We make digital products
usable & successful.

Olkin Communications Consulting is a user experience (UX) consultancy. We’ve been making the digital world a better place for humans since 2004. We help businesses, associations, not-for-profits, and government create humane and successful digital experiences by applying user-centered research and design methods.

“You taught us more in the first 15 minutes of your presentation than we’ve learned in the entire time we’ve worked with [our previous web consultant.]”
— Happy client
Partial image of homepage of Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses website
Partial landing page image from the website of American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators
Partial homepage image from the website of Consumer Electronics Show
Featured
8 Tips on Preparing Your Content for AI
AI, content strategy
8 Tips on Preparing Your Content for AI
AI, content strategy

There’s nothing to fear. Preparing your content for AI involves the same steps you already should be taking to prepare your content for publication anywhere.

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AI, content strategy
Personalization Requires Reflection & Governance
personalization, governance
Personalization Requires Reflection & Governance
personalization, governance

Your organization will need to personalize to compete. It’s just a matter of when, and how to make the efforts successful and sustainable.

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personalization, governance
Content Rules the Web, but Message Comes First
messaging, content strategy
Content Rules the Web, but Message Comes First
messaging, content strategy

Many organizations skip the messaging step and jump straight into strategy, figuring out how they will reach their target audiences before they define what they want to communicate. Without coherent messaging, their websites may emphasize the wrong things.

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messaging, content strategy
Who Needs Your Content?
content audit, content strategy
Who Needs Your Content?
content audit, content strategy

Many organizations give lip service to the importance of content and content strategy but have no governing processes or standards for content.

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content audit, content strategy
Get Rid of Your Junk (Content) Before You Move
content audit, website redesign
Get Rid of Your Junk (Content) Before You Move
content audit, website redesign

Why would you want to move all your old, junky content into your brand new website?

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content audit, website redesign
8 Reasons to Audit Your Content
content audit, information architecture, website redesign, sitemap
8 Reasons to Audit Your Content
content audit, information architecture, website redesign, sitemap

Staring down a content audit spreadsheet, clients sometimes ask, “Do we really have to do this?” Dear clients, Yes.

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content audit, information architecture, website redesign, sitemap
“Requires Internal Discussion”
governance, sitemap, navigation
“Requires Internal Discussion”
governance, sitemap, navigation

[The sitemap] wasn’t just a new navigation scheme. It represented a new way of working, and also a new way of thinking about their website and its role. . .

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governance, sitemap, navigation
You’re Not Apple-Zon
brand, taxonomy, personalization
You’re Not Apple-Zon
brand, taxonomy, personalization

Many of our clients say they want their sites to be like Apple or Amazon. But why?

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brand, taxonomy, personalization

Our clients include . . .

Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
American Alliance of Museums
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
American Society for Microbiology
American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Interior Designers
Association for Patient Experience
Association of Iron and Steel Technology
Association of Legal Administrators
Assoc. of School Business Officials International
Booz & Co.
Building Owners and Managers Association
Center for Public Education
Consultative Group to Assist the Poor/World Bank
Consumer Technology Association
Council on Social Work Education
Dana Foundation

DARPA
D.C. Water
Department of Education
Design-Build Institute of America
Discovery Networks (Discovery, TLC, Planet Green, Animal Planet)
Financial Executives International
Grameen Foundation
Healthcare Distribution Management Association
Institute of Food Technologists
International Foodservice Distributors Association
International Association for the Study of Pain
Internet Society
Kaiser Permanente
Kennedy Center ArtsEdge
League of Women Voters
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors

National Breast Cancer Coalition
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Court Reporters Association
National Investor Relations Institute
National Parks and Recreation Association
Newspaper Association of America
Pediatric Nursing Certification Board
Presidential Bank
Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society
SkillsUSA
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
Trust for Public Land
Urban Land Institute
U.S. Navy
YMCA of the U.S.A.

We’re pretty okay.

  • "Their work was incredibly detailed and of the highest quality. They were able to identify issues we didn't even realize we had."

    Terri Hinkley, Association CEO

  • "I worked with Jacqui for our website redesign project. Her in-depth knowledge and attention to detail made a difficult project much easier and a lot more fun to manage. She has excellent communication skills and is great at building consensus from a diverse and opinionated staff. The work she did was absolutely first rate."

    Craig Moore, Senior Website Manager

  • "Jacqui's expertise in user experience and website design . . . far exceeded our expectations. [Olkin] employ a team of experts in design, content review, and their project management is exemplary."

    Terri Hinkley, Association CEO

  • "[Jacqui's] attention to detail and ability to see through layers of complexity to get at core communication concepts were impressive. Not only did she understand the business, and by extension, the content, she understood the bigger picture of the web site and the organizational message."

    Erika Dickstein, Senior Marketing Professional

  • "Jacqui's work on our usability testing and analysis was fantastic. She was professional, knowledgable, accommodating, and her recommendations were invaluable in enabling us to take our site to the next level. "

    Chip Chabot, Senior User Interface Developer

  • "Jacqui brings to every endeavor a fabulous combination of professionalism, dedication, and flexibility. Her terrific judgement means you can trust her analysis and recommendations. I would work with her again in a heartbeat."

    Ghina Siddqui, Systems Architect

Let’s boost your success.