Canonical case study

Project: review, edit and write copy for Ubuntu.com and Canonical.com

Canonical needed…

Canonical is the business behind Ubuntu, the free, open-source operating system.

The two websites, Canonical.com and Ubuntu.com had both grown organically, with content added at different times by different authors. Canonical wanted to simplify the content, make it more coherent and achieve a consistent tone of voice.

The two websites have very different audiences.

Ubuntu.com offers a Linux operating system to consumers as well as business users. The content has to explain the benefits of using Ubuntu and describe how to start using the software.

Canonical.com provides services to corporate users and has to convey the business benefits of using Ubuntu to run servers, desktop computers, mobile devices and other hardware.

Work included…

We spent 5 weeks working closely with the team at Canonical – as well as their in-house copywriter.

Our work included:

• Stakeholder interviews to learn more about the software and services
• Observing user tests of the new website
• Working with the design team to create copy harmonious with the new websites
• Reviewing and editing 100+ pages of existing content
• Writing original content to suit the new templates.

Results:

There was a great deal of work to be done, but we remained focused on reviewing the extensive collection of existing pages so that everything was complete on time. We managed to effectively coordinate our efforts with Canonical’s in-house copywriter to create consistent copy for two diverse websites.