designing componentized content

Jennifer Fell

Content Strategist and Architect

Intelligent Content 2013

Designing Componentized Content

Components can help

Components can be used to Break apart content, so that you can work with chunks Group content, so that the pieces aren’t so small

Components are a way to Manage large amounts of content Make reuse a reality Achieve the benefits of reuse, especially accuracy

and consistency Control your content instead of it controlling you Add value, improve agility


Today’s workshop

What is a component? How do I recognize a component? Exercise Tips Final thoughts



How do you define component?

“constituent part or aspect of something more complex”

“compōnere: to put together”

“a set of related functions (or data)” Loosely coupled independent parts of a system Modular and cohesive, substitutable pieces Separation of interface and implementation Designed for reuse

Dynamic content is software


Definition: Information component

A group of related topics that “travel” together (*)

(* IBM definition. “Topic” can be thought of as page or section.)


TravelingTogether


Traveling Together as Content


A group of related topics that “travel” together (*)

The largest group of topics won't need to be split apart based on the internal and external requirements that you know about today.

(* IBM definition. “Topic” can be thought of as page or section.)

Definition: Information component

“compōnere: to put together”

Power is in the ability to easily assemble Combinations of components that provide a positive, custom

experience for each reader Components in new ways as needs change


Company Info

Component Component

Component Component

Product Info

Component

Component

Support Info

Component Component

Component Component

BrochureMobile or eBook

Web site


Identifying components: Know your requirements

Business strategy, priorities, direction, constraints Users

Readers, “consumer” content teams Tip: Personas, use cases, scenarios

Creators Authors, infrastructure teams

Technology features and limitations Authoring and delivery technologies Runtime v. development-time capabilities for reuse

Content priorities and lifecycle Specific content pain points that you are trying to alleviate Specific content value that you are trying to gain


Identifying components: Some questions to explore

What are the key business requirements? How will the project success be measured?

Who are the audiences for each part of the content? What are the circumstances under which each audience will use

each part of the content? How will the content be accessed? How will the content be distributed and displayed? What are the most important scenarios or use cases to support? What is its relationship to other content deliverables? How often will this content need to be updated? What content is

updated at the same time? Does this content get translated? How is the technology componentized, if at all?


Identifying components: Know your content disruptors

People Know what teams make decisions that affect your content

Events Know what events affect your content Ex: New marketing campaign Ex: Readers submitting feedback and expecting updates Ex: Repackaging of product components Ex: New requirement to translate part of the content

Time Try to predict the most likely future

Tip: Knowing your requirements also helps you decide where to start with your componentization project


Requirement: Show only

spotted animals

Identifying components: Rules of the game

Each topic belongs to exactly one information component. Information components do not need to be the same size.


Yes No



A given component can belong to any number of deliverables. A deliverable can be made up of any number of components.

Company Info

Component Component

Component Component

Product Info

Component

Component

Support Info

Component Component

Component Component

BrochureMobile or eBook

Web site

Yes



All of the content in a component must travel together. No one who reuses the component is permitted to edit the content. Consumers can, however: Change variable settings Change conditional settings Rebuild the component Enable readers or applications to filter the content (especially if the

component is reused differently based on runtime characteristics) Each component is responsible for providing clear interfaces

(navigation/TOCs) that show the relative location of content within the component. Consuming content teams decide how to “hook up” any interfaces provided by the component.


Design approaches

Top-down design You have a very big thing You want to break it into smaller things

Bottom-up design You have lots of little things You want to gather them up into groups

Tip Work in both directions Work top-down for planning new material Work bottom-up for redesigning and adapting existing material Validate using the other method

Deliverable #1 Viewing the help system

Supported browsers Navigating Searching Using the index Printing Bookmarking Getting updates Reading syntax diagrams Keyboard shortcuts Help system tour

Customizing the help system Setting your preferred language Setting accessibility features

Related materials Notices and trademarks Contacting us

Deliverable #2 Viewing the help system

Supported browsers Navigating Searching Using the index Printing Bookmarking Getting updates

Customizing the help system Setting your preferred language Setting accessibility features Setting collaboration preferences Setting the location for the help

Notices and trademarks Contacting us

Example: Using the help systemReader view


Example: Using the help systemComponent model


Misc: Product AReading syntax…Related material

Common: Viewing

Viewing: Keyboard

Common: Boilerplate

Customizing: CollabCollaborationHelp location

Common: Customizing

Viewing: ePub Video Tour

Deliverable #1Deliverable #2


Exercise

Scenario Begin with the health care information outline Come up with at least one new business opportunity for this

content. How could you use this health care information in a new way?

Design information components that will support the current use (a single cohesive deliverable) and the new business opportunities.

Be sure to indicate: The boundaries of the components Which components are in common in all or 2+ deliverables/versions Which contents are unique to one version or the other


Exercise 2

Scenario Begin with the health care information outline Your management has decided to publish a variation of the

content specifically for pediatric use. To support this variation—and possible future variations--you

decide to componentize the material. Design components to meet the current deliverable and the new

requirement. Don’t be afraid to consider likely future requirements as well.

Be sure to indicate: The boundaries of the components Which components are in common both versions Which contents are unique to one version or the other


Exercise 2

What other “products” could you offer your business now that the material can be delivered based on components?

Tips for Working with Components


Components are part of a reuse landscape

Factors Time: Design-time/development-time or run-time reuse Space: Granularity

Toolbox Copy-and-paste (just kidding)

Variables Conditional text and images Filtering

Analyze the requirements Design the solution Implement Test (with all users and stakeholders!) Release Rinse, repeat: Refactor components as necessary over time

Component lifecycle


Implement

Release

Analyze

Design

Test


Making it real

Places to start Content that is reused most often (about us, contact us) Content that is highly specialized and never reused (one-time offer) Content that is used most often Content that is of highest value to the organization, where accuracy and

consistency of message matter the most Capturing design

Post-it® notes, index cards, Lego® building blocks get you started Graphical tools, such as Visio, show the big picture and dependencies Spreadsheets help manage detailed component attributes

Physical implementation Directories Metadata tagging Manifest and description of component content and interface

Basics Practice good modular and

structured content development Write with an awareness of how a

component will be used…or at least an awareness that it could be used elsewhere

Communicate—with everyone, 360 degrees

Reuse reality Components are about reuse, but

reuse isn’t everything For software product

documentation, even if software reuse is 100%, information reuse probably won’t be, so set expectations with teams

Linking can be tricky. You can freely link between topics in the same component, and to any agreed-upon topic in a prerequisite or co-dependent component.

Random tips



Using components to manage work

Components are units of information that can be used to: Assign work: Each component has a single author/owner Schedule and track work Organize edits and reviews Organize translation shipments Organize updates and delivery


Recap: Componentization as a valuable tool in the Reuse Toolbox

Flexibility To reuse information -- without rewriting it To update information easily and often To integrate information -- across solutions and products, in multiple

contexts To ship information to translation in a wider variety of configurations,

allowing more flexibility at the end of the cycle To provide users with only what they need, not the entire library

Ability to match the dynamic nature of software Products and technologies are being componentized Content customization often depends on a componentized information

architecture Manageable control: Right-size blocks to work with

Component design is not a scienceComponent design is an art


A few guidelines+

your creative genius

=YOU as ARTIST


Questions?

Thanks To those who helped frame my experience and gave me a

“playground” to develop my ideas: IBM’s entire information architecture team, especially those in

Information Management User Technology The Boise Content Strategy Meetup Group Various colleagues and friends along the way

To YOU for participating today!

Jennifer [email protected]/in/jenniferfell

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferfell

designing componentized content

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