alt text’s superior stats, social commentary captions, Ikea catalogues, and climate action cohort (SBLTN Lab Notes 039)
The performance stats of alt text, color-coded captions for social commentary, downloadable Ikea catalogues, and a climate change cohort starting in January 2023
IN THE MARGINS
As I prepare to (eventually) launch a community, there have been a few things swirling in my head about the supporters that jump on board right away.
❓ QUESTION: For any online community builders, facilitators, moderators, managers….
How do you thank and show appreciation for “founding members” or “early adopters” without alienating other members of the community and without creating a hierarchy or sense of favoritism? How can people that bought the product in pre-sale or that joined the group in the first wave get to wear their badge of honor without making them seem like a special snowflake clique to other customers and community members?
ACCESSIBILITY
A Year-Long Alt Text A/B Test
As much as I am a pie-in-the-sky daydreamer and 5-levels-of-Inception-deep meta philosopher, I’m also about facts and figures. On the hunt for hard data for why digital accessible practices are a plus, I came across this gem….
Based on a nearly year-long A/B test from Accessible Social, collected data has shown that social media posts WITH alternative text earn more impressions and engagements and have a higher engagement rate than social media posts without alt text. View summary of the Alt Text A/B Test.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Designing captions for social commentary
Design and accessibility coming together is my jam. Usually the text of captions or subtitles are styled for legibility, depending on the visuals of the video. For example, if it’s a dark scene, the words may be white. If the lighting of scenes throughout varies, all text may be on a semi-transparent background so that they can be easily read regardless of what scene it is.
However, “Pachinko”, a TV series adapted from a book, has taken this a step further by using color to be both functional and also as social commentary. Color-coding the 3 languages spoken throughout was practical but also nods to the complicated colonial history of characters and the power dynamics between them.
Dive into the details of this clever color system of captions/subtitles [SPOILERS WITHIN]
ART & DESIGN
Archive of Ikea Catalogues
I loooove looking at archives of old creative things: illuminated manuscripts, advertisements, zines and protest posters, etc. If you’re redecorating or looking for some design inspo, there’s 70 years of Ikea catalogues primed for peeping! (Designers, you can even download the PDFs!)
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Signing off from the Starship SBLTN,
Laneen (Pronouns: she/they)
HEARD IN THE HALLWAYS
Taking action on climate change doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Soapbox Project’s next 6-week climate action cohort starts on Jan 17, 2023 and is an amazing way to decrease climate anxiety by taking action together. For $349 USD*, it’s Choose Your Own Adventure with 3 tracks available: Sustainable Fashion, Climate-Friendly Food, and Action at Work. You can think of it this way: take action through what you wear, what you eat, or where you work. More info on the Climate Action Cohort
Soapbox Project is an online community dedicated to making climate action easy (for regular people) through monthly events, online community-based cohorts, educational content, and more. I personally have been in the SP community for a hot minute now, so feel free to ask me any Qs 😀
*A needs-based sponsorship may be available. Info is in the registration form.
🎧 Listening: Mantra bops about ease & joy
👀 Watching: A Surreal Trip – The Philosophy of Atlanta
✔️ Random Fact: The first use of regularly scheduled closed captioning on American television occurred on March 16, 1980.