Content Strategies for the Content Lifecycle

© 2010 Intentional Design Inc.www.intentionaldesign.ca

Rahel Anne Bailie@rahelab

Framework Content strategy:Repeatable system that

governs management of

content throughout the

entire content lifecycle

Content Strategy: convergence of disciplines and technologies

Content Strategy

Business Analysis

Technology

Content Development

User Experience

Content Strategist: convergence of skills and abilities

http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2006/05/tshaped_creativ.html

• Content modeling• Configure/components• Structure /standards• Repository

• Aggregate• Transform• Present• Syndicate• Revise/sunset

• Acquire• Author• Edit• Metadata

• Design/planning• Requirements• Personas, scenarios• Governance• Budget

Analyze

CollectManage

Publish

Potential ROI:•Extend market reach•Better decision-making for sales•Better customer support•Better info for Industry analysts

•Potential IRR:Easier management of content•Reduce production time•Increase accuracy•Support risk management

Pushing content toits full potential

How to / training

Marketing

Support

How to

Social contentSupport

How to / training

How to / training

How to

h30413.www3.hp.com/SupportServices/country/us/en/support/T1100.html.htm

Or this

Training material

Marketing

Support

Support Technical manuals

Social network

You can deliver this

Training material

Technical manuals

Support articles

Now, broken experiences can damage brands faster than ever. “Nothing can

deter confidence quicker than

a broken experience.”*

* Christopher Cashdollar, Creative Director, Happy Cog Studios

Same content, two content strategies

“This Visa interface is great. I can download each

statement, by month, for the last year.”

1

2:00 PM

“Vancity is great. I can enter the dates

and download a whole year at a time, for the

last two years – in a single transaction.”

2

2:15 PM

“Visa’s monthly download is driving me bananas.

Why doesn’t Visa get it together?”

3

2:18 PM

Little credit union

BIG credit card company

Content drives the user experience.

Rather than designating content as something that is plugged into a decorated shell, why not endeavour to put it at the centre?

- Dorian Taylor

http://doriantaylor.com/the-web-doesnt-have-content-the-web-is-content

Universal user goal Get content:

1. Find it.2. Consume it.3. Act on it.

Content strategy: extension of the experience design

Specify context of use

Specify requirements

Produce design content solutions

Evaluate design content

Identify need for user-centered design content

System satisfies specified

requirements

Adapted from: http://www.upassoc.org/usability_resources/about_usability/what_is_ucd.html

• Content modeling• Configure/components• Structure /standards• Repository

• Aggregate• Transform• Present• Syndicate• Revise/sunset

• Acquire• Author• Edit• Metadata

• Design/planning• Requirements• Personas, scenarios• Governance• Budget

Analyze

CollectManage

Publish

We consume content like music: in context.

The move away from single-use, linear content is happening fast.

Portable content: reduce, re-use, recycle

Properties of portable contentQualitative:• Brand consistent• Minimalist• Audience-appropriate• Translation-ready

Technological:• Structured• Standards-based• Semantic• Interoperable

Portable content creates valueConvergence:

• Airline bookings

• Hotel bookings

• Car rental bookings

• Google maps

• Weather networks

Integration:

• Automatic integration

• Get instant, custom itinerary

Syndication:

• Share with trusted contacts

• Auto-notifications

Bottom line: Good Value

www.tripit.com

Move to experience design

Think beyond content; think experience

http://www.allmusic.com

Navigation

Editorial

Instructions

Music files

Ad

Cover art

Navigation

Previews

Mash-ups are also a form of content convergence.We can create more comprehensible ways to present content.

http://www.worldmapper.org

We can customize content being delivered.

Price range Bed/baths

Geography

View Alerts

Mash-ups are also a form of content convergence.We can create more interesting ways to present content.

http://pipes.yahoo.com

Consumers don’t care about your silos

Bonus: We can do more, better, faster.

When architected well, it happens seamlessly.

Information portal

TechComm

content

User-generated content

Engineering content

CRM content

Support center content

Marketing content

RSS feedsSubscriptions

Training content

• Content modeling• Configure/components• Structure /standards• Repository

• Aggregate• Transform• Present• Syndicate• Revise/sunset

• Acquire• Author• Edit• Metadata

• Design/planning• Requirements• Personas, scenarios• Governance• Budget

Analyze

CollectManage

Publish

Can you fill a user value gap?

Exploit the potential of your content– Is it structured?– Can it be re-used?– Can it be filtered?– Can it be searched (more

importantly, found)?– Can it be personalized?– Can it be integrated? – Can your content converge?– Can it be syndicated?– Can it interoperate with other

systems?

The first impression of a site is made within 50 milliseconds

Portable content: Converge, integrate, syndicate

Necessitates a move away from silos:• Integration: Inserting data variables into

content before delivery• Convergence: Displaying or delivering content

in a single place (screen or page)• Syndication: Automation of content delivery

Move assets up the value chain: increasing content value

Single-use assets• Cheap• Little value• Utilitarian

Multiple-use assets• More cost• More value• More care

How do you from here to here?

What is strategic content

Strategic content is:• Portable – can fit multiple contexts• Concise – shaped around a single concept• Findable – has good metadata• Standards-based – can be used across

platforms

XML http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/ http://www.w3schools.com/xml/default.asp

DITA http://dita.xml.org/ http://dita.xml.org/5-minute-dita-tutorial

DocBook http://www.docbook.org/ http://wiki.docbook.org/topic/DocBookTutorials

S1000D http://www.s1000d.org/

And many other schemas:http://www.w3schools.com/schema/schema_intro.asp

XML, DITA, DocBook, S1000D

Wiki languages http://www.it.uu.se/internt/web/wikihelp/wikilang http://semanticweb.org/wiki/Structured_wiki http://talk.bmc.com/blogs/blog-gentle/anne-gentle/dita-wiki

Specialty XML, conversions http://www.stilo.com/ http://www.stylusstudio.com/xml_to_xml_mapper.html http://www.dclab.com

Wikis, Other XML

Think outside the site• What are the touch points? • What can be automated for users?• What are the preferences of your audiences?• Are you contributing to an engaging user experience?• How creative can you be?• What is the best you can hope to provide, logistically?

Shoot for the moon, to land amongst the stars.

Contact Info, Acknowledgements,Resources

Presentation © 2010 Intentional Design Inc.www.intentionaldesign.ca

Presenter:Rahel Anne Bailie, Content Strategist

http://www.google.com/profiles/rahel.bailieTwitter: @rahelab

Delicious: rahelabSlideshare: rahelab

Photography used under Creative Commons:http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdecomite/