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All posts for “Explanation”
Explainer Tip: Remember the Curse of Knowledge
Posted by: leelefever on August 10, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: Explainer Tip, Explanation, lesson, ourwork
The following post is a part of a series called "Explainer Tips" where we share lessons we've learned in crafting explanations.
One of the books that I read just before creating our first videos was Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. More than almost any other, this book helped me see new opportunities to present ideas in a unique way. One idea from the book really stands out - it's The Curse of Knowledge
We've all experienced it - in talking to a doctor, an engineer or academic, we get... Continue Reading
Explainer Tip: Stop Talking About Technology
Posted by: leelefever on July 27, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: Explainer Tip, Explanation, lesson, our work
The following post is a part of a series called "Explainer Tips" where we share lessons we've learned in crafting explanations.
You likely have friends and family members who consider themselves non-technical. When discussion turns to anything related to computer, they throw up their hands and say "I just don't get tech stuff!" The truth is, this is the vast majority of people. And it's completely understandable why they feel this way. Technology can be very intimidating and many of the most... Continue Reading
Video: Insurance in Plain English
Posted by: leelefever on July 20, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: Common Craft Video, Explanation, financialbasics, money, ourwork, video
Today we've published a new video: Insurance in Plain English
As we wrote recently, we're focusing on our Money category over the next month or two. This video, Insurance in Plain English, is meant to explain why insurance exists, what service it provides, how it works and what role it plays in being financially responsible.
Insurance is a concept that surrounds us all the time. In fact, it's so common that it's easy to assume that everyone understands it and why it makes sense.... Continue Reading
Explainer Tip: Make People Care
Posted by: leelefever on June 25, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: Explainer Tip, Explanation, lesson, our work
The following post is a part of a series called "Explainer Tips" where we share lessons we've learned in crafting explanations.
Looking back on my education, one thing becomes clear: I was a not a good math student. What I've learned since then, is that I had the potential to enjoy math, but there was a mismatch between the way I needed to learn and the way I was taught. I wrote about this previously in a post called "Talkin Bout My Education." Math turned me off because it seemed like... Continue Reading
Video: Twitter Search in Plain English
Posted by: leelefever on June 15, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: Common Craft Video, Explanation, ourwork, plainenglish, twitter, video
Today we released a new video called "Twitter Search in Plain English"
The video uses an metaphor of the small town of "Twitterville." The town has an election and the people use Twitter to track real-time news, a hashtag to organize discussions and trends to find new information.
While it wasn't our intention, the video matches closely with the events currently taking place in Iran, where people are using Twitter to organize and share news about their disputed election.
If you know people who... Continue Reading
A Better Way to Learn Chemistry
If I could have learned chemistry this way, I might have discovered a career in science.
Via Daily Dish
New Video: Preparing an Emergency Kit in Plain English
Posted by: leelefever on May 25, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: Common Craft Video, Explanation, ourwork, paperworks, plainenglish, society
Today we published a new video called "Preparing an Emergency Kit in Plain English."
This video represents a new kind of relationship for Common Craft. A while back, we were contacted by Public Safety Canada (PSC) about this subject and we saw a couple of opportunities. First, we could work on a video that has the potential to have a positive impact. Second, we saw an opportunity for a win-win in terms of the video's ownership - something we call a hybrid relationship.
Emergency kits are a... Continue Reading
These slings by Bem Legaus are sure to start a conversation:
Via BoingBoing
As you may have seen, Amazon recently published the Kindle for iPhone App that allows iPhone users to purchase and read Kindle books on the phone. Of course, one of the first things we did was to see how our Kindle Books look. We were excited to see that our Kindle Books are in color look better on the iPhone than on the Kindle, thanks to the nice iPhone screen.
Compared to:
Another shot of the color:
Eleven Common Craft Kindle Books for Your New Kindle
Sometimes we think about our videos not as videos, but little lessons. Whether you watch them in a video, or read the script with visuals, the messaging should be just as effective. This is where we got the idea for our Common Craft Kindle books. If someone has a Kindle wireless reading device and wants to learn about Twitter or the basics of Investing money, they should be able to spend a couple of bucks and get up to speed in a few minutes. More about our Kindle Books here.
As of... Continue Reading