Editorial Strategy as Empathy: Serving Internal Users

Misty Weaver@meaningmeasureSeattle IA/UX Meetup#SeattleUX

http://www.morguefile.com/creative/hotblack

Your content process starts with

1. External audience assessment

2. Content assessment and modeling

3. Tasks and roles

4. Workflow

5. Schedule

@meaningmeasure #SeattleUX

Provide the right content, for the right people,

in the right place, at the right time.

Meghan Casey http://uxmag.com/articles/get-your-content-strategy-out-of-the-drawer-with-governance

Provide the right content, for the right people,

in the right place, at the right time,

with a system.

http://www.richardingram.co.uk/downloads/content_strategy_app_2038.png

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/06/03/content-strategy-optimizing-your-efforts-for-success/

What we mean when we say content strategy

@meaningmeasure #SeattleUX

Content Strategy Shapes

Technical • Information

Architecture• Taxonomy• Metadata / Schema• XML / DITA• CMS• SEO

Editorial• Branding• Messaging• Voice and Tone• Content Creation and

Planning • Content for Human

Consumption

Project Management Always

Project

• Resource Assessment

• Workflows

• Scheduling

• Velvet Hammer

Part 1: What do those people need?

• To find relevant, helpful content

• Make a decision

• Take action

Creating a priority list for content

What information do you need to make a decision

about attending an IA meetup?

• Date and Time• Title • Topic• Speaker• Price• What’s the benefit to

me?• Location• Description

• Agenda• Menu (food allergies)• How many people are

going? Do I know any of them and/or like/dislike them?

• How to register

Content Checklist

• Date and Time• Title • Topic• Speaker• Price• What’s the benefit to me?• Location• Description • Agenda• Menu (food allergies)• How many people are going?

Do I know any of them and/or like/dislike them?

• Speaker Description and Bio• Art, visual collateral• Email Marketing • Social Media Marketing • Volunteers• Sponsors • Venue • Speaker slides • Post event email• Post event photos, video,

slides

Content Checklist

Part 2: What do I have?

http://www.morguefile.com/creative/wedhatted

Assess,Model,& Form Content

From Assessment to Content Model

http://www.clevegibbon.com/content-modeling/content-models/the-design-content-model/

Event

Speaker

VenueDescription

• Title

• Time, Date

• Price

• Registration

• Agenda

• Description

Content Model

• Create

• Edit

• Approve

• Publish

• Distribute

• Update/Archive

Part 3: What can we do?

http://www.amazon.com/The-Digital-Crown-Winning-Content/dp/0124076742

Relates to our internal systems as well as access we provide through distribution of content

http://intentionaldesign.ca/

• Create

• Edit

• Approve

• Publish

• Distribute

• Update/Archive

• Creators

• Editors

• Approvers

• Publishers

• Distributors

• Managers

From Tasks to Roles

Part 4: How do we make the work flow?

@sjrosenbaum

http://intentionaldesign.ca/2011/03/29/content-workflow-diagram/

Margot BloomsteinContent Strategy at Workhttp://appropriateinc.com/book/

Workflow at AdoptUsKidsVanessa Casavant

@casavant

Workflow at AdoptUsKids

Workflow at AdoptUsKids

What do we get out of it?

Part 5: Timing

Enjoy these links

• Meghan Casey http://uxmag.com/articles/get-your-content-strategy-out-of-the-drawer-with-governance

• Richard Ingram http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/06/03/content-strategy-optimizing-your-efforts-for-success/

• Cleve Gibbon http://www.clevegibbon.com/content-modeling/content-models/the-design-content-model/

• Ahava Leibtag – Buy this book! http://www.amazon.com/The-Digital-Crown-Winning-Content/dp/0124076742

• Rahel Bailie http://intentionaldesign.ca/

• Margot Bloomstein – Buy this book, too! http://appropriateinc.com/book/

Tweet me about it @meaningmeasure

Making Things BetterA Content Strategy Case Study

James SweeneySeattle IA/UX Meetup#SeattleUX

http://www.morguefile.com/creative/hotblack

Technical CS

What does that look like in practice?

?

#SeattleUX

Content Strategy Shapes

Editorial• Branding• Messaging• Voice and Tone• Content Creation and

Planning • Content for Human

Consumption

Technical • Information

Architecture• Taxonomy• Metadata / Schema• XML / DITA• CMS• SEO

Project Management Always

Project

• Resource Assessment

• Workflows

• Scheduling

• Velvet Hammer

Recasting our questions:

1. What tools do we have?

2. What needs to get done?

3. Who is available?

4. How are we all working together?

5. What comes first?

#SeattleUX

Provide the right content, for the right people,

in the right place, at the right time,

with a system.

Misty Weaver(link to be updated once she posts her stuff)

What do INTERNAL users need to know?

• What needs to be done

• Who is doing it

• Why it is being done

Issue template for tasks

How do we get there?

http://www.morguefile.com/creative/wedhatted

• Baseline (Content Audit)

• Establish Goals (Internal & External)

• Evaluate Internal Realities

• Remediate / Consolidate / Build

• Schedule it / Execute

• Analyze / Refine

How do we get there?

Content Audit (Baseline)

• “Better User Experience”

• “Reduced Maintenance Cost”

• “Unicorns!”

Goals

• Usage based evaluation

• Systems / repository review

• Data driven review of controlled vocabulary

• Stakeholder & Resource interviews

Reality

• Retire content

• Establish synonym in search tools

• Decommission older systems

Remediate / Consolidate

• Repositories

• Workflows

• Websites

• Schedules

Build / Analyze / Refine

• Environments aren’t static

• Needs aren’t static

As Designed vs. As Built