cms and portals | how do they really work?

Copyright © 2007 CMS Watch | All Rights Reserved

CMS and Portals | How do they really work?

IA Summit, Las Vegas | March 24, 2007

Tony Byrne & Theresa [email protected]

[email protected]

Copyright © 2007 CMS Watch | www.cmswatch.com IA Summit, Las Vegas, March 2007 2

About CMS Watch

The Web CMS Report evaluates 30 Web CMS packages.

Enterprise Search Report evaluates 28 Search vendors.

Coming soon: • The ECM Suites Report• Web Analytics Report• Portal Project Starter Kit

Enterprise Portals Report evaluates 15 major Enterprise Portals vendors.

Independent evaluations of content technologies & practices


Agenda

• Fundamental differences between Web CMS and Portal • Looking at systems based on personas, business scenarios,

usability• Typical surprises IAs encounter about how the technology

works on the "back end"• Best practices for how IAs can effectively impact CMS and

Portal implementations


About CMS Watch

Industry-leading, scalable solution for the enterprise, fully customizable for your needs, with robust API, Web Services support, and lowest TCO in its class, blah, blah, blah…

How does it work? How much does it really cost? What’s wrong with it? Who are their real competitors? Do their consultants know my industry? Will my co-workers actually use it?

“Markets are Conversations” -- Cluetrain Manifesto


What does a CMS do?


Layers of ServicesWhat does a portal do?


Layers of ServicesWhat does a portal look like?


Acquisition Management Categorization DeliveryComposition

browsertext, images, video

feed

Reuter, AFP, AP, RSS

word processorsWord, Notes

enterprise systems

ERP, CRM, legacy, Quark Xpress

import toolimporting existing sites

email

object managementediting, revision

tracking, workflow, versioning

search

automatic/ manual categorization

creating the user

experience

webInternet, Intranet, Extranet

mediasSMS, WAP, 3G, PDA

printPDF, Quark XPress

emailalerts, newsletters

syndication web feeds (RSS)

taxonomy

CMS Portal software?

What do you get in a portal vs. a CMS?


Agenda

• Fundamental differences between Web CMS and Portal Looking at systems based on personas, business

scenarios, usabilityImportance of scenariosThe usability conundrum

• Typical surprises IAs encounter about how the technology works on the "back end"• Implications for content modeling, navigation, and design

• Best practices for how IAs can effectively impact CMS and Portal implementations


Usability: CMS vs. Portal / Situational vs. Canonical

OR

"People designing applications are looking for rules, but practitioners know that it is situational: you could install the right widget, but if it's not prominent enough, it won't work."

-- Steve Krug“The Canonical Intranet

Homepage”-- source: useit.com


Tell a (testable) Story

The larger the group, the simpler the tool…

Understanding Needs | Scenarios and Personas for the “Back End”


CMS Usability? All over the map…


Products > MOSS 2007Portal Usability? Very dashboard-oriented


Agenda

• Fundamental differences between Web CMS and Portal • Looking at systems based on personas, business scenarios,

usability Typical surprises IAs encounter about how the

technology works on the "back end.” Implications for Content modelingNavigationDesign

• Best practices for how IAs can effectively impact CMS and Portal implementations


• It’s not just about the front end user experience!• Or at least: what you want on the front end has

major implications on the back end. In other words…

• Information architecture is like “the force” when it comes to implementing these technologies: the great unifier, what the systems need to bring content together and display it accurately

• Many Web CM and Portal systems rely on solid metadata and classifications in order to be able to do *anything*

• How you choose to model content in the repository, and how the system you choose leverages taxonomy, greatly influences the business value you can realize

What does all this mean for an IA?


Consists of categories and sub-categories to classify complex semi-conductor products

Example | Analog Devices


• Product Taxonomy• Hierarchy of products• Leaf elements are products • Require at least one product

• Content Taxonomy• Hierarchy of content types• Leaf elements are content

types• Require at least one sub-

type

Application Notes

EE Notes

AD8320

AD8322

AD8324

Broadband Amplifiers

Broadband Products

Related Tech Info

Technical Articles

These are managed in separate repositories!

Two Taxonomies


Category-specificpress release

Product-specific press release

Press Release

“Placeless” vs. “Placeful” content | Applying business logic


Product and content taxos are linked via business logic, creating information suite around a single item.

Content granularity is key in this scenario.

How content is modeled changes what the system can do


Content granularity enabling user experience

• Category-specific content

• Categories in taxonomy leveraged to dynamically create category-specific product listings

• Content granularity enables product comparison


• Taxonomies are made up of product and content types• Content items have a type and are tagged with products• This relationship is used to build pages

Content Item ADI Announces New Product

Content Types Metadata

AD8320Press Releases

Web Laws

Bridge Laws

Content Types Metadata

Broadband AmplifiersRelated Tech Info

Data Sheets

Data Sheets

Press Releases

Press Releases

Broadband Amplifiers

AD8320 AD8321 AD8322

Logic Behind the Presentation


BroadbandAmplifiers

Related TechInfo

Related TechInfo

Press Releases OR Data Sheets

AD8320 AND (Press Releases OR Data Sheets)

(AD8320 OR AD8132 OR AD8122) AND (Press Releases OR Data Sheets)

AD8320 Related TechInfo

=

=

=

Content For: Query For:

Good “back-end” IAs can “think like a CMS”


EPA > Topics


Best Practices for IAs

• “Think like the system”• Know how the system and content model affects both the

content contributor and content consumer.• Develop personas and scenarios for the “back end” – they’re

not just for end-users of the web site• Think about the process implications of content analysis• Become a CMS/Portal user advocate

• (If only because no one else will!)

• Advocate for better application usability


[email protected]

[email protected]

www.cmswatch.com

Contact InfoThank you!

cms and portals | how do they really work?

Documents