Download - What does Content First really mean?
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
What does Content First really mean?
!!
Angus Gordon Content strategist
!Weave Web Communications, Melbourne
@WeAreWeave !
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
“Content First” “Content is King”
“Content before design” “Content strategy”
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What should I do about it? How would a focus on content change
the way I work?
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
In this talk I’m going to…
• Use a hypothetical web project to show some specific ways content can influence design
• Give you 3 ways to start adding content strategy to your design process
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Some assumptions about you
• You’re a designer, front end developer, or someone whose work directly affects user experience
• You work on content-managed websites
• You do client work (if you’re in-house, substitute “stakeholders” for “clients”)
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
A hypothetical web project
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
The brief• KidFund, a crowdfunding site for
talented children • Raises money to pay for music
lessons, science equipment, computers, etc.
• Aimed at economically disadvantaged parents
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
A typical design process
• Meetings • User research • Requirements gathering • Mood boards/style tiles • Wireframes
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
A typical design process
Culminating in a series of page mockups:
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief blurb explaining!what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
As a content strategist, I immediately want to
ask questions like…
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief blurb explaining!what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
What will this bit actually say?
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Crowdfunding to help talented kids!develop their skills
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Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
So your kid is some kind of genius?!Get funding to help your little Einstein thrive
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Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Make these INCREDIBLE kids’ dreams come true!!!!KidFund gives talented youngsters a helping hand
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Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Designing with real content gives you a voice to work with.
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief blurb explaining!what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
How well can these elements tell the kids’ stories?
Just because it works for their content, doesn’t mean it’s going
to work for our content
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief blurb explaining!what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
KidFund
An iPad for Sarah!Sarah has been accepted into a school for gifted children. She needs money for an iPad so she can take part in lessons.!$200 of $500 raised
Brief blurb explaining!what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Violin lessons for May!May was playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto at age 5. Now her refugee parents need help to continue her violin lessons. $1230 of $1500 raised
A telescope for Ahmed!Ahmed has always loved science, especially astronomy. Now he needs money for a new telescope.!$350 of $2000 raised
KidFund
An iPad for Sarah!$xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief positioning statement explaining what
KidFund is about
Donate now
Menu
Violin lessons for May!$xxxx of $xxxx raised
Donate now
A telescope for Ahmed!$xxxx of $xxxx raised
Donate now
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Designing with real content helps you spot
unintended consequences.
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief blurb explaining!what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
What kinds of photos will we actually get?
(If photos support content, they are content)
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief blurb explaining!what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief blurb explaining!what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
KidFund
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief blurb explaining!what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
Headline!Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra. $xxxx of $xxxx raised
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Designing with real, imperfect content helps you think through
contingencies and edge cases.
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Even more questions
• Who writes the content? • What content gets promoted? • What happens to old content? • How will people get to the website? • How does our content look on
Facebook?
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
If you find yourself asking the same questions, then congratulations: You’re already doing content strategy
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Content strategy can and should be part of every project that involves content.
Content strategists are good to have on a project with lots of content, or complex
content needs.
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
3 ways to start adding content strategy to your
design process
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
1 Design with real content
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Design with real content
• Draft content is OK; any content is better than none
• Design with best case, worst case and “zero case” content
• Be prepared for content to come up in design discussions
• This is what “Content First” really means
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
2 Talk about who’s going to
write the content, and when
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Talk about who’s going to write the content, and when
• The “11th hour shitstorm” problem • Don’t assume — even if the RFQ says “All content
will be provided” • Use back of envelope calculations as reality
checks • Build relationships with copywriters (or become
one yourself)
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
3 Your job doesn’t end on
launch day
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Your job doesn’t end on launch day
• The “Day 2” problem • Magical thinking: content management system
means content is managed • How many websites you built 2 years ago are you
still happy to show off? • Work with the client on an achievable post-
launch plan, and pester them about it
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
3 ways to start adding content strategy to your design process
1. Design with real content 2. Talk about who’s going to write the
content, and when 3. Your job doesn’t end on launch day
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
If you’d like to know more…
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Karen McGrane Content Strategy
for Mobile (A Book Apart)
Content Strategy Melbourne meetup
meetup.com/Content-Strategy-Melbourne
© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
Thank you!@WeAreWeave