content strategy workshop

Why UX Needs Content StrategyUX Week 2010

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Hi, I’m Karen McGrane from Bond Art + Science

@karenmcgrane

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CONTENT?

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

VISUAL DESIGN

INTERACTION DESIGN

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How’d We Get here?

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Test, Measure, and Optimize

Requirements IA Design Development

Creative Design

Design QA

Insight

Current Site AuditStakeholder & User Interviews

Competitive & Market Research

Vision

Usability TestingPaper Prototype & Creative Comps

Post Launch Analytics Report

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The content Strategy Process

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What’s Changed?

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From To

Static Dynamic

Centralized Decentralized

Walled Social

Costly Cheap

Geeky Mainstream

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Content Strategy Deserves process too.

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Warnings + Disclaimers

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NO SOUP FOR YOU!

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Job title Project Activities Discipline

≠≠

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The Map is not the territory

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DEFINE DESIGN DEVELOP DEPLOY

Dubberly Design Office, How Do You Design?

DISCOVER

ENGAGE ENHANCE

MAINTAIN

EVALUATE

TEST

INCEPTION ELABORATIONCONSTRUCTIONTRANSITION

PLAN

ANALYZE

IMAGINE

ENVISION

DEBRIEF

LAUNCH

CONTENT?CONTENT!

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• What are my business objectives?• What do my users want to do?• What does my brand stand for?

DESIGN CONTENT

TECHNOLOGY

STRATEGY

• How will we build it?• Who will maintain it?

• How will users interact with it?• How will it be structured?• What will it look like?

• What do we want to say?• Where will we get the content?• Who will maintain it?

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The Content Strategy Process

GOVERNCREATEANALYZEPLAN

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GOVERN

DEPLOYDEVELOPDESIGNDEFINE

CREATEANALYZEPLAN

RESEARCH + TESTING

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Our Time TogetherModule 1: PlanningExercise 1: User Needs and Business Goals 9:30–10:30

Break 10:30–11:00

Module 2: AnalysisExercise 2: Content Inventory and Audit 11:00–12:30

Lunch 12:30–2:00

Module 3: CreationExercise 3: Messaging and Content Annotations 2:00–3:30

Break 3:30–4:00

Module 4: research + TestingExercise 4: User Interviews 4:00–5:30

Plan:User needs and Business GoalsModule 1

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PLANPLAN

DEPLOYDEVELOPDESIGNDEFINE

PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTENT STRATEGY ACTIVITIES

_Business Strategy

_Brand Strategy

_Personas + Scenarios

_Competitive Analysis

_Web Analytics

_Technical Assessment

_Creative/UX Brief

Content strategy can contribute to all of these activities.

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Business Strategy

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_Content strategy isn’t about creating content “just because you can.”

_It’s about aligning a publishing model with business goals.

_Understanding how content aligns with business goals is the “strategy” part of content strategy.

ENGAGEMENT COMPETENCY

ALIGNMENT How do we create value?

Who are our constituents?

What business are we in?

Marigo Raftopoulous, Business Strategy Fundamentals

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Brand Strategy

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POSITIONINGPOSITIONING

VISION

MISSION

Content strategy ensures that brand strategy carries through to:

_Messaging

_Tone of voice

_Content creation

_Content style guide

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Personas + Scenarios

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_Personas document the user’s information needs.

_Content strategy goes “the last mile” to make sure we actually deliver that information.

Steve Mulder and Ziv Yaar,The User is Always Right

Learn more about the home-buying process, including jargon, realtors, mortgages, insurance, and how to evaluate houses.

Learn more about the home-buying process, including jargon, realtors, mortgages, insurance, and how to evaluate houses.

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Competitive Analysis

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Competitive audits tend to answer the following:

_What features do our competitors offer?

_How are their sites architected and designed?

Content strategy can answer:

_What messages do they communicate?

_How good is the content?

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Web Analytics

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Use analytics data to inform:

_Content inventories

_Content audits

Search engine data is quite useful in developing:

_Naming/Labeling systems

_SEO-friendly content

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Tech Assessment

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_CMS evaluations in particular tend to focus on features and technical architecture.

_Content strategy looks at the CMS like a user, evaluating interfaces and task flow.

cmsmatrix.org

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Creative/UX Brief

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The brief summarizes the project inputs and defines the “vision” for the site.

Be sure content is reflected:

_How content helps meet business goals and user needs

_How tone of voice and messaging supports brand strategy

_Who will own and maintain content

BBHvia The Planning Lab

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Exercise 1A: User Needs_Review the sample user persona and scenario on Page 3 of your handout.

_Write down a list of user needs on the worksheet on Page 2.

_What does this user need or expect to find when he does his research?

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Exercise 1B: Business GOals_Review the sample case study on Page 5 of your handout.

_Write down a list of business goals on the worksheet on Page 4.

_What does this company expect to achieve by putting information on the web?

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Our Time TogetherModule 1: PlanningExercise 1: User Needs and Business Goals 9:30–10:30

Break 10:30–11:00

Module 2: AnalysisExercise 2: Content Inventory and Audit 11:00–12:30

Lunch 12:30–2:00

Module 3: CreationExercise 3: Messaging and Content Annotations 2:00–3:30

Break 3:30–4:00

Module 4: research + TestingExercise 4: User Interviews 4:00–5:30

Analyze:Content Inventory and AuditModule 2

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ANALYZEANALYZEPLAN

DEPLOYDEVELOPDESIGNDEFINE

PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTENT STRATEGY ACTIVITIES

_Requirements _Content inventory

_Page inventory _Content audit

_Sitemap _Gap analysis

_Data model _Sourcing plan

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Content Comes First!

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_Content inventory informs the page inventory and sitemap

_Content gap analysis and sourcing plan are analogous to the functional requirements

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Giant Spreadsheet FTW!

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Separate activities, evolving document:

_Content inventory: Quantitative list of all the content on the site

_Content audit: Subjective assessment of quality

_Gap analysis: What’s missing that you need?

_Sourcing plan: Who, how and where you’re going to get new content

Content InventoryWhat content do you have?Look at (all) the pages of the site

Make choices about what content to evaluate:

_How deep do you need to go?

_How do you ensure you see examples of all the different content types?

_What are common pathways that users are likely to take?

_Can you find content that has been lost or hidden?

Assume this will be a living document you use throughout your process

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Exercise 2a: Content Inventory_Go to http://www.cisco.com/_Inventory the content related to business collaboration and videoconferencing

_Make choices about what to evaluate and how to document it

_A sample spreadsheet has been provided to get you started

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Exercise 2a:Wrap-upWhy do a content inventory? When is it useful?

_To understand the story the site is trying to tell

_To get a sense of the range of pages that need to be designed

_To determine the range of content types the site will support

_To decide what content to eliminate or migrate

When is a content inventory unnecessary? Why not do this?

_You can learn 80% of what you need to know by sampling representative content

_When the site is too large for a full inventory

_Consider automated tools to index the site

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Automated InventoriesUse tools to gather information

_Power Mapper

_SiteOrbiter (for Macs)

_HTTrack (For PCs)

Get help from the CMS team

_Output data or metadata from the CMS

Benefits of Automated Tools

_When you just need a page count

_Helps find “lost” pages

_Useful when scanning thousands of similar pages (products, articles)

Limitations of Automated Tools

_May only index to a certain depth

_Results may not be organized in a meaningful way

_You don’t get firsthand insights about the content

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Content QualityHow good is the content?Ask yourself:

_Do you have all the content that needs to be there?

_Is the content up-to-date? Are the examples presented fresh?

_Is it communicating clearly?

_Is the content relevant to its intended audience?

_Is the tone and style appropriate for your goals and reader? Is it appropriate for your brand?

_Is it meeting your business needs?

There is no overall definition of content quality—only quality within your business and user context.

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Exercise 2B:Content Audit_Working off the inventory you just completed, assess the quality of this content

_Make decisions about how to assess “quality.” What evaluation criteria will you use?

_How will you document your findings? What columns would you add to your spreadsheet?

_How will you persuade your stakeholders that your findings are valid?

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Exercise 2B:Wrap-UpWhy do this?

_To determine what content needs to be eliminated or updated

_To evaluate if content is meeting business and user needs

_To establish an editorial calendar and messaging strategy

_To create a sustainable content strategy that can be supported by your staff

_To set guidelines for tone and style

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Our Time TogetherModule 1: PlanningExercise 1: User Needs and Business Goals 9:30–10:30

Break 10:30–11:00

Module 2: AnalysisExercise 2: Content Inventory and Audit 11:00–12:30

Lunch 12:30–2:00

Module 3: CreationExercise 3: Messaging and Content Annotations 2:00–3:30

Break 3:30–4:00

Module 4: research + TestingExercise 4: User Interviews 4:00–5:30

Create: Messaging and Content AnnotationsModule 3

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CREATECREATEANALYZEPLAN

DEPLOYDEVELOPDESIGNDEFINE

PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTENT STRATEGY ACTIVITIES

_Schematics _Messaging architecture

_Wireframes _Content annotations

_Task flows _Naming/Labeling

_Moodboards _Taxonomy

_Design comps _Metadata framework

_Prototype _SEO framework

_Annotations/Specs _Copy Deck/Workbook

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Schematics + Wireframes

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Content strategy partners with information architecture to answer:

_Where will we get all the content to fill each region of the page?

_Who will provide and maintain that content?

_How will “related” items be associated?

_What happens if we have more or less content for a given section?

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Task Flows

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Interaction design or business analysts typically map out transaction flows

Content strategy may need to document and track different conditional messages, for example:

_Create password vs. Forgot password

_Add vs Edit

Same functionality, but different messaging!

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Moodboards + Design Comps

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_Moodboards offer a good opportunity for collaboration around visual identity and tone of voice.

_Content strategy should ensure designers are working with “real content.”

_Another opportunity to work through best/worst case scenarios for content sizing.

_Both content and design contribute to style guide

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PrototypingInteraction prototypes

_Evaluate the designs with real content, or at least a sample of real content.

_Evaluate where the designs might break or places where the content dump is not aligned.

Prototypes for testing_Selecting the right subset of content to test is one of the most important (and time consuming) aspects of prototype testing.

_Content strategy should work closely with the user researcher to plan the test script so the study is an accurate representation of the experience.

_Plan enough time to actually get the content into the prototype.

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Annotations +Specs

You can annotate content with more than just “text“ and “dynamic.”

You can annotate content with more than just “text“ and “dynamic.”

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CREATECREATEANALYZEPLAN

DEPLOYDEVELOPDESIGNDEFINE

PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTENT STRATEGY ACTIVITIES

_Schematics _Messaging architecture

_Wireframes _Content annotations

_Task flows _Naming/Labeling

_Moodboards _Taxonomy

_Design comps _Metadata framework

_Prototype _SEO framework

_Annotations/Specs _Copy Deck/Workbook

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Who?How?

When?How much?

SECONDARYMESSAGES

What?Why?

PRIMARY MESSAGE

What next?CALL TO ACTION

Messaging ARchitecture

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Exercise 3a: Messaging ArchitectureBased on your understanding of business goals and user needs, what should Cisco say about its business collaboration products?

Using the worksheet on Page 9 of your handout, develop the following:_Primary message: Should capture the essence of “what” and “why”

_Secondary messages: Provide supporting information and context, answering questions like “who” and “how” and “when” and “how much”

_Call to action: What change should happen in the user’s mind based on seeing this information? (Hint: this probably isn’t “Buy Now!”)

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Exercise 3B:Content AnnotationsLook at the wireframes on Pages 11–13 of your handout.

These depict the following templates from Cisco.com:

_Solutions Landing Page

_Product Landing Page

_Product Page

Provide direction to a copywriter about how to communicate your primary and secondary messages.

If you’ve ever written annotations for wireframes, you might think of these as annotation for content rather than interaction.

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CREATECREATEANALYZEPLAN

DEPLOYDEVELOPDESIGNDEFINE

PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTENT STRATEGY ACTIVITIES

_Schematics _Messaging architecture

_Wireframes _Content annotations

_Task flows _Naming/Labeling

_Moodboards _Taxonomy

_Design comps _Metadata framework

_Prototype _SEO framework

_Annotations/Specs _Copy Deck/Workbook

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Naming/Labeling

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Content strategy presents multiple options for site nomenclature:

_Navigation system

_Buttons + Links

_Headings

In some cases the labeling discussion will change the overall architecture

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Taxonomy + Metadata + SEO

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_Strong arguments for considering these deliverables as part of content strategy

_May also be managed by information architecture or SEO experts; definitely need content participation

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_Content strategists aren’t necessarily copywriters — any more than interaction designers are developers

_Content strategists do provide the tools that copywriters use to create content

_Content annotations can be used to support a copy deck (in Word) or a workbook (in Excel)

Copy Deck /Workbook

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Our Time TogetherModule 1: PlanningExercise 1: User Needs and Business Goals 9:30–10:30

Break 10:30–11:00

Module 2: AnalysisExercise 2: Content Inventory and Audit 11:00–12:30

Lunch 12:30–2:00

Module 3: CreationExercise 3: Messaging and Content Annotations 2:00–3:30

Break 3:30–4:00

Module 4: research + TestingExercise 4: User Interviews 4:00–5:30

Research + Testing: User InterviewsModule 4

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GOVERN

DEPLOYDEVELOPDESIGNDEFINE

CREATEANALYZEPLAN

RESEARCH + TESTING

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User Research

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_Research and testing take a variety of forms (too many to cover here)

_One of the most basic and useful is a listening or “think aloud” protocol

_It can be used for initial research or for testing throughout the process

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Exercise 4: User InterviewsWorking in pairs, select one person to be the participant and one to act as moderator.

If you’re the participant:

_Pretend you’re Anthony, the IT Director persona.

_You’ll be working off the whitepaper starting on Page 15.

If you’re the moderator:

_Work from the moderator guide on Page 18.

_It may help you to quickly read through the whitepaper before you start.

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Debrief and FindingsIn a more formal test environment, it’s likely that you would record the interview for later review, and perhaps have a note-taker sit in on the session.

During your debrief, you might notice that participants:

_Used headings and subheadings to predict what the document would say

_Monitored their own comprehension, noticing where they got confused

_Read ahead to try and clear up their confusion

_Made analogies to other topics to try and explain unfamiliar material

_Create images or mental models of the topic or task

Governance:A Few Notes

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GOVERNGOVERN

DEPLOYDEVELOPDESIGNDEFINE

CREATEANALYZEPLAN

PROJECT ACTIVITIES CONTENT STRATEGY ACTIVITIES

_Front-end development _Governance model

_Back-end development _Editorial calendar

_QA Testing _Style guide

_Beta Testing _Maintenance plan:

_Design comps • Analytics/SEO review

_Launch • Taxonomy review

_Post-launch review • Ongoing testing

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GovernanceModel

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Plan for “Day 2” with a governance model that outlines:

_Is content ownership centralized or decentralized?

_Who owns “core” content?

_What’s the approval process? How do you deal with bottlenecks or absences?

_Who can authorize changes to templates? To workflows?

Randy WoodsDefining a Model for Content Governance

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Editorial Calendar

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If you’re going think like a publisher, then you need an editorial calendar.

Develop a plan for:

_Content focus for each day, week, or month

_Strategies for social publishing

_Advertising targets, if appropriate

editflow.org

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Style Guide

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Make it usableOne page. Or a simple wiki.

Demonstrate your voice Show what you mean. Avoid vague descriptors like “authentic” or “friendly.”

Don’t reinvent the wheel Use existing style guides for common grammar issues.

Put someone in charge That style guide isn't going to update itself.

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maintenancePlan

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Old content doesn’t just fade away — it must die.

Set a schedule to review:

_Analytics data to evaluate engagement (by segment)

_SEO data so you don’t spill your Google juice

_User-generated tags to add to taxonomy or prune

_Need for user testing to confirm findings

Plan for a peaceful afterlife.

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Programming Notes_Slides will be posted to Slideshare (my account is KMcGrane)

_Easiest way to find out when they’re up is to follow me on Twitter

_Give me a business card if you want me to email youImportant! Drinks!

Press Club6:30-9:0020 Yerba Buena LnSan Francisco, CA 94103(415) 744-5000www.pressclubsf.com

Important! Drinks!

Press Club6:30-9:0020 Yerba Buena LnSan Francisco, CA 94103(415) 744-5000www.pressclubsf.com

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Thanks!@karenmcgrane