NEXT-LEVEL COLLABORATION WORKSHOP web content working sessions

@REBEKAHCANCINO

Photograph by Deborah Coleman, Pixar

meet ed catmull

Photograph from “Inside the Pixar Braintrust” by Fast Company

Digital experiences are messy, iterative, and overlapping, too.

“People don’t experience content separately from design, UX, and code. Making things shouldn’t be that way either.” – Jared Spool

File sharing and occasional meetings are not collaboration.

Collaboration is when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Our decision making is stronger when we draw on the collective knowledge of the group.

effective collaboration Create alignment = deliver better outcomes Remove politics = launch faster Reduce rework = decrease costs Boost morale = increase productivity

content that matters

user needs

business goals

“Content doesn’t belong to content. Design doesn’t belong to design. Code doesn’t belong to dev.” – Nicole Fenton

UX = wireframing

UI

content

= wireframing code design

what about… Ownership? Our work is not as separate as we imagine. No one person or department can truly own anything, but someone should be responsible for leading.

Who goes first? It’s not about who goes first, it’s about creating space for things to unfold in tandem.

“The secret isn’t content first or content last … it’s content and design at the same time.” - Travis Gertz, Louder Than Ten

collaboration doesn’t have to hurt

WITH

it’s about creating space to share decisions

vs. FOR

planning your content

prioritizing user needs

aligning with business goals

mapping content

to user needs

In this session, we’ll practice

thinking

doing feeling

but first, empathize

@DANIELEIZANS

thinking

doing feeling

map the user’s context Which card is right for me? I hope I’m approved How long does it take to get approved? What kind of credit score do I need to apply? Will this help me rebuild my credit?

Nervous Hopeful Confused Skeptical

Browsing the site from their phone Looking the information over with a partner Getting ready to make a major purchase Researching after talking to a banker

let’s practice together! Get into groups of 4-5 people

Card categories

Compare cards

Check for special offers

Card description

Image of card

Card details

Link to apply

Hero banner: Susan G. Komen card

Popular cards

STEP 1 Define brand goals, communication needs, and prioritize

STEP 2 Determine user needs, tasks, and prioritize

STEP 3 Compare prioritized business goals and user needs. How do they stack up? Do we need to: •  Realign •  Discuss gaps •  Make conscious compromises

STEP 4 List all current content elements (if you’re redesigning), and determine new content elements needed.

STEP 5 Map content elements to prioritized user tasks, look for gaps. Look for: •  Missing content •  User tasks or needs that are under or over

addressed •  Content elements that don’t really align to any

user goal or need

you made it! Let’s reflect

When web content won’t fix the problem Discuss broken underlying business models and decisions that go beyond the web and adjust expectations

When business goals don’t align to user needs When stakeholders participate in matching business goals to user needs they discover misaligned priorities for themselves. •  Realign those priorities •  Make conscious compromises

YOU COULD EVEN Map content to visual hierarchy (wireframe sketch)

features and functionality, too

YOU COULD EVEN Prioritize features, functionality, and content needs with the project team and stakeholders

good content is everyone’s responsibility

excuses, excuses "That's not my job.” "We don't have time or budget.” "I don't want to step on toes.” "No one will listen to me.” "I don't know how to do that."

Cross-discipline content working sessions (with stakeholders) help us reduce risk and avoid costly, incorrect assumptions.

Balance business goals and user needs. Tie all decisions back to them.

Create the space to do the work together, not just talk about it.

Set yourself up for success by thoughtfully planning how you’re going to work together.

Collaboration is scalable. Use cross-discipline working sessions wisely so you don’t waste time or blow budgets.

internal users count, too

just jump in

thank you! Bonus material on planning working sessions and determining stakeholders: bit.ly/designtogether

togetherly.co

sitewire.com

@REBEKAHCANCINO