What is the Curse of Knowledge?
The choice of words that we use on our website is important. We are all guilty of using technical jargon but are these words our potential clients would understand?
The Curse of Knowledge occurs when we assume that, when we communicate with others, they have the same background knowledge as we have. If we put knowledge on a scale of 1-10, you probably sit at a 9 or 10, but where do you customers sit?
So how do you fix this problem? The first thing to identify is the target audience of your website. You might have different audiences for different parts of your website. There may be a sales section where the knowledge is at the low end of the scale but you may also have a support section where the knowledge is towards the higher end.
Once you know your target audience for your website or even one particular section, then you can review the language used to make sure it is appropriate for those website visitors.
You can actually use the Curse of Knowledge to your advantage. It allows you to position yourself as an expert and to share your knowledge with your clients through your blog posts – providing of course that you use appropriate tone of voice.
How To Prevent The Curse of Knowledge
To break this down into a number of practical steps;
1. Use plain language and avoid jargon as much as possible.
2. Break up large blocks of text with headings and images to make it more visually appealing and easier to scan.
3. Use examples and analogies to help explain complex concepts.
4. Provide clear and simple navigation to help users find the information they need.
5. Provide a search function to help users quickly find specific information.
6. Conduct user testing to gather feedback and identify areas where users may be struggling.
7. Provide clear calls to action and make it easy for users to take the next step.
By understanding the curse of knowledge, you can ensure that your website meets the needs of your clients.
