Does your content speak for itself? A fireside chat with Preston So, author of Voice Content and Usability - Part 1

Michael Meyers: [00:00:00] Hello, and welcome to Tag1TeamTalks, the podcast and blog of Tag1 Consulting. Today we have a really special episode for you. I'm going to be talking with Preston So, Tag1's Editor in Chief, about his new book, Voice Content and Usability, which was just published by A Book Apart. I'm Michael Meyers, the Managing Director of Tag1 Consulting, and I'm really excited about today's talk.

Preston is one of the leading subject matter experts in voice content, and this is the first book ever written on the topic. If you create content, if you're interested in voice communication with computers, you're going to love today's episode. We have so much to cover that we broke this down into two segments. This is part one.

We're going to talk about voice content and usability in general. We're going to give you an overview. We're going to talk about content strategy, information architecture as it applies to voice content, usability testing, how you deploy it, and get into the future where all this is going.

Please make sure you check out part two. We're going to talk about georgia.gov and give you a mini case study on the first voice interface built for the residents of Georgia and how all of this is put into practice.

Michael Meyers: [00:01:10] Preston, welcome. So great to have you as a guest. Congratulations on your latest book. I know it's a tremendous effort to write these, and thank you so much for joining us.

Preston So: [00:01:21] Hey, thanks, Michael, for having me. It's a real pleasure to be on the other side of the conversation this time and a real pleasure to talk about my book today.

Michael Meyers: [00:01:28] Yep, usually you're doing the interviewing. It's great to mix things up. So what is voice content, and why is spoken content so unique and different from what we're used to doing?

Preston So: [00:01:40] That's a great question to kick off things. The very first thing I will say is one of the biggest issues we've had with the way we think about content, design content, and approach content is that it's rooted in paradigms of the web.

When you think about websites, content is linked, related. You have breadcrumbs, sitemaps, all of these motifs. But one of the problems is we've moved away from the most natural form of content, which is conversation.

Like the one you and I are having right now, Michael. When content is trapped in written form, organizations haven’t thought enough about how to reformulate it into something more human, organic, and conversational. Voice content is about transforming written content into conversational interfaces that feel authentic and meaningful.

Michael Meyers: [00:04:05] I'm glad you brought this up. We've created so much content already. Are there ways to leverage that content, or is voice so different that it only loosely applies?

Preston So: [00:04:34] The answer is yes and no. The way we speak is very different from the way we write. Written content is often formal and structured for reading, not speaking.

But the good news is some content is already conversational. FAQs are a great example. The challenge is transforming voice-friendly content into voice-ready content. That requires structuring it semantically for conversational interfaces.

Many modern CMS platforms already support reusable content, which helps enable omnichannel strategies where content can work across web, voice, and beyond.

Michael Meyers: [00:09:58] I really want to dive into usability, but at a basic level, how do you create content for voice? Is it a decision tree or something else?

Preston So: [00:10:09] A lot of people think voice design is just writing dialogue, like a screenplay. That’s part of it, but not all. You need to write, test, and speak the content out loud.

There are two key components: dialogue and flow. Dialogue is the script, and flow is the user journey or information architecture. Unlike the web, voice interfaces are linear and unidirectional.

You don’t have navigation bars or breadcrumbs. Users rely on memory and listening, so content must guide them clearly without confusion.

Michael Meyers: [00:15:18] Not all content translates well to voice. What works and what doesn’t?

Preston So: [00:16:05] Most content today is long-form, what I call macro content. That doesn’t translate well to voice. Voice works better with smaller, structured pieces like FAQs, lists, and progressive disclosure content.

Organizations often want a simple transformation process, but it doesn’t work that way. Voice content often requires new or adapted content.

One challenge is maintaining multiple versions of content. Ideally, you want a single source of truth, but different formats require different approaches.

Michael Meyers: [00:20:43] That sounds like a lot to manage. Does voice content vary by device or platform?

Preston So: [00:20:59] Yes, and this is where things get complex. There are tools now that allow you to build voice interfaces across platforms, but differences still exist.

Another concern is the concentration of power among companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google. These platforms shape how voice interfaces sound and behave.

This raises questions about diversity and representation in voice technology. Whose voice is being represented, and who is being left out?

Michael Meyers: [00:25:45] That’s an important point. Before we wrap up, where do you see this going in the near future?

Preston So: [00:26:13] There’s an interesting paradox. Every organization is building its own voice interface, but major platforms aim to unify them.

Eventually, users may interact through a single interface like Siri or Alexa rather than individual brand experiences. This creates tension between fragmentation and consolidation.

It’s going to be fascinating to see how that evolves in the coming years.

Michael Meyers: [00:28:15] That’s fascinating. Unfortunately, we’re out of time. Thank you so much for joining us.

For our listeners, make sure to check out part two, where we’ll discuss a case study on georgia.gov. There are plenty of links in the show notes, so be sure to explore those.

You can check out past Tag1TeamTalks at Tag1.com/TTT. We’d love your feedback. Reach out at [email protected].

Thanks for tuning in. Until next time, take care.