Technical content gone strategic

Technical Content Gone Strategic

© 2010 Intentional Design Inc.www.intentionaldesign.ca

Rahel Anne Bailie@rahelab

Framework Content strategy:A repeatable system

that governs

management of

content throughout the

entire content lifecycle

Content Strategy: convergence of disciplines and technologies

Content Strategy

Business Analysis

Technology

Content Development

User Experience

• Modeling/typing• Configure/components• Structure /standards• Repository

• Aggregate/Transform• Publish/Syndicate• Syndicate• Evaluate• Iterate or sunset

• Acquire• Author/Edit• Version/Localize• Metadata

• Requirement analysis• User research• Governance planning• Budget

Analyze

CollectManage

Publish

Potential ROI:•Extend market reach•Better decision-making for sales•Better customer support•Better info for Industry analysts

•Potential IRR:Easier management of content•Reduce production time•Increase accuracy•Support risk management

Pushing content toits full potential

You can deliver this

Training material

Technical manuals

Support articles

h30413.www3.hp.com/SupportServices/country/us/en/support/T1100.html.htm

Or this

Training material

Marketing

Support

Support Technical manuals

Social network

How to / training

Marketing

Support

How to

Social contentSupport

How to / training

How to / training

How to

Now, broken experiences can damage brands faster than ever. “Nothing can

deter confidence quicker than

a broken experience.”*

* Christopher Cashdollar, Creative Director, Happy Cog Studios

Same content, two content strategies

“This Visa interface is great. I can download each

statement, by month, for the last year.”

1

2:00 PM

“Vancity is great. I can enter the dates

and download a whole year at a time, for the

last two years – in a single transaction.”

2

2:15 PM

“Visa’s monthly download is driving me bananas.

Why doesn’t Visa get it together?”

3

2:18 PM

Little credit union

BIG credit card company

Reality

Content drives the user experience.

Universal user goal Get content:

1. Find it.2. Consume it.3. Act on it.

Content strategy: extension of the experience design

Specify context of use

Specify requirements

Produce design content solutions

Evaluate design content

Identify need for user-centered design content

System satisfies specified

requirements

Adapted from: http://www.upassoc.org/usability_resources/about_usability/what_is_ucd.html





Analyze

CollectManage

Publish

We consume content like music: in context.

The move away from single-use, linear content is happening fast.

Portable content: reduce, re-use, recycle

Content capabilities Content must be able to:

• Integrate– Embed data into content

• Converge – Show content from multiple

sources in single display• Syndicate – Send content out on

demand

Content attributesSo content must be:• Well-formed– 4 Cs, right tone, etc

• Structured– XML, xHTML, accessible

• Semantic– Have meaningful metadata

• Standards-based– OASIS (DITA, DocBook, etc.),

microformats

Case study

Content strategy for

single-sourcing of

product content

Project goals • Better user experience – SaaS

• Faster time to market – competitive advantage

• Savings – production and translation

• Efficiency – easier internal processes

• Brand – contemporary look

Menu | Menu | Menu | Menu | Menu

Window A Window B

User Interface

Here

and here

and here

UX team builds UA product content directly into the interface

…and seven other places in the interface.

?

<Task><Title>Title [w variable]</title><ShortDesc>Short Description</shortdesc><TaskBody><Steps><Step><Cmd>Step</cmd><Info>Step info</info><Stepresult>Step results</stepresult></step></steps></Result>Task results</result></taskbody></task>

Typical DITA task*

?

User InterfaceMenu | Menu | Menu | Menu | Menu

Window A Window B

<Task><Title>Title [Client Label]</title><ShortDesc>Short Description</shortdesc><LearnObj>Learning Objective</learnobj><TaskBody><Steps><Step><Cmd>Step</cmd><Info>Step info</info><Stepresult>Step results</stepresult></step></steps></Result>Task results</result></taskbody></task>

Typical DITA task*

Taxonomy FileEN Window A Term A Term B Window B = Variable Term A Term C

?

User Interface

Title [w variable]Learning Objective

1. Step Step infoStep resultsTask results

Learning Centre Object

Single-sourcing, with external variables, to multiple outputs.

Title [w variable]Short Description

1. Step Step infoStep resultsTask results

Help Topic Content Object

Title [w variable]1. Step Step infoStep resultsTask results[Added call centre comments]

Knowledge Base Object

Menu | Menu | Menu | Menu | Menu

Window A Variable B

SData

Implications

Old method: desktop software delivery

• “Spaghetti code” content needs rewrite to migrate

New method: Web delivery with UI-embedded UA

• New UI has more content types

• Topic-based content• Max. content re-use, and

reliable delivery/display

Content drives the user experience.

Rather than designating content as something that is plugged into a decorated shell, why not endeavor to put it at the centre?

- Dorian Taylor

http://doriantaylor.com/the-web-doesnt-have-content-the-web-is-content

http://doriantaylor.com/the-web-doesnt-have-content-the-web-is-content

Portable content creates valueConvergence:

• Airline bookings

• Hotel bookings

• Car rental bookings

• Google maps

• Weather networks

Integration:

• Automatic integration

• Get instant, custom itinerary

Syndication:

• Share with trusted contacts

• Auto-notifications

Bottom line: Good Value

www.tripit.com

Move to experience design

Think beyond content; think experience

http://www.allmusic.com

Navigation

Editorial

Instructions

Music files

Ad

Cover art

Navigation

Previews

Mash-ups are also a form of content convergence.We can create more comprehensible ways to present content.

http://www.worldmapper.org

Mash-ups are also a form of content convergence.We can create more interesting ways to present content.

http://pipes.yahoo.com

Consumers don’t care about your silos

We can customize content being delivered.

Price range Bed/baths

Geography

View Alerts

Bonus: We can do more, better, faster.

When architected well, it happens seamlessly.

Information portal

TechComm

content

User-generated content

Engineering content

CRM content

Support center content

Marketing content

RSS feedsSubscriptions

Training content





Analyze

CollectManage

Publish

Can you fill a user value gap?

Exploit the potential of your content– Is it structured?– Can it be re-used?– Can it be filtered?– Can it be searched (more

importantly, found)?– Can it be personalized?– Can it be integrated? – Can your content converge?– Can it be syndicated?– Can it interoperate with other

systems?

The first impression of a site is made within 50 milliseconds

Think outside the site• What are the touch points? • What can be automated for users?• What are the preferences of your audiences?• Are you contributing to an engaging user experience?• How creative can you be?• What is the best you can hope to provide, logistically?

Shoot for the moon, to land amongst the stars.

Contact Info, Acknowledgements,Resources

Presentation © 2010 Intentional Design Inc.www.intentionaldesign.ca

Presenter:Rahel Anne Bailie, Content Strategist

http://www.google.com/profiles/rahel.bailie

Twitter: @rahelabDelicious: rahelabSlideshare: rahelabFacebook: Rahel Anne Bailie

Photography used under Creative Commons:http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdecomite/

http://www.intentionaldesign.ca/



Technical content gone strategic

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