Download - Better Web Projects Through Strategy
STRATEGYBETTER WEB PROJECTS THROUGH
HIGHEDWEB 2013PRESENTED AT
mStoner.com
#heweb13 #wrk6
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The Plan and the Pattern
Five Strategic Questions for Better Web Work
Strategy Exercise
TACTICALOnline Advertising
AnalyticsPrototyping
Design
Content
Development
Social Media
User Testing
TACTICALOnline Advertising
AnalyticsPrototyping
Design
Content
Development
Social Media
User Testing
Strategy = Winning
Strategy ≠ Managing
STRATEGYIS
A PLAN
“Strategy is the creation of a unique and valuable position.”
– Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business School
Source: hbr.org
In higher education, a strategic web projectstrengthens the position of your institution.
trincoll.edu/urbanglobal
STRATEGY IS A PATTERN
Source: http://bit.ly/1cijx6O
“An emergent strategy is a pattern of action that develops over time in an organization...
despite a mission and goals.”– Henry Mintzberg, McGill University
If you built your site with:
responsive web design,
accessibility compliance,
speed optimization,
and configured site search
...
... you have an emergent web strategy.
The emergent web strategy is to serve content to everyone from any device.
Emergent strategies exist even if they go unobserved.
Building on patterns that already workmeans a higher chance of success.
FIVE STRATEGIC QUESTIONS(for better web projects)
How does your web project relate to your organization’s mission and financial goals?
1
MISSION
YOUR PROJECT
FINANCIAL GOALS
“We are more urban and global than other liberal arts colleges.”
MISSION + RECRUITMENT
trincoll.edu/urbanglobal
futurity.org
“We are one of the world’s top research universities.”
MISSION + RESEARCH
MISSION + CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE“Our teaching combines location-based and online learning.”
itap.purdue.edu/studio
Who is the primary audience for your project?
2
Traditional Age StudentsTransfer Students
International StudentsGraduate Students
Continuing Ed StudentsNoncredit Students
Parents
Current StudentsAlumniFaculty
StaffBusinesses
Peer InstitutionsJob Seekers
THE TYRANNY OF .EDU AUDIENCES
We’re about to look at a degree page example.
Real names have been replaced with emoji cat heads to protect the innocent.
LET’S DO IT AGAIN.
= PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS= CURRENT STUDENTS
THINGS THAT STRENGTHEN THE POSITION OF A UNIVERSITYWITH PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
A modified version of: xkcd.com/773
WEB STRATEGY( LOVINGLY SET IN COMIC SANS)
THAT’S
How can your project make a bigger statement beyond the web?
3
When can you get feedback from your audience?
4
Knowing who ≠ knowing what they want
Primary purpose: a place for them celebrate, share, and explore
Primary audience:Brown University fanatics
We conducted interviews before prototyping, in person at the Brown University campus.
We conducted user tests on prototypes (using gotomeeting.com).
We performed task-based usability tests with both Chalkmark and usertesting.com.
The Brown team will monitor analytics, social activity and content submissions post-launch.
How can you sustain the content needs of your web site?
5
The content is the ecosystem.Without it, all you have is a landscape.
Beyond a broad strategy,you’re going to need a content strategy ...
... and dedicated time for contentcreation and curation.
Luckily, @radiofreegeorgy is hereto talk about content strategy next.
THE EXERCISE
For a project in flight, or one you’ve completed, answer the five questions.
How does your web project relate to your organization’s mission and financial goals?
Who is the primary audience for your project?
How does (or how could) your project make a bigger statement beyond the web?
When did (or could) you get feedback from your audience?
How do (or will) you sustain the content needs of your site?
