Content Strategy Workshop
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Transcript of 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