students, services, silos, and sanity: a content transformation story
DESCRIPTION
All the cool kids seem to be doing it: bringing financial aid, tuition payments, registration, and other student services together under one virtual umbrella—the coveted “one-stop shop.” Not surprisingly, creating a web presence for previously siloed offices can prove challenging. There are limited resources, wide-ranging audiences, long histories of territorialism—and we haven’t even started digging into the content. Using the George Washington University’s recent undertaking as an example, this presentation will discuss the ups and downs of creating a single web presence for multiple organizations: gathering project support with user research and analytics, identifying where organizational challenges impact content, and keeping the peace—and your sanity—amid stakeholder tension. Delivered at Confab Higher Ed, November 12, 2013TRANSCRIPT
STUDENTS, SERVICES, SILOS, SANITY:
! "#$%&$% %r!$'f#r(!%)#$ '%#r* &
LISA MARIA MARTIN @REDSESAME
CONFAB HIGHER ED 2013
+)' )' ! '%#r* ABOUT CHANGE.
/ C,!$-)$- WEBSITES
/ C,!$-)$-
CONTENT
/ C,!$-)$-
MY ATTITUDE
I !( ! CS/IA/UX/OMG
/
I w#r. !% THE GEORGE WASHINGTON
UNIVERSITY
W,&r& w& BUILD WEBSITES FOR
GW SCHOOLS, OFFICES, & PROGRAMS
/ L).&
STUDENT SERVICES
ENROLLMENT TUITION
SCHOLARSHIPS BILLING
COURSE REGISTRATION LOAN APPLICATIONS
TRANSCRIPTS STUDENT ACCOUNTS
VETERAN BENEFITS
+& ",!//&$-&: “WE NEED A WEBSITE.”
!.! “A ONE-STOP SHOP”
S)$-/& PLATFORM
M0/%)p/& AUDIENCES
M0/%)p/& OFFICES
CONTENT IS '"!%%&r&1
CONTENT IS 1)'#r-!$2&1
CONTENT IS 10p/)"!%&1
EVEN "#$%r!1)"%#r*
G#!/: A SEAMLESS, ON-BRAND
WEB EXPERIENCE THAT EMPOWERS USERS
SO HOW DO YOU TACKLE
%,!%?
M!-)"!
I (&!$ r&'&!r",.
COMPETITIVE r&'&!r",
ANALYTICS r&'&!r",
USER r&'&!r",
P&r'#$!'
M!r"0' NEW STUDENT
“
Major: Undecided in Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Hometown: Albany, NY
Goal: Sign up for the right classes without any hassle.
I ,!1 $# )1&! (* /#!$' "#0/1 (&'' 0p (* r&-)'%r!%)#$. ”
L&$#r& STAFF
“
Office: Office of Student Financial Assistance
Hometown: Washington, DC
Goal: Be a guide when students and parents are lost in the system.
Y#0 ,!v& %# b& p!%)&$%. Y#0 ,!v& %# r&(&(b&r %,!% %,&*’r& 30'% .)1'. ”
G!r* PARENT
“
Profession: Lawyer
Hometown: Trumbull, CT
Goal: Handle transacLons as quickly and efficiently as possible.
W,* )'$’% %,)' &!')&r? I’( p!*)$- &$#0-, (#$&* f#r )%, !4&r !//. ”
C!r1'#r%)$-
Br!)$'%#r()$-
UX pr#b/&( '#/v&1, %,&$, *&!,?
“WE CAN’T UPDATE THE CONTENT IF IT’S ON THAT WEBSITE.”
C#$%&$% #w$&r',)p "#$"&r$'
“BUT WE JUST REDID OUR WEBSITE.”
D)-)%!/ f!%)-0&
“WE CAN’T WORK ON THIS UNTIL THE SEMESTER ENDS.”
L!". #f %)(& & r&'#0r"&'
“OUR OFFICE ISN’T THE PROBLEM.”
S)/5
O,.
THERE ARE p&#p/& INVOLVED, TOO.
AND PEOPLE HAVE
f&&/)$-'.
OUR JOB IS MORE
%,!$ #0r %!"%)"'.
E(p!%,* IS ACTUALLY
REALLY HARD.
A SHORT LIST OF THINGS I DO NOT HAVE:
P!%)&$"&
B& .)$1.
L)'%&$: ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR
CONCERNS
I$"/01&: MAKE THEM A PART
OF THE PROCESS
F/6: TAKE CONSTRAINTS
INTO ACCOUNT
WHAT IF
)% 1#&'$’% w#r.?
KINDNESS IS AN
NOT A TACTIC.
!%%)%01&,
YOU CAN’T NECESSARILY EMOTE YOUR WAY
THROUGH THIS.
STRESS IS THE AMOUNT THAT YOU
- CY WAKEMAN
!r-0& w)%, r&!/)%*.
R&"#-$2& WHAT YOU CAN
CONTROL.
T!/.: GET PEOPLE TOGETHER.
S,!r&: OVERCOMMUNICATE.
T&'%: BACK UP FEELINGS WITH
NUMBERS.
T&'%: BACK UP NUMBERS WITH
FEELINGS.
C&/&br!%&: EMBRACE SMALL
VICTORIES.
DID IT
w#r.?
SO WE
THE CONTENT
%r!$'f#r(&1
FROM SCATTERED TO
#r-!$2&1
FROM SUSPICIOUS TO
%r0'%w#r%,*
FROM SILOED TO
"#$$&"%&1
f#r %,& p&#p/& b&,)$1 %,& "#$%&$%.
BUT WE HAVE TO DO THE SAME
THE PEOPLE & PROCESSES THAT MAKE IT.
C#$%&$% r&7&"%'
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT
"#$%&$% #w$&r'
AS MUCH AS WE THINK ABOUT #0r 0'&r'
BUILDING A
b&%%&r 6p&r)&$"&
A BETTER EXPERIENCE.
B&"#(&'
+!$. *#0, C#$f!b!
LISA MARIA MARTIN @REDSESAME