Adapting content for the US market

@sarahokeefe @alanpringle

Adapting Content for the US Market

flick

r: hu

berty

u

Sarah O’Keefe Alan Pringle

About the presenters

@sarahokeefe

Sarah O’Keefe

International affairs/German, Duke University

Principal @ Scriptorium (1997)

Content strategy analysis


Alan Pringle

English/journalism, Wake Forest University

Principal @ Scriptorium (1997)

Content strategy implementation

Sarah O’Keefe

@sarahokeefe@sarahokeefe @alanpringle

flickr: johnloo, alicehenneman booleansplit

Likes Dislikes

Factors to consider


flick

r: ju

l

Factors to consider

@sarahokeefe

❖ Language

❖ Culture references

❖ Regulatory requirements and legal issues

❖ Audience level: literacy/education/training level

❖ Content distribution methods

❖ Customer experience

❖ Customer support


Focus: Language


flick

r: sh

icks

desi

gn

US population: 292M

@sarahokeefe

❖ 61M speak a language other than English at home ❖ Spanish: 38M ❖ Chinese: 2.9M ❖ French: 1.3M ❖ German: 1.1M ❖ Korean: 1.1M ❖ Vietnamese: 1.4M ❖ Tagalog: 1.6M


Language strategy

@sarahokeefe

❖ Business-to-business

❖ Business-to-consumer

❖ Translation issues


Focus: Culture


flick

r: ja

mie

-willi

ams-

phot

o

Focus: Culture

@sarahokeefe

❖ Culture differences

❖ Need deep understanding of target market

❖ “Popular” culture is relative


Batali versus Batalli


Mario Batali Mario Batalli

Do I know you?


ITV

Friendly, cute, or annoying?


ITV

http://event.asus.com/networks/ezui/step3.html

http://event.asus.com/networks/ezui/step3.html

“plugged”? “Dr Surf”??


Mostly just annoying


@sarahokeefe

Regulatory requirements


flick

r: th

atm

akes

thre

e

Regulatory requirements

@sarahokeefe

❖ What are the regulatory requirements for your content?

❖ What industries are regulated?


U.S. regulatory requirements

@sarahokeefe

❖ Medical devices

❖ Pharmaceuticals

❖ Nuclear

❖ Aerospace

❖ And a few others

❖ Only a tiny percentage of technical content is regulated.


EU regulations


flick

r: yk

outs

omiti

s

EU regulations


❖ Product machinery directive

❖ Product documentation directive

Legal requirements


flick

r: m

r_t_

in_d

c

Legal requirements

@sarahokeefe

❖ What are the legal requirements for your content?


US legal requirements

@sarahokeefe

❖ Minimal requirements/regulations

❖ Reality: Legal issues drive a LOT of content


Content standards


Content standards

@sarahokeefe

❖ What are content standards do you use or are you familiar with?


Content standards

@sarahokeefe

❖ Information Mapping

❖ PI-MOD

❖ Funktionsdesign

❖ ISO

❖ S1000D

❖ DVI

❖ and more…


Common US content standards

@sarahokeefe

❖ DITA

❖ DITA

❖ DITA

❖ DITA

❖ DITA

❖ DITA

❖ DITA


Other US standards

@sarahokeefe

❖ DocBook

❖ Information Mapping

❖ S1000D or ATA

❖ Six Sigma

❖ Lean

❖ Agile


Audience demographics



@sarahokeefe

❖ What do you know about your current audience?

❖ How is the US audience different?



@sarahokeefe

❖ Literacy levels

❖ Apprenticeship programs

❖ Expectations

❖ Diversity

❖ Culture

❖ Experience levels


Content distribution


flick

r: M

oyan

_Bre

nn


@sarahokeefe

❖ How do you distribute content?



@sarahokeefe

❖ Print

❖ PDF

❖ Wiki

❖ HTML

❖ Online help

❖ In the product box

❖ On the device

❖ Downloadable

❖ Mobile

❖ Tablets


What day is it and where am I?


Customer experience


Customer experience

@sarahokeefe

❖ What are your customer experience priorities?


Customer experience

@sarahokeefe

❖ Tech comm (“post-sales”) content can drive sales.

❖ Repeat business is contingent on customer satisfaction.

❖ Marketing and tech comm integration


What do customers care about?


Minimum viable content


Customer experience is not just visual…


Sounds are powerful…

@sarahokeefe

❖ Example 1



@sarahokeefe

❖ Example 2



@sarahokeefe

❖ Example 3



@sarahokeefe

❖ Example 4



@sarahokeefe

❖ Example 5


Customer support

@sarahokeefe

❖ How do you handle customer support?

❖ What role does content play?


Customer support

@sarahokeefe

❖ Phone

❖ Email

❖ Internet/web

❖ Intranet

❖ On-site visits (field service)

❖ others?


Lots of work to do

@sarahokeefe

❖ Language

❖ Culture references

❖ Regulatory requirements and legal issues

❖ Audience level: literacy/education/training level

❖ Content distribution methods

❖ Customer experience

❖ Customer support


Workshop evaluation


Your opinion is important to us! Please tell us what you thought of the lecture. We look forward to your feedback via smartphone or tablet under

http://IM14.honestly.de

or scan the QR code

The feedback tool will be available even after the conference.

Adapting content for the US market

Business

Transcript of Adapting content for the US market