tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91227404416628573422024-03-13T03:03:10.045-07:00E3 Content StrategyE3 Content Strategy writes about content strategy, web writing, customer experience, user-centred design, content processes, and pretty much anything else that will help businesses to communicate more effectively with their customers.KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-23511225737051461762012-03-27T15:27:00.000-07:002012-03-27T15:27:20.234-07:00Beyond ROT: Creating useful and meaningful content audits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUTJUrCaYBXCqKYrhcXYko2YTfVqKQvirnE0_0AxunM3CyCOdcVAJG7sCEHFsxRU5IF0l4TpU4p29M8eSio6_x0nVNpokQz1GCL9bli7eFxOqy6brlxhK6NptVksgKW3JYl1mICi44ZJN/s1600/apples_cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUTJUrCaYBXCqKYrhcXYko2YTfVqKQvirnE0_0AxunM3CyCOdcVAJG7sCEHFsxRU5IF0l4TpU4p29M8eSio6_x0nVNpokQz1GCL9bli7eFxOqy6brlxhK6NptVksgKW3JYl1mICi44ZJN/s640/apples_cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I've been thinking about content audits a lot lately because, well, that's the stage I'm at in my current project. There's been quite a few discussions and write-ups about audits but I've found that, for the most part, they have a pretty limited perspective. The fact is that a content audit can provide a huge amount of insight into content strengths and weaknesses in the early stages of a project, and help to inform all content strategy and information architecture activities moving forward. <br />
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A content audit is simply a snapshot of the current state of content, on a page-by-page basis, before a web redesign or content migration takes place. Perhaps the most discussed way of auditing a website's content is to determine the page count and the ROT: content that is redundant, out-dated, or trivial. While this is essential information, there is so much more information you can gather. And since you're looking at every page anyway, you might as well capture the information that will really help to bring value to your client and the project.<br />
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Here are some other content characteristics that you may want to capture, and why they're useful.<br />
<h4><b>Page layout</b></h4>This shows how the content is laid out on a page. Simply capture a screenshot for each page that uses a distinct layout and give it a name of some sort. I typically use a combination of acronyms and numbers. For example, two different landing page layouts might be LP-1 and LP-2. The purpose of this is to help clients see the inconsistencies in how similar types of information are being presented. It's also extremely helpful when you're doing a content migration where you need to understand how the content works within existing templates and the implications that has on the migration. Finally, it can raise big red flags for content processes if you find that content developers are creating multiple layouts on the fly from a single template.<br />
<h4><b>Content type</b></h4>Here, you make note of the basic type of content, leaving topic or departmental focus aside. For example, some types of content include forms, contact info, product details, articles, landing pages, FAQs, document archives, profiles, events, etc. You'll develop your list based on your specific project requirements. Together with page layout, this really helps to highlight inconsistencies in how information is being presented. It also helps to raise awareness of pages that are trying to do too many things at once. When you complete your initial audit and sort it by content type, you can quickly scan through your URLs to identify even more redundancy and get a better understanding of the opportunities for content re-use.<br />
<h4>Audience</h4>Make a note of who the content speaks to on each page. If it's not obvious after a quick scan of the page content, simply put "unknown". This is a good way to find out if the target audience will be able to immediately identify that this content is relevant to them. If your client has developed customer personas you can use these as a starting place, but remember that the purpose of an audit is to create a snapshot of the current state of content, which may or may not fit well with tools that have been built to guide future changes.<br />
<h4>Quality</h4>This is your subjective expert opinion as to the quality of the content on the page. I'll typically use ratings such as excellent, good, satisfactory, or poor, and associate them with qualifying best-practice statements as shown below. If you prefer, you could use grade-scores and use any qualifying statements that make sense to your project. Here's some that are pretty typical for me:<br />
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<ul><li><b>Excellent</b> = Content and writing style reinforces brand and provides a surprisingly good customer experience. </li>
<li><b>Good </b>= Content is reasonably on-brand and supports users in understanding and acting on content. </li>
<li><b>Satisfactory </b>= Users can get the answers they're looking for, though it may take some effort and the content may not reflect the brand. </li>
<li><b>Poor </b>= Content does not meet user or business needs. </li>
</ul><h4>Quality Characteristics</h4>This is where you list out the specific weaknesses in the page content. It's important to work with a limited set of characteristics, and to define them precisely. You'll develop your best-practice characteristics based on your project needs and area of expertise, and then indicate where these best-practices are not being met. Some that I frequently use include:<br />
<ul><li>User-focused</li>
<li>Brand voice</li>
<li>Consistency </li>
<li>Context</li>
<li>Focused message</li>
<li>Out of date</li>
<li>Plain language</li>
<li>Business relevance</li>
<li>Substance</li>
<li>Typography, or information design</li>
<li>Volume appropriate</li>
<li>Writing mechanics</li>
</ul>This is an important tool to highlight writing and process weaknesses and can really help your client to begin to understand the skills and resources required to create high-quality writing. It also helps to focus writer's workshops or training on areas that are particularly relevant or high priority.<br />
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These are only a few of the things you can look for in an audit. Some other common factors to consider include SEO criteria, content format (video, audio, html, pdf, etc), metadata used, or topics and subtopics. The trick is to find the right combination of criteria for your project, resources, and timeline.<br />
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Once you've captured the data, be sure to leave some time to analyse it. It's usually very interesting to determine which areas of the site, or which content types, have higher or lower quality content. Or how many different layouts are being used for similar content types? Which sections of the site are the most out of date, and which are the most user focused? Which formats are being used for which topics? This really begins to surface inconsistencies and problem areas. These findings give you a strong understanding of the current state of the content and provide key insights when creating the gap analysis that will be the foundation for further content strategy work.<br />
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While I'm not going to talk about <i>how </i>to create an audit spreadsheet here, I definitely want to mention one tool that I discovered recently (thanks to Jason Armstrong at the <a href="http://www.theautonomousagency.com/" target="_blank">+autonomous agency</a>!) that has really helped to speed things up. If you use Google Chrome, you can go to the <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/home" target="_blank">Chrome Web Store</a> and download "Pasty". It's a free multi-URL opener that allows you to copy rows of URLs from your spread sheet, click the "Pasty" button, and open new tabs for each URL. You can easily open 50-100 pages with one click, and get through them pretty quickly.<br />
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What other content audit criteria or tips have you found to be very valuable? Please share them in the comments below!KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-41875806280049178722012-02-27T17:25:00.000-08:002012-02-27T17:25:21.237-08:00The 4 focuses of content strategyThere are so many ways to slice and dice content strategy. Each slice has only limited value. The real benefits come from understanding each area of content strategy well enough to integrate them into a complete strategy.<br />
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Here are some of the different approaches that I take to content strategy, and how I integrate them.<br />
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<b>Front-end content strategy: </b>This is what your audience sees and experiences. It includes:<br />
<ul><li>User experience content strategy</li>
<li>Marketing and editorial content strategy</li>
</ul><b>Back-end content strategy: </b>This is how to make the content work well. It includes:<br />
<ul><li>"Intelligent" content </li>
<li>Content governance and operations</li>
</ul>Let's look at these four areas more closely.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div><b>User-experience content strategy focuses on: </b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTMlqCnlcuCNI2HHigiy1Prp22qvhxhARatyQ5iFI5RhvqBjCPTFrthOgGwcG_bA-PRuzP4cM3Of2SbSLoBSHKdUUpQtnrjNtmN8lX8biflpMekzEjk7_pYlW0p64oJuIfgU596PYjFxX/s1600/UX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTMlqCnlcuCNI2HHigiy1Prp22qvhxhARatyQ5iFI5RhvqBjCPTFrthOgGwcG_bA-PRuzP4cM3Of2SbSLoBSHKdUUpQtnrjNtmN8lX8biflpMekzEjk7_pYlW0p64oJuIfgU596PYjFxX/s200/UX.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><ul><li>User needs and motivations </li>
<li>Content flows and linkages</li>
<li>User reactions and interactions with content</li>
<li>Content types and formats</li>
<li>Comments & other user-generated content</li>
<li>Labeling</li>
<li>Content findability</li>
<li>Content usability</li>
<li>Content usefulness</li>
<li>Content relevance</li>
<li>Content consistency</li>
</ul></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b>Marketing and editorial content strategy focuses on: </b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AYdrHH93E-Ah0xeDoY-3UFYHiGipqUo4zZwdQfug7zH3k0qJhlMNal55356HBboYUpFjl-v4ONQalPUPJqB1JWhrYQu44wmCir3tq2lP2fSVTNQMLK9iI_6gZ_-VfVFcRXO8Z7NU9Gkr/s1600/DuckwithBalls.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AYdrHH93E-Ah0xeDoY-3UFYHiGipqUo4zZwdQfug7zH3k0qJhlMNal55356HBboYUpFjl-v4ONQalPUPJqB1JWhrYQu44wmCir3tq2lP2fSVTNQMLK9iI_6gZ_-VfVFcRXO8Z7NU9Gkr/s200/DuckwithBalls.png" width="200" /></a></div><ul><li>Marketing objectives</li>
<li>Content marketing</li>
<li>Brand guidelines</li>
<li>Messaging</li>
<li>Tone and voice</li>
<li>Writing style and quality</li>
</ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b>Intelligent content strategy focuses on: </b></div></div><div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwahHPnSW9o-C9ajrdZJ4zfdcVtAIgI-5nTiRasYNhb0CxY-j_ozZLeq64BpeabqDTXsd7mZehgegOKvctQfnbq4rZdHm93J4K374L2RnYkokCX-ZihBSq7mb9Y9y4IjfeFrb4CiTzA18/s1600/RubiksCube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwahHPnSW9o-C9ajrdZJ4zfdcVtAIgI-5nTiRasYNhb0CxY-j_ozZLeq64BpeabqDTXsd7mZehgegOKvctQfnbq4rZdHm93J4K374L2RnYkokCX-ZihBSq7mb9Y9y4IjfeFrb4CiTzA18/s200/RubiksCube.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><ul><li>Content re-use</li>
<li>Content modelling</li>
<li>Multi-channel publishing</li>
<li>Component-based content</li>
<li>Dynamic content</li>
<li>Customized content</li>
<li>Content requirements for using within a specific technology</li>
</ul><div><div><b>Content governance and operations strategy focuses on: </b></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnwaeQWmZu_5QRnuhRnKM33CFAuE_kAqCZbVnrNXI72VZAMgsx9qmK04kwcdeSWj7x7trrWILPEmcBJABmhlRghehPfTkhX-um3fFPljxvhNaymqc5K5gCHvB2KGbRqApj4Izdp_Igpo4/s1600/flowchart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnwaeQWmZu_5QRnuhRnKM33CFAuE_kAqCZbVnrNXI72VZAMgsx9qmK04kwcdeSWj7x7trrWILPEmcBJABmhlRghehPfTkhX-um3fFPljxvhNaymqc5K5gCHvB2KGbRqApj4Izdp_Igpo4/s200/flowchart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><ul><li>Corporate content policies</li>
<li>Content development processes and workflows</li>
<li>Content publishing processes and workflows</li>
<li>Ownership and responsibilities</li>
<li>Team building and training</li>
<li>Organization-wide education and change management</li>
<li>Content support tools</li>
</ul>So, why are we focusing on all of these different aspects of content strategy? So that we know exactly what we need to integrate, and combine with business objectives, to create a holistic approach to content. </div></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi1rlFM50gm6bIIF6SUaTFMZ13uHo9Gw3qyNbBf_57y2mB2xdzEEmYQxCiYC1Hl1djzn-S8vIaOm7HRcYVN5hYiREv3bQUxsBMnthOCFqNTYi5yeEP16y5yBPzwj8FapR9OsQp9JJTavN/s1600/integratedblock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi1rlFM50gm6bIIF6SUaTFMZ13uHo9Gw3qyNbBf_57y2mB2xdzEEmYQxCiYC1Hl1djzn-S8vIaOm7HRcYVN5hYiREv3bQUxsBMnthOCFqNTYi5yeEP16y5yBPzwj8FapR9OsQp9JJTavN/s1600/integratedblock2.jpg" /></a><b>An integrated approach to content strategy </b>across all project phases ensures that content is effective and processes are efficient. It provides a basis for measuring web content success and effectiveness over time, from both a business and user perspective.<br />
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Once you understand the different focuses of content strategy, you can be sure that they're each represented in your activities and deliverables. I'll talk more about this in my next post.<br />
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</div>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-6004519534805593742012-02-06T17:18:00.000-08:002012-02-06T17:19:55.665-08:00How Taxonomy and Metadata Leads to Findability<div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.02139788120985031"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b>Kathy's note: </b>This is the ninth installment in a 12-part series by <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101" style="color: blue;">Theresa Putkey</a> that discusses the intersection of content strategy and user-centred design. Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey" style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</a>.</i></span><br />
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.02139788120985031"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="font-size: x-small; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: lime;">________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taxonomy and metadata are becoming much more popular these days. Companies need to keep track of their information, but can’t use traditional classification systems, such as Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress Subject Headgings. In the last 10 years, faceted taxonomies have taken on new importance on the web; XML has upgraded the visibility of metadata. </span></b><br />
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.02139788120985031"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having the skills to create taxonomies and metadata will serve you well. Most people don’t have the instinctual skills to create information organization structures that are useful or the practical knowledge and experience to be confident in the structures they create. Understanding how taxonomies and metadata feed into user interfaces allows you to recommend good designs that improve findability.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Technical writers, content strategists, other writers, business analysts, requirements analysts, information scientists, information architects, information designers, etc., are trained to organize knowledge and are perfectly positioned to help people build new, non-traditional knowledge structures. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Practical Observations</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As an information architect, I work with companies who are struggling with information organization. They recognize the need to put their information into a content management system (CMS) to ensure digital information or digital surrogates for physical objects can be found. As a consultant, companies hire me to help build metadata and taxonomy structures. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not only am I hired for a third-party, outside view, but also because these skills have not been kept in-house. Historically, companies have seen information structures grow organically according to idiosyncratic tastes. Employees create structures that are useful to themselves, but they don’t have an understanding or the research to make a structure that fits for a larger population. These structures are not ecumenical or scalable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve also observed that people who do have a naturally good grasp on information organization rarely have confidence in their ideas. I've been thinking lately about how people in North America may often be taught how to use classification structures, the prime example being the Dewey Decimal Classification while in grade school, but aren’t taught about the fundamentals of information organization. We know how to use the system, but we don’t know why the system is structured and organized the way it is. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just like different library classification systems, each CMS needs a different information organization system because it is based on the company’s domain and the users in that company. The technology the company is using is different too, so the way the taxonomy and metadata are implemented can vary. We can create taxonomies, but companies need to be educated on how to use a taxonomy and metadata, how to build a user interface that allows employees to find information, and how to manage the taxonomy and metadata over time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How You Can Learn About Taxonomies and Metadata and Findability</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last year I wrote a paper about faceted classification and rounded up a bunch of resources. There are a lot of them out there, but here are a few of the freely available ones: </span><br />
<span style="color: #414141; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A useful how-to article:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How to make a faceted classification and put it on the web: </span><a href="http://www.miskatonic.org/library/facet-web-howto.html" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.miskatonic.org/library/facet-web-howto.html</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interesting background on the Art and Architecture Thesaurus:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Getty Trust “About the AAT” from </span><a href="http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/aat/about.html" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/aat/about.html</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For an example of a thesaurus: Getty Trust Art & architecture thesaurus online</span><br />
<a href="http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/aat/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/aat/</span></a><br />
<a href="http://depts.washington.edu/pettt/presentations/conf_2003/IASummit.pdf" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of my favourites: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National Information Standards Organization. (2005). ANSI/NISO Z39.19: Guidelines for the construction, format, and management of monolingual thesauri </span><a href="http://www.niso.org/kst/reports/standards/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.niso.org/kst/reports/standards/</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A useful explanation of how to make a faceted classification: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A simplified model for facet analysis: Ranganathan 101 </span><a href="http://iainstitute.org/en/learn/research/a_simplified_model_for_facet_analysis.php" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://iainstitute.org/en/learn/research/a_simplified_model_for_facet_analysis.php</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<a href="http://iainstitute.org/en/learn/research/a_simplified_model_for_facet_analysis.php" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">W3C. SKOS. </span><br />
<a href="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #414141; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Findability</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While we can create taxonomy structures and tag digital content with metadata, all this classification doesn’t help if users can’t find the information. Findability is part of the taxonomy and metadata arena where we will be able to use our understanding of information seeking and retrieval. </span><a href="http://findability.org/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Morville defines “findability” as</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“a. The quality of being locatable or navigable, b. The degree to which a particular object is easy to discover or locate. c. The degree to which a system or environment supports navigation and retrieval” (</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ambient Findability,</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 2005, p. 4)"</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To increase findability, we can advise on and design interfaces for digital environments. Lately I've started realizing how important it is to recognize that users of these interfaces will not be familiar with or understand Boolean searching and will most likely be more familiar with full text search (or Google or Bing). While Google and Bing might be easy to use, Boolean searching can be more powerful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is extremely important to bridge the gap between a single search box and complex search parameters to allow inexperienced users to find precise, appropriate information. We can also design and manage metadata and taxonomies to ensure users can continue to find information and that systems support navigation and retrieval.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="color: lime;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" /></a></span></div><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>About the Author</b> </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theresa Putkey is an information architect consultant living in Vancouver, BC. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, she focuses on integrating user needs into website and software design projects. She's currently doing her online Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">You can find out more about Theresa at </span><a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">www.keypointe.ca</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">, or follow her on twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/tputkey" style="font-family: Arial;">@tputkey.</a> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial;">Read </i><a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey" style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</span></a><i style="font-family: Arial;">.</i></span></div>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-90581935656569824642012-01-21T21:49:00.000-08:002012-01-22T22:36:46.949-08:00Designing content modules<div><span style="font-size: 15px;">In my last post, I talked about the "why" and "how" of </span><a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/2012/01/using-content-modules-to-improve.html" style="font-size: 15px;">using content modules to improve efficiency and user experience</a><span style="font-size: 15px;">. In this post, I'll talk about some of the specific considerations in designing content modules. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Content Module Categories</b></span><br />
<h1><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">It's important to think about content modules as a whole, and not to use them for a bunch of one-off messages. Think about the type of information that you want to convey through content modules, and then categorize them. For example, in a recent project that I worked on with <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101">Theresa Putkey</a> for Rocky View County in Alberta we decided to use these categories:</span></h1><div><ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt7uo7J5zzs20dKNzCivcXeXnUywVe4ouL6Ox2WL-_mXHj9NOQ_IOvC0I1SFZ-CRhlkFc_8AQHHqLQ5E9L-KxxoUC9eozaCvYW2hPh-wPbDxcpKcpI7DfE53qmNpctf5YdrGCh0PZk70L/s1600/FileFolders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt7uo7J5zzs20dKNzCivcXeXnUywVe4ouL6Ox2WL-_mXHj9NOQ_IOvC0I1SFZ-CRhlkFc_8AQHHqLQ5E9L-KxxoUC9eozaCvYW2hPh-wPbDxcpKcpI7DfE53qmNpctf5YdrGCh0PZk70L/s200/FileFolders.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Alerts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Events/Meetings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Profiles</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">News</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Related Topics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Contact</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Application CTA</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Survey</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Interesting Facts</span></li>
</ul></div><h1><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Categorizing content modules is extremely important for a number of reasons. Categories are a cornerstone of developing an effective taxonomy, which is they only way to automate updates of contextually relevant content. They're also important to ensure that similar types of information are presented consistently.</span></h1><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Content Module Types</b></span><br />
<h1><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Once you've got your key categories, you can break them down further into content types. These represent the different common types of information that you'll present in each category. You really need to have a strong understanding of your content at this point. Using the examples from the Rocky View County project, here are two of their categories broken down into standard content types:</span></h1><div><ul><li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Alerts:</span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Fire bans</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Weather warnings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Road closures</span></li>
</ul></ul></div><ul><li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Events/Meetings:</span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Basic statistics and link</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">Statistics with brief description and link</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px;">List of upcoming events/meetings and links</span></li>
</ul></ul><h1><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Defining content modules to this level helps to keep them focused and consistent and prevents a reactive approach to using them to publish any small bits of content that don't fit anywhere else. It also really helps writers to have a template to follow so they can quickly and easily write content that works for each type of content module.<br />
<div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Content Module Priorities</b></span></div></span></h1><h1><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Depending on your website, you may want to assign each category of module with a different priority so that your CMS can pull one type of content module in preference to another. In the examples listed above, the Alert modules were the only content module given a priority one. This meant that in the spots that we wanted Alerts to appear, they would take precedence over any other content modules if they were available. If there were not, then that spot would be filled by a priority two module that met other specifications required of that spot.</span></h1><h1><b style="font-size: medium;">Content Module Design</b></h1><div><div><h1><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Once you know the type of content you'll be working with in each module, you need to define design requirements. Content modules should be designed to stand out on the page, but not compete against each other for user attention. “Alert” modules should be the most prominent element on any page. Strong CTA's should also be very prominent and obvious. All content modules should follow a consistent visual schema, with each type of content module having its own consistent structure and design. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Some of the design decisions you'll need to consider and standardize include:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px;"></div><ul style="font-size: 32px;"><li style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">Visual design</span></li>
<li style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">Size and dimensions</span></li>
<li style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">Text and font size</span></li>
<li style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">Headings and phrasing</span></li>
<li style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">Information design</span></li>
<li style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">Number of characters or words per text element</span></li>
<li style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">Use of photos and/or graphics</span></li>
</ul><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Visual design aside, the best way to figure ou</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">t these design issues is to draft some copy for a number of each type of module and get a sense of the "norm". Then you can develop sample copy for each content module that can be used to inform the visual design and content guidelines. That way you can be sure that the design requirements actually support the content and not the other way around. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Below are two examples of different types of content modules in the Events category:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2TnZrw8E9I-vNFabCd0w0I_m8rei-_pWmsQ-Mw2Cc30quWjjSfhe3tWPplnGqeqQm0b_zGqRw3h7yQo4fHM8JG0cNgLSos9YOu2cRFdAisAcjMc7WbV50HsTFMYU4UEuQl7f792rCmyV/s1600/ContentModules.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2TnZrw8E9I-vNFabCd0w0I_m8rei-_pWmsQ-Mw2Cc30quWjjSfhe3tWPplnGqeqQm0b_zGqRw3h7yQo4fHM8JG0cNgLSos9YOu2cRFdAisAcjMc7WbV50HsTFMYU4UEuQl7f792rCmyV/s400/ContentModules.PNG" width="199" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Looking at these examples, you can see how a visual designer could get a good understanding of the type and scope of content that he's designing for, and how you could easily create templates and guidelines to help writers develop consistent content across similar content modules. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Be sure to include content modules in your writer's style guide, and include specifications for each content module type. For example, one type of content module may consist of a heading, brief description, and a descriptive link to the main topic page. You can also specify if there are any constraints such as character limitations, phrasing preferences, or tone of voice variations. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">What other ideas do you have for working with content modules? I'd love to hear other stories about what has worked well for you, or what challenges you've encountered. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">And I extend a huge "Thank You" to the Rocky View team for allowing us to reference their project work and examples in this post. </div></h1></div></div>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-31988022066868534152012-01-09T02:58:00.000-08:002012-01-22T22:39:11.539-08:00Using Content Modules to Improve Efficiency and User Experience<h1><span style="font-size: small;">What Are Content Modules?</span></h1><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Content modules are small chunks of content that can be placed on standard web pages, typically in the right side-bar area or at the bottom of the page. Each module contains content that can be automatically (or manually) updated or changed based on certain criteria. Some types of pages, such as a home or landing pages, can be built almost entirely by using content modules as building blocks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkRjPSqEFJ3hsiTAq2hESsxnJZT_E27V0RN6GpHyE0B4YljmRxvkFcoVVwcQe9kKqOzT0QkQHi3WiEHidLbOxgvluzJWq_lu5_sqm_XOQyWppsqbpsKkhtbcMdj4g8NXP75JyPW42TnfP/s1600/RobotPuzzle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkRjPSqEFJ3hsiTAq2hESsxnJZT_E27V0RN6GpHyE0B4YljmRxvkFcoVVwcQe9kKqOzT0QkQHi3WiEHidLbOxgvluzJWq_lu5_sqm_XOQyWppsqbpsKkhtbcMdj4g8NXP75JyPW42TnfP/s200/RobotPuzzle.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><h1><span style="font-size: small;">Why Use Content Modules?</span> </h1><h1><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">The number one reason to use content modules is to provide consistent, up-to-date, relevant information across a website without having to manually update each and every page. If you build a home or landing page by using content module building blocks, the primary page content can be automatically updated to make sure that it's always fresh. On most other types of pages, content modules provide secondary, or supporting, content. Using content modules based on a clear taxonomy and specific criteria is the only efficient way to provide dynamically updated content designed to create a specific user experience across an entire website. </span></h1><h1><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Through content modules, you can create an information path for users to follow that is changeable and outside of the standard navigation. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Content modules provide visual distinction and consistency to specific types of information (such as call-to-actions, article excerpts, alerts, etc) and enables you to easily update information throughout the site. If a contact number changes, simply update the information in your content management system (CMS) and all content modules used in the website that refer to that contact number will automatically update. </span></h1><h1><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Consistency between similar types of information helps users to accurately predict and find information on any page in your site. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal;">Content modules are also a great way to give your users more than they came for. If you know that people visit a specific page on your site to learn about something, use content modules to provide the next steps in learning or taking action. Correctly anticipating what your users want or need next, and providing an opportunity to proceed, goes a long way in creating a positive user experience. Content modules can keep your users engaged, on your site, and pleasantly surprised.</span></h1><div><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The specific purpose of the content modules will depend on your overall content, user, and business goals as well as on the capabilities of your CMS. Here are some ways that you can use content modules:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Time-sensitive themes or campaigns</b>. In many websites, you have huge areas of static, never-changing page copy and then a blog area that is frequently updated with new content. There is often very little interplay between these areas and, editorially, there is no connection. Using content modules allows you to unify your entire website, not only by promoting your blog posts throughout your website, but also by presenting a common theme or perspective for a period of time. For instance, you may want to showcase your in-depth knowledge of your industry by sprinkling interesting and relevant facts and informational tidbits throughout your site. Or you could profile people who have inspired you or your customers (or of course you can profile your staff and your customers). You may want to highlight seasonal information or advice, or raise awareness of a specific current affair that's relevant to your business and your customers.<br />
<br />
To create themes you need to think like a magazine editor. Themes are determined through a strong understanding of customer interest and business strategy and are defined in advance to give content contributors an opportunity to develop relevant content. Using themes helps to prevent a "mish-mash" approach to content that often ends up just creating "noise" where every message competes with each other, rather than demonstrating a unified voice that conveys a strong message.<br />
<br />
Here's an easy way to think about themes: In reality, your website is a mosaic of messages. Every page, every piece of content, has a distinctly different message. Content modules are small content bites that also each have their own message. Frequently, different stakeholders are each given their content "real estate" and they're each invested in getting their message across. The result is a mosaic of messages that creates no real sense of unity or clarity. By introducing themes through content modules you're able create a layer of information on top of your static page content that combines to create a clear message (or picture) that reflects your organization. When you change the theme, the core content on the site remains the same, but the modules send a completely different message that reflects your corporate values in a new way. These changing and distinct messages are much more apparent and memorable to users than consistently presenting many competing messages.<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Call-to-Actions.</b></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> One of the most common uses of content modules is to provide standardized call-to-actions (CTAs). For each type of CTA that you need, simply develop it once and plug it in wherever it's relevant. This results in a much more efficient process and consistent set of CTAs. These can include contact information, "buy" or "apply now" messages, forms of any sort, surveys, downloads, links to more information... anything that causes the customer to take further action<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Contextual richness</b>. Every </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">module should be contextually tied to the content on the page where it appears. If it's unrelated, it doesn't belong. For example, you would not place a content module with an article excerpt about weed control on a page about recycling. Similarly, you would not put an “Apply Now” call-to-action on a page that had no associated application. A strong taxonomy is essential to provide this type of contextually relevant content.</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: 11pt;">As you design your web pages and content, design a standard set of content modules that support your communication strategy and user goals. Then, pick and choose which content modules to include on which pages and assign specifications for updating the content based on a taxonomy. For instance, you may set the content modules to check for new content once a day, once a week, or seasonally at pre-defined times. And you can specify that specific modules only update if the new content contains associated tags. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Next week, I'll discuss in more detail how to <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/2012/01/designing-content-modules.html">design effective content modules</a> and the common categories and content module types. In the meantime, what are some other ways that content modules are used?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span><br />
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<b><br />
</b>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-63718275100403518272011-08-31T10:26:00.000-07:002011-08-31T10:28:15.416-07:00Using Wireframes to Communicate Information Architecture<div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b>Kathy's note: </b>This is the eighth installment in a 12-part series by <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101" style="color: blue;">Theresa Putkey</a> that discusses the intersection of content strategy and user-centred design. Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey" style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</a>.</i></span><br />
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.5650319114793092" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small; font-weight: normal; white-space: normal;"><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What are wireframes?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As mentioned in my previous </span><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/2011/07/site-maps.html">Site Maps</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> post</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/09/01/35-excellent-wireframing-resources/">wireframes</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are akin to a blueprint for a house. For each major page on a website, a wireframe tells you which box should go where, what content should go in the box. You can easily find examples of wireframes by searching for “wireframes images.”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are they good for?</span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since an information architect (normally) has a deep understanding of how users are trying to find information, a wireframe can show others how the information should be laid out so users can best access this information. There are a number of benefits of wireframes, including: </span><br />
<ul><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Showing layout: for the major pages on the site, a wireframe can act as a template for how the information, images, videos, and forms should be organized on a page. It can also show you how the global and local navigation will appear and behave on a site.</span></li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Verifying persona needs: With your </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/2011/06/personas.html">personas</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in hand, you can make sure the wireframes represent the most important information needs of the users. For example, a user might need to see a daily financial update announcement instead of the weather. You can ensure this update is in the appropriate wireframe.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fulfilling user scenarios: Scenarios represent what people are doing in “real life” and how the site helps them fulfill their “real life” needs. Wireframes can make sure all the scenarios are satisified. Although the whole scenario doesn’t need to be represented in the wireframes, you can represent the whole scenario or you can represent the more complex parts of the scenario. Ultimate, the wireframe helps you discuss the scenario and see if anything is missing in your design.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Verifying requirements: While creating the wireframes, you can refer to the requirements list, then clarify the meaning of any requirements. In the wireframes themselves, you can note which box fulfills which requirement. </span></li>
</ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How many do you need?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With a site, you don’t need to represent every page in the site map. You only represent the major pages that are significantly different from each other. For example, you might have a content page, a home page, a secondary landing page. If you have any forms or workflows, you can represent these as well. How many you need depends on how many significantly different pages you have and any processes that need to be represented.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are some challenges?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While wireframes do help communicate the information layout, I’ve run into </span><a href="http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/real_wireframes" style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">several challenges</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with them:</span><br />
<ul style="background-color: transparent;"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Requirements elicitation: Invariably, wireframes always generate more ideas. Instead of being a confirmation of the existing requirements, once people see things on the screen or page, they think of more ideas. This is often called “scope creep.” Often, people don’t have a clear understanding of how detailed the requirements, personas and scenarios need to be and end up fleshing out this detail in the wireframes phase. It happens in every project - I haven’t found a way to avoid it. There should be room for creativity and interpretation in wireframes, but new ideas always elicit a response! </span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More abstract, less concrete: Unlike visual design, wireframes are more abstract. While I use Axure for wireframes and can make them somewhat interactive, people relate to visual design more than they do to the wireframes. Visual design not only adds colour to a design, but it also pulls the eye to certain aspects of the page, gives a better “feel” for the page, and evokes a response based on colour. People respond so much better to visual design, sorry to say. They can agree to a wireframe’s functionality, but once they see the visual design, they get excited. I like to think that the wireframe’s work allows the visual designer to make splendid design. </span></li>
</ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Conclusion</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wireframes help communicate the information layout for a site. They help the visual designer produce a great design and they speed the development process. While there are some downfalls to them, such as being more abstract and sometimes being used too heavily for requirements elicitation, they do help with agreement on site layout and design.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>About the Author</b> </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br style="color: black;" /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theresa Putkey is an information architect consultant living in Vancouver, BC. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, she focuses on integrating user needs into website and software design projects. She's currently doing her online Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">You can find out more about Theresa at </span><a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;">www.keypointe.ca</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">, or follow her on twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/tputkey" style="font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;">@tputkey.</a> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial;">Read </i><a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey" style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</span></a><i style="font-family: Arial;">.</i></span></div>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-68991860778370822942011-07-28T10:43:00.000-07:002011-07-28T10:43:38.228-07:00Site maps<h1 dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.4913749338237178"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></h1><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b>Kathy's note: </b>This is the seventh installment in a 12-part series by <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101" style="color: blue;">Theresa Putkey</a> that discusses the intersection of content strategy and user-centred design. Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey" style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</a>. </i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Site maps are something I’ve been struggling with lately. With content dynamically generated, what’s the best way to do a site map? Perhaps it’s best to back up for a minute, explain what site maps are, and then explain my quandary.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What are site maps?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Site maps show the structure of a website. While wireframes are called the “blueprint” of the UX world, I’d say that a site map is more like the electrical wiring diagram or plumbing diagram. These diagrams show you the path that the wiring or plumbing takes through the house. They make sure there’s no wasted materials, no pipes leading to dead ends, no electrical wires not contained in junction boxes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The site map is used for structuring the pages on the site: it groups the pages into some logical order (based on the user needs or personas for the website). To create a site map, you’ll need to do a content audit or </span><a href="http://adaptivepath.com/ideas/doing-content-inventory"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">content inventory</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, deciding on what you want to keep and what needs to be removed. Site map creation can be driven by </span><a href="http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">card sorting</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and you can test your site map through </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/thoughtfarmer/selma-zafar-task-testing"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">task testing</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Site maps can be done by either information architects or content strategists. As I see the division:</span><br />
<ul><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For an IA, the site map is more important for structuring the site properly and creating a representative number of wireframes so the content on the site can be accommodated. </span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For the content strategist, the site map is more important for creating and editing content. </span></li>
</ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For examples of site maps, do a search for </span><a href="http://www.google.ca/search?q=site+map+examples&hl=en&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=9WYwTsLuIZTKiALr9_SmBg&ved=0CDkQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=775"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">site map images</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. You’ll find a number of examples.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What are they good for?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Site maps shows you links between pages. The highest level is normally used for the global navigation while the secondary level and tertiary level can be used as sub-navigation items and page links, respectively.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By using a site map, you agree to the site structure before you build it. You know what pages you have and the stakeholders, project team and developers know what should go where. Based on the site map, during the development phase, the content strategist can start creating or editing content to fit onto the pages and continue to revise the site map should it need further modification. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Quandaries</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some issues I’ve experienced in the past include sites that are dynamically created. For example, a page can be created based on a taxonomy. If you take Epicurious.com, they have an infinite number of pages driven from their </span><a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?p=908"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">faceted classification</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. In this case, a site map cannot express the structure of the site. The wireframes must hold all the information necessary to display information and they must be standardized enough to accommodate the faceted classification. Explaining and agreeing to this structure and functionality with a team that doesn’t understand how faceted classification and the technology works can be quite difficult. I frequently encounter clients who don’t understand the technology driving the websites. While I do explain it to them, there’s always someone else who comes along in the project who does not understand the technology. It’s constant give-and-take between education and progress. You can’t progress and make decisions if clients don’t know how something will work. It’s a constant source of vexation for me because I always have to judge how much someone knows, sometimes I get it wrong. I’m always thinking about how to improve my communication skills so the customer gets what he/she needs out of my work.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another issue I’ve encountered is what I would call “a site in transition.” For example, some companies need to move their intranet to a new platform, but intranets sites fall into the decentralized control area. Sometimes there are too many sites to move them all at the same time. The site map for the first version of the new intranet might be very small (showing the pages that belong in the first version of the new intranet). But the navigation may still need to lead to these decentralized sites. Not all the sites are carried to the new platform, are on the old platform, look different than the new site. It’s best practice to link navigation to pages within a site and the idea of having landing pages with links has been thrown out. Sometimes the navigation must link to sites that look different. This will cause the user to feel disoriented. It’s also quite difficult to denote these different links within a site map. What pages are on the site? What pages are only in the navigation but not on the site? To solve this problem, I created a site map and a “navigation map,” if you will. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>About the Author</b> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theresa Putkey is an information architect consultant living in Vancouver, BC. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, she focuses on integrating user needs into website and software design projects. She's currently doing her online Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can find out more about Theresa at <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/" style="color: blue;">www.keypointe.ca</a>, or follow her on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/tputkey">@tputkey.</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey"><span style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</span></a>.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-13162310174805153892011-06-29T22:36:00.000-07:002011-06-29T22:36:07.585-07:00Personas<h1 dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.5743736877136587"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></h1><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kathy's note: </b>This is the sixth installment in a 12-part series by <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101" style="color: blue;">Theresa Putkey</a> that discusses the intersection of content strategy and user-centred design. Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey" style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</a>. </span></i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Creating user personas is a fantastic way to get stakeholders to focus during the design. You’re not just designing for people who like... well, everything... you’re designing for that particular someone who likes to do something particular. I always say, “Ask for what you want and you’ll get it. If you don’t ask, people won’t know what you want.” It’s the same with designing software: if a UX professional doesn’t know what the users want, then they don’t know what are they supposed to design. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For content strategists, personas inform the content needs on the site. You can use personas to tell you what things users are looking for, and you can ensure each content need is met on the applicable pages. You can also use the existing personas and fill them out more to meet your content strategy needs.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is a persona?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A persona is a single, fictitious person who represents the needs and wants of many people. This representation has been created by information gathered in the user interviews. Personas are a great way to focus the design and to resolve design disputes. The team can focus on concrete people and, when questions arise, they can be asked and answered based on the persona’s needs. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Personals are Built from User Interviews</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Personas are built based on user interviews. Whether with a new or existing product, you’ll need to identify different types of people who may use the website or software, then line up interviews with those types of people. If you’re just starting off on the design and interviews, your questions might tend to be more general. If you’re further into the design work, your questions might be more specific and get into more process. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Going Without User Interviews </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ve worked on “user centred design” projects where user interviews were not allowed. It was the second in a series of projects, each building on the last. For the first project, we had personas, but they were specific to that specific project. For the second project, there was a complete turnover in the team (which also meant educating the new people about UX), and it was determined that the personas for the first project would suffice for the second and user interviews would not be done. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As a UX professional, it was tough to hear that the work I was recommending wasn’t valuable, but it also meant that the second project would lack focus. The user interviews wouldn’t be done and the personas wouldn’t be updated. How do we deal with this refusal? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here’s a great interview for understanding personas, “<a href="http://www.uie.com/articles/mulder_interview/%20">Making Personas Work for Your Website: An Interview with Steve Mulder</a>.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>I think personas not based on actual user research are absolutely better than no personas at all. A lot of customer and user knowledge already exists in many organizations, and by looking at the sales, marketing, product, customer support, and tech support perspectives, you can bring all these existing bits of knowledge together into personas without talking to any actual end user</i>.</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this case, turn around the refusal of no user interviews by asking for second-hand information. Companies might feel more comfortable giving this information, since it may be readily available. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a content strategy project, you may not be able to do more user interviews if the business analyst has already done stakeholder interviews and the UX professional has already done user interviews. In this case, interview the business analyst and UX professional, then look at the secondary sources yourself. Fill out the personas as needed.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How Does a Persona Help Us Focus? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this interview, Mulder communicates the purpose of personas:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>The main thing a persona allows designs teams to do is to think outside themselves and really get an understanding of who it is they are designing for. When design teams build a persona, they write a story about a character that represents a whole type of user that is fundamentally different from themselves. They put themselves in the shoes of their users and think about how the persona would interact with a web site or design</i>.</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Have you ever been in a meeting where someone in the room says, “I don’t like this aspect of the design. I mean, my mom doesn’t use this kind of thing, she uses this other thing, so I don’t think this aspect is important.” That’s a great way to take the design off-track. Personas help the team focus on the persona using the product. The conversation can be directed away from that person’s mom and onto the persona with some form of this sentence, “I understand your point, but I want to make sure we’re designing for the personas...”</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>About the Author</b> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theresa Putkey is an information architect consultant living in Vancouver, BC. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, she focuses on integrating user needs into website and software design projects. She's currently doing her online Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can find out more about Theresa at <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/" style="color: blue;">www.keypointe.ca</a>, or follow her on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/tputkey">@tputkey.</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey"><span style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</span></a>.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-67508473340369683882011-05-31T11:43:00.000-07:002011-05-31T11:43:58.577-07:00UX Kickoff, Collaboration & Reviews<h1 id="internal-source-marker_0.41381330011013884"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></h1><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kathy's note: </b>This is the fifth installment in a 12-part series by <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101" style="color: blue;">Theresa Putkey</a> that discusses the intersection of content strategy and user-centred design. Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey" style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</a>.</span> </i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">________________________________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In my time as a UX professional, I’ve had numerous kickoff meetings, done a lot of collaboration, held a lot of reviews. The kickoff, collaboration and review area all part an overall communication strategy that gets people to agree to the user experience as soon as possible and to help it evolve quickly over time.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In content strategy, you’ll also need to have a kickoff, to collaborate and hold reviews. You can use the thoughts below to make your meetings and work more efficient and effective. The overall point of what I say below: don’t wait until you’re done with the deliverable to get feedback. Get feedback all along so what you present is on-the-mark (or darn near close). </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here’s some problems I’ve had and some proposed solutions for them. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kickoffs</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In January 2011 I wrote a post </span><span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">on my own blog about <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?p=958%20">kickoff meetings</a>. In that blog post, I said, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In recent projects, I’ve been struggling to set the right tone for the project. I mean, the project goes well once we get going, but there isn’t the right kind of kickoff that 1) gets the client excited; 2) sets expectations; 3) educates everyone; 4) builds a team dynamic within this group.</span></i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I can’t say that since January I’ve had any further luck with kickoff meetings. I’ve even attended an IA/UX kickoff meeting where were spent 15 minutes on IA/UX and 1.5 hours on a website hosting issue! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What’s really important for UX is to have an actual UX kickoff meeting where the UX people set the agenda, invite the appropriate players, and do the appropriate exercises at the UX meeting. I can’t stress enough how important it is to set expectations up front, to control the agenda, to have something for people to *do* during the meeting, and to let people know ahead of time what is on the menu. Otherwise, people can co-opt the meeting, feel directionless, feel like they weren’t included. Kickoffs are about communication, about making people feel included and making them aware of what’s going on.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here’s a great post on <a href="http://www.alistapart.com/">A List Apart</a> by Kevin M. Hoffman: <a href="http://www.alistapart.com/articles/kick-ass-kickoff-meetings/">Kick Ass Kickoff Meetings</a>.</span><span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Collaboration</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once you hold your kickoff, it’s time to collaborate. When I used to work in the waterfall development method, I’d sit in a cube for 2 weeks, write a 150 page document, present it for review, have it torn apart, go back to my cube for another 2 weeks and re-do the whole design. It was defeating, humbling, and discouraging.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Collaboration includes brainstorming, card sorting, affinity diagraming, design workshops, anything that moves you closer to understanding each other, getting ideas out there and vetted. You can collaborate in the kickoff meeting, in subsequent workshops, or ad-hoc in the office or over the phone.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I stepped out of waterfall and became a consultant, I wanted to show my clients that I was working on something, so I started presenting my deliverables earlier and earlier in the design process. I got much needed feedback that I wouldn’t have gotten if I held onto the design till the formal review. I would have spent a lot of time and money doing the initial design, it might have been off base, and I would have spent a lot of time reworking the design (and not necessarily gotten paid for it). </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For these reviews, I don’t schedule review meetings with all the stakeholders, but simply talk to other team members to discuss the design, take feedback, update the document. I would also show it to one or two of the more important stakeholders to get initial feedback. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Don’t wait until a design is almost final to present it. If changes are requested, they may not be able to be incorporated or they will take significantly longer to make. Sharing design is a great way to help people feel included and informed. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reviews</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reviews are tough. I’m an information architect who likes to present a deliverable, give explanations, then take feedback. But I’ve been in meetings where I’ve asked my clients to wait till the end to make comments and have then been told, “Yeah, I don’t work like that, I’m going to give feedback as we go along.” Invariably I get the question, “What about X?” and I say, “We’re just about to get to it.” I can’t communicate my vision, but some people don’t care about that. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes its best to just give up the explanation of the vision time. People attempting to use a website or web app don’t get an explanation, so if the deliverable can’t be understood without me, is it much good? (Sure sure, there are limits here, but think about the question and think about how you might improve your deliverables to communicate better without explanation.)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On my projects, I like to do paper sketching and silent review periods. I like to get peoples’ impressions without being able to explain myself. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In any case, reviews are meant to gather consensus on the deliverable. Set an agenda for the meeting, have someone take notes, don’t ask people to solution, just ask what they do and don’t like. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i> </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">_________________________________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>About the Author</b> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theresa Putkey is an information architect consultant living in Vancouver, BC. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, she focuses on integrating user needs into website and software design projects. She's currently doing her online Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can find out more about Theresa at <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/" style="color: blue;">www.keypointe.ca</a>, or follow her on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/tputkey">@tputkey.</a></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey"><span style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</span></a>.</i></span></span>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-39134592720429186092011-04-29T06:56:00.000-07:002011-04-29T06:56:24.355-07:00Information Architecture Deliverables<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kathy's note: </b>This is the fourth installment in a 12-part series by <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101" style="color: blue;">Theresa Putkey</a> that discusses the intersection of content strategy and user-centred design. Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey" style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</a>. </span></i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.21327595576548775" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In information architecture, there are a few deliverables meant to communicate the information design to all the stakeholders. We’ll discuss some of these in more detail in later posts, but here’s a brief overview of what can be delivered on an IA project and why these things are important.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This list of deliverables is by no means exhaustive. These are some of the typical ones I work with on a project, but I also do stakeholder interviews, user interviews, scenarios, etc. With the links I’ve provided, you can browse through the websites to learn more.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Content Audit or Content Inventory</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A content audit or inventory looks at the content on a website, intranet, extranet or software program to see what is redundant, out of date or trivial and also to see what information can be kept. The audit/inventory can identify the different types of content needing to be accommodated in the site map, wireframes and design. This content audit/inventory is used with any new content needed for the site.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Learn more: </span><a href="http://usability.gov/methods/design_site/inventory.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://usability.gov/methods/design_site/inventory.html</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Taxonomy and Metadata</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A taxonomy is essentially a way to categorize content in a content management system or digital asset management system (or records management system, etc.). To create taxonomies, the information architect looks at the existing content and finds the important words, looks at the new content needing to be accommodated on the site and finds the important words, and then creates a structure that spells out these words and their relationships. A taxonomy is a controlled list of terms with one or more terms being applied to each piece of content. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Metadata helps identify each topic or content part. Metadata can include fields for the file type, author/creator, editor, date created. Metadata is a controlled list of fields whose values are added by the person (or machine) to the content.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A taxonomy is a way to categorize information while metadata is a way to mark up content with more information. Both of these information structures can be used to pull in content onto a site, to dynamically create pages and topics.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Learn more: </span><a href="http://www.earley.com/webinars/jumpstarts/taxonomy-and-metadata/what-is-taxonomy-and-why-do-you-need-one"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.earley.com/webinars/jumpstarts/taxonomy-and-metadata/what-is-taxonomy-and-why-do-you-need-one</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Personas</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As I tell clients, personas are “fake people” that help us design for a concrete user. Without a specific audience, we lose track of who we’re designing for and why. If we’re designing for Maria and know that she is more interested in celebrity gossip than world politics, we’ll create a space for her that centres on celebrity gossip. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Learn more:</span><a href="http://usability.gov/methods/analyze_current/personas.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> http://usability.gov/methods/analyze_current/personas.html</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Site Maps</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A site map spells out the structure of the site. It can be a very useful discussion point for stakeholders and developers. Stakeholders see how and where their content shows up while developers get information about the structure of the site and how the backend needs to be set up. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The content audit/inventory feeds into the site map. From the audit/inventory, you know what pages you have and what you want to have, so you can create a site map that reflects these pages.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Learn more: </span><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://usability.gov/methods/design_site/define.html#CreatingaSiteMap"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://usability.gov/methods/design_site/define.html#CreatingaSiteMap</span></a></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.jjg.net/ia/visvocab/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.jjg.net/ia/visvocab/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></li>
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</ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wireframes</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wireframes show the design of the site without any visual design. It shows how information should be laid out; displays the navigation according to what the site map has specified; uses the taxonomy and metadata to pull information into a site. The personas feed into which content to display and where.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Learn more: </span><a href="http://usability.gov/methods/design_site/define.html#CreatingaWireFrame"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://usability.gov/methods/design_site/define.html#CreatingaWireFrame</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s About Communication </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While an information architect can deliver these documents, the work products are more about communication. If a wireframe or site map isn’t communicating well, it’s not doing its job. If everyone understands what’s supposed to be happening, then reams of documentation are not required to further communicate ideas. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Any first version of a deliverable needs to be used as a talking point. It should never be considered final, but should be considered as useful to progress the design discussion. These deliverables are meant to help communication, so use them wisely. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i> </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>About the Author</b> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theresa Putkey is an information architect consultant living in Vancouver, BC. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, she focuses on integrating user needs into website and software design projects. She's currently doing her online Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can find out more about Theresa at <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/" style="color: blue;">www.keypointe.ca</a>, or follow her on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/tputkey">@tputkey.</a></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey"><span style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</span></a>.</i></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-65430255495737068282011-03-16T23:25:00.000-07:002011-03-16T23:34:32.393-07:00Information Architecture<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 24pt;"></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24pt;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kathy's note: </b>This is the third in a 12-part series by <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101" style="color: blue;">Theresa Putkey</a> that discusses the intersection of content strategy and user-centred design. Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey" style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</a>. </span></i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In the last post </span><a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/2011/02/user-centred-design-and-its-process.html" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">User-Centred Design and Its Processes</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">, we discussed what user-centred design is and how to learn even more. This post, the third in a series of posts, will give you an introduction to information architecture. My approach is to educate those who don’t know a lot about the practice. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There are a lot of resources that explain information architecture. I view it, essentially, as helping people create context on the Internet, helping them use these spaces better to build community or achieve goals. A lot of people liken it to regular architecture—that to use a space, an architect needs to design the layout and then the builder has to implement the layout. If a builder came along with a plan, you’d get a really bad building! Information architects are much like regular architects, only IAs work with digital spaces.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Here's a short quote from Wikipedia that sums up IA quite nicely, although probably a bit abstractly:</span></div><blockquote style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Information architecture is the categorization of information into a coherent structure, preferably one that the most people can understand quickly, if not inherently. It's usually hierarchical, but can have other structures, such as concentric or even chaotic.</span></i></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Here's a quote from Iain Barker from <a href="http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_whatisinfoarch/index.htm"><i>What Is Information Architecture</i></a>: </span></div><blockquote style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Organising functionality and content into a structure that people are able to navigate intuitively doesn't happen by chance. Organisations must recognise the importance of information architecture or else they run the risk of creating great content and functionality that no one can ever find.</span></i></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">These next two items were from an <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/explainia/" target="_blank">Explain IA contest</a> on the IA Institute Discussion List. (You may not be able to see the Flickr group if you're not part of the group). Here's a great video from Nate Bolt and Kate Nartker that explains IA:</span></div><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Here's a drawing from <b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1579562753" target="_blank">Murray Thompson that helps explain it</a>:</b></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/murdocke/4299568381/" target="_blank" title="ExplainIA Entry: Information Architecture Connects People to
Content by murdocke23, on Flickr"><img alt="ExplainIA Entry:
Information Architecture Connects People to Content" height="386" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2723/4299568381_09070da9d6.jpg" width="500" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">For more about IA, you can also see <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?p=725" style="color: blue;">my review of Andrew Hinton's article.</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">How Does IA Fit in with Content Strategy?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In the mind of an Information Architect, I see Content Strategists as taking over where IA left off. The IA might design the space, but someone has to fill it with furniture. Content Strategists do the filling. If the IA is particularly good at handling content, then the IA and Content Strategy role can also be combined into one, with the IA designing the space and filling it. The same holds for the Content Strategist: if the Content Strategist can design and fill the space, that’s great. One point of difference that I see is that Content Strategists would be better at content, in other words, better at writing content. IAs would be better at resolving the information interactions happening on the site, in other words, when the user clicks this, it goes here and the expected result is...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i></i></span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81W4Lrcu_eGOqcHbiRS5OOVRCPbXaQVeT3LJSZafZMg7a99JnrrZ8kLG_ClsUEiKBfizzUi0F1P-rYf42_cvhNqPmWsm_WMoz8CE3o1d9pNlHrD3xvuWiI5wQXrhjI-inHTMPMdLhKQua/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>About the Author</b> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theresa Putkey is an information architect consultant living in Vancouver, BC. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, she focuses on integrating user needs into website and software design projects. She's currently doing her online Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can find out more about Theresa at <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/" style="color: blue;">www.keypointe.ca</a>, or follow her on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/tputkey">@tputkey.</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Read <a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/search/label/Theresa%20Putkey"><span style="color: blue;">all posts by Theresa</span></a>.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></div>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-80246321086884085462011-03-07T13:18:00.000-08:002011-03-07T13:30:46.650-08:00Content Strategy Deliverable: The Content Review (aka Heuristic or Expert Review)This article is part of Rahel Bailie's series on content strategy deliverables. To read all articles in the series, visit Rahel's <a href="http://intentionaldesign.ca/category/content-strategies/deliverables/" style="color: #0b5394;">content strategy deliverables</a> blog list at<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://intentionaldesign.ca/" style="color: #0b5394;">Intentional Design Inc</a>. You can also follow Rahel on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/rahelab" style="color: #0b5394;">@Rahelab</a>.<br />
<div style="color: lime;"> ____________________________________________________</div><div style="color: lime;"></div><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><b><a href="http://www.e3contentstrategy.com/E3_Content_Heuristic_Sample.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6;">Content Review sample report</a></b></span><br />
<div style="color: lime;"> ____________________________________________________</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the best ways to get an initial picture of content strengths and weaknesses is through an expert review. Also known as a heuristic review, or a content scorecard, the expert review shows how well your current content stands up to industry standards and best practices. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Benefits of expert reviews</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Expert reviews are great for demonstrating content strengths and weaknesses to a client. They’re faster and more affordable than user testing, and can be scaled to meet client and project needs. In conjunction with a content audit, they’re an effective and efficient way to get a really good understanding of the scope of a potential redesign or rewrite of the site. They’re also incredibly valuable in helping to establish project focus and priorities.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0b5394;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Limitations of expert reviews</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">An expert review is subjective. The quality of the findings is completely dependent on your expertise as a content reviewer. And you need a deep knowledge of writing mechanics and technique, usability and interaction design, information design, content marketing, and branding if you intend to provide holistic results. It’s better to limit the scope of the review to one specific area rather than provide feedback on areas outside of your expertise. It’s also a good idea to have three independent reviewers work through the same heuristics, if possible. Then they collaboratively analyze discrepancies between their opinions and provide focused, consolidated findings. This eliminates some of the potential bias of a single reviewer. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s important to note that an expert review is a diagnostic tool, and content validation should always include testing with real customers. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Determining the heuristics</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">It can be a challenge to find the right set of heuristics, or criteria, to include in your evaluation. Typically, I include detailed criteria across 5 – 8 core categories. The focus of the heuristics depends on project and client needs, and your specialized expertise. <a href="http://www.usability.gov/guidelines/index.html" style="color: #3d85c6;">Usability.gov</a> has some great usability and design guidelines, many of which focus on content. There are tons of different usability and user-centred design guidelines, but they’re all adapted from Jakob Nielsen’s classic set of <a href="http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html" style="color: #3d85c6;">ten usability heuristics</a>. Think about how these heuristics relate to content and make sure these areas are represented in your criteria. Finally, keep in mind the current best practices for social media and customer engagement when you’re finalizing your criteria. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Make sure the criteria are specific, granular, can be demonstrated easily, and are organized into relevant categories. In the attached <a href="http://www.e3contentstrategy.com/E3_Content_Heuristic_Sample.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6;">expert review sample</a><span style="color: #0b5394;">,</span> the table of contents shows the categories. The report detail pages will include one page per category, each page listing the specific criteria. In the sample, I’ve demonstrated how one category (<i>Is the information design logical, effective, and consistent?</i>) is made up of eight specific criteria.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Conducting the review</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">I like to conduct expert reviews around user scenarios. It helps establish a user-centred perspective, keeps you focused on priority areas, and provides a good cross-section of page types. Choose two or three key scenarios to evaluate. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Create a spreadsheet that includes all of your criteria, the pages you’ll be reviewing, and plenty of space for notes. This is for your eyes only! As you work through the scenarios, evaluate each page based on the criteria. It’s easiest to do multiple sweeps through the pages, focusing on different elements each time. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Documenting the findings</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">You end up with LOADS of data from an expert review! The challenge is in boiling it down to key messages that are useful to your client. I always start by providing the big picture, and then drilling down to more detail. For each category, I like to show an example of one criterion with specific comments and recommendations. If a client needs more clarification about specific criteria that I did not highlight, I talk them through it or provide an example at their request. Usually, the focus of the report is on high-level findings and recommendations.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Have a look at my </span><span style="color: black;"><b><a href="http://www.e3contentstrategy.com/E3_Content_Heuristic_Sample.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6;">Content Heuristic Review sample report</a></b><span id="goog_1590500789"></span><span id="goog_1590500790"></span></span>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’d love to hear from other people who conduct content or usability expert reviews. Do you have any other tips or advice? What’s worked for you, or what challenges have you had?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-57961654289018156712011-02-21T16:22:00.000-08:002011-02-22T10:02:25.642-08:00Presentation: Creating an effective content teamI finally made some time to play around with Prezi, and I used it to clarify my thoughts about the roles and responsibilities necessary in an effective content team. <br />
<br />
Have a look and let me know what you think. It's my first attempt at Prezi, so I'd love to hear your comments about that. And, of course, your thoughts on the content itself.<br />
<br />
To view the full-screen version of this presentation, click the forward arrow once, and then from the More menu in the bottom right corner, choose Fullscreen. <br />
<br />
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</style><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="400" id="prezi_ko1s4eukvzgi" name="prezi_ko1s4eukvzgi" width="550"><param name="movie" value="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"/><param name="flashvars" value="prezi_id=ko1s4eukvzgi&lock_to_path=0&color=ffffff&autoplay=no&autohide_ctrls=0"/><embed id="preziEmbed_ko1s4eukvzgi" name="preziEmbed_ko1s4eukvzgi" src="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="550" height="400" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="prezi_id=ko1s4eukvzgi&lock_to_path=0&color=ffffff&autoplay=no&autohide_ctrls=0"></embed></object><br />
<div class="prezi-player-links"><a href="http://prezi.com/ko1s4eukvzgi/content-team-e3-content-strategy/" title="">Creating an Effective Content Team </a>on <a href="http://prezi.com/">Prezi</a></div></div>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-45222656614304457662011-02-15T19:56:00.000-08:002011-03-16T23:20:27.942-07:00User-centred design and its process<h1 id="internal-source-marker_0.7451095735667445"></h1><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Editor's note: </b>This is the second in a 12-part series by <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101">Theresa Putkey</a> that discusses the intersection of content strategy and user-centred design</span>.</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the last post,</span><a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/2011/01/integrating-usability-content-strategy.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://e3contentstrategy.blogspot.com/2011/01/integrating-usability-content-strategy.html"> Integrating Usability & Content Strategy: Series Kickoff</a>, we briefly discussed what usability or user-centred design is. This post, the second in a series of posts, will give you an introduction to user-centred design and the process for approaching a user-centred design project. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My approach is to educate those who don’t know a lot about the practice. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Clarify roles</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When talking about usability, people can refer to it by many different names: usability, user-centred design (UX), user-experience design. In these posts, I use the words interchangeably and abbreviate the term with “UX”.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Those who work in UX may be known as information architects, interaction designers, visual designers, usability engineers, user-experience designers, user-experience architects, business analysts, user researchers, and content strategists. Wow, I’ve really lumped a big portion of roles into this one area. It’s important to think about what you need on the project and then find the right UX team with the right strengths. It can be confusing, but just as there are different construction contractors who focus on different types of buildings, so there are different UX experts who have different focuses.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Essentially, different roles can fulfill UX needs, depending on what you need. For example, if you need an interactive web application with some visual design, you might choose an interaction designer who can use Photoshop. If you have a content heavy site that needs some refreshing and an information layout, you might choose an information architect. If you have a content heavy site that just isn't meeting your objectives, a content strategist may be the right choice. Many UX professionals have multiple skill-sets, so you can cover multiple roles with a few people. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">UX: One Part of an Overall Project</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When talking about user-centred design, it’s important to know that this is a portion of a larger project. For example, a software company is trying to build a software product. There are a lot of stakeholders in this process and a lot of tasks. If we look at the project schedule, it would have such tasks as building a business case, doing market research, figuring out the business requirements, planning the features, doing user research and interface design, as well as lining up the developers, quality assurance, technical documentation, technical support, and sales. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Given all the tasks needed to product such a product, you can see that UX is one part of the overall puzzle. As a UX expert, it actually took me a long time to realize that my expert advice wasn’t the only aspect of the project! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The main differentiator is that the UX expert represents the user interests. In all of the tasks for producing a product, it's easy to overlook the user. While the user perspective may be considered, the project team has a lot of interests to balance. The UX expert represents the user interests throughout the project and has specialized experience or training to help them effectively understand and communicate user needs.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It can work in either a “waterfall” software development method or in an Agile environment. UX can make all aspects of the development process easier and it can also be a bottleneck! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">UX: What's It Good For?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One of the best books I’ve read that presents the business value of UX is “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Built-Use-Driving-Profitability-Experience/dp/0071383042">Built for Use: Driving Profitability Through User Experience</a>.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was published in 2002, but I think everyone should read it. I’ll give you one quote: </span></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“<i>Successful user experiences deliver a firm’s value proposition--the brand promise--to customers in the most effective and appropriate way. Usability is now linked to revenues--and profits--as never before: If customers can’t engage in the full brand expe</i><i>rience because of usability issues, the value proposition is diminished in the customers’ mind.</i>” (Donoghue, page xviii.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In other words, the purpose of UX is to ensure people have a good experience with the developed product or service and to continue to refine the experience, from a user perspective.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All Well And Good, You Say, But What’s The Process?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">User-centred design can take many forms, but there are some agreed-upon approaches. One of my favourite sites for introducing people to UX is the <a href="http://www.usability.gov/">Usability.gov </a></span><span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">site. This site has a great explanation of the process and the tasks involved. Instead of reiterating process again here, I'm <span style="font-size: small;">just going to let you check it out there. But here's </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">one quote to whet your appetite!</span><i><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></i></span></span><br />
<blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span></i><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>To create a user-centered Web site you must think about the needs of your users throughout each step in the development of your site,</i> <i>including: </i></span></span></blockquote><blockquote><ul><li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>planning your site</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> </i></span></span></li>
<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>planning your site</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> </i></span></span></li>
<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>collecting data from users</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> </i></span></span></li>
<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>developing prototypes</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> </i></span></span></li>
<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>writing content</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> </i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>conducting usability testing with users</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></li>
</ul></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Usability.gov site doesn't specifically mention content strategy, since it's a relatively new specialty. On the<a href="http://www.usability.gov/methods/design_site/index.html"> Design a New Site</a> page</span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Clu9b1qpxbBt_v1LFq3UWqCYIGWsQbH4jq_FQqsAqAg/edit?hl=en#heading=h.6p25nj2e7hzu" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, a content strategist would typically be responsible for the content inventory, card sorting, and writing for the web portions. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But a content strategist will also get involved wherever there are content considerations. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once you look at this site, you can start searching the web for more information. I've provided some links at the bottom of this article to get you started. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Problems</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I might have gone out on a limb earlier by saying there are “agreed-upon” approaches. The UX field is still “gelling” and establishing itself as a valuable service to an organization. As I mentioned, there are numerous roles able to represent the user interests on a project. When hiring a UX expert on a project, make sure you know what skills you need and that this person fits the bill. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are almost as many UX job descriptions as there are usability experts. When thinking of becoming a UX expert (or if you are looking for a focus), market to your strengths. If you like information organization, move towards information architecture and content strategy. If you like design, move towards interaction design and visual design. If you like analysis, move towards business analysis. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Resources for Learning More</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I was first learning about usability, I read “Built for Use,” a great book on the business value of user-centred design. But there are a bunch of resources! Here are some of my favourites:</span></span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Books: <a href="http://52weeksofux.com/post/1418115765/keep-on-learning">Keep On Learning</a> </span><a href="http://52weeksofux.com/post/1418115765/keep-on-learning"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Blogs: <a href="http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/10-ux-blogs-you-should-be-reading/">10 UX Blogs You Should Be Reading</a> </span><a href="http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/10-ux-blogs-you-should-be-reading/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Websites: </span></span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.useit.com/alertbox/">Use It</a> </span><a href="http://www.useit.com/alertbox/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.uie.com/articles/">User Interface Engineering</a> </span><a href="http://www.uie.com/articles/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.iainstitute.org/">Information Architecture Institute</a></span><a href="http://www.iainstitute.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.ixda.org/">Interaction Design</a> </span><a href="http://www.ixda.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.uxmatters.com/">UX Matters</a></span><a href="http://www.uxmatters.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://uxmag.com/">UX Magazine</a></span></span></li>
</ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjQfKTd-WSQ0wY4twKV1mta3S2w0QugRc_RKzdU5bneTcmRiJrbidkiffdi43tVPB8gnCc4FpCtwhN-GuqIA6aF0zho-lqn3ueQbzTWbR9WinKcXIUp4CXfrgykzQC5wb-T9XjNoh1seD/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjQfKTd-WSQ0wY4twKV1mta3S2w0QugRc_RKzdU5bneTcmRiJrbidkiffdi43tVPB8gnCc4FpCtwhN-GuqIA6aF0zho-lqn3ueQbzTWbR9WinKcXIUp4CXfrgykzQC5wb-T9XjNoh1seD/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">About the Author </span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br style="color: black;" /><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theresa Putkey is an information architect consultant living in Vancouver, BC. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, she focuses on integrating user needs into website and software design projects. She's currently doing her online Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can find out more about Theresa at <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/">www.keypointe.ca</a>, or follow her on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/tputkey">@tputkey.</a></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-928730630036233362011-01-25T09:16:00.000-08:002011-01-25T09:17:28.353-08:00Text is Not an Ugly Step-Sister! What Web Writers Can Learn From Technical Communicators<i><b>Note:</b> This article was inspired by, and has borrowed liberally from, <a href="http://www.techcommunicators.com/aboutus/index.html">Duncan Kent</a>'s <a href="http://www.techcommunicators.com/emanuals/wrm/index.htm">Writing Revisable Manuals: A Handbook for Business & Government</a>. I've frequently referred to this excellent resource over the years</i>—<i>ever since Duncan assigned it as required reading for one of my first tech-writing classes. It's fantastic to know that, in this era of ever-changing technology, basic principals continue to remain true. Thanks, Duncan!</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDIF0Fk9Etx5R6JY3JcQCLY7gZDoZ2RcUMQnp4U_sZjPincrFZKHI19APYsS7CT9u3MNqaP0cvGApSqUxQhD0o_Q_gwE2YfwwJVP2Wpwt8jdqeM_WKdtbJFmqLZ460vqaqXRPgaDjLJ9K/s1600/InfoDesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDIF0Fk9Etx5R6JY3JcQCLY7gZDoZ2RcUMQnp4U_sZjPincrFZKHI19APYsS7CT9u3MNqaP0cvGApSqUxQhD0o_Q_gwE2YfwwJVP2Wpwt8jdqeM_WKdtbJFmqLZ460vqaqXRPgaDjLJ9K/s200/InfoDesign.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>It's no secret that there's more than one way to present information online. In fact, there's a dizzying array of ways. But this article isn't going to address videos, podcasts, presentations, infographics, or any of the other sexy communication methods that are important to engage and entertain your audience. Because text-based web pages still makes up a large part of the communications online, and will for many years to come. And most text-based web pages still really suck.<br />
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One reason why web content continues to suck is because most of the discussion about presentation methods take us away from text. Text is treated like an ugly step-sister we have to deal with, while we give all of our attention to the prince charming of social media and creative communications. But, text is not an ugly step-sister! It's the foundation of most online communication strategies, and it's way past time that we integrated better presentation methods within our text-based web pages.<br />
<br />
After all, technical communicators have been all over this for years. There's a few tricks we could borrow from them. Here's a few "Tech-Writing 101" presentation tips that every web writer should master.<br />
<br />
<b>Narrative text</b><br />
Narrative text is best for telling a story. It's also useful as introductory text before other presentation methods. When you use narrative text by itself on a web page, for a story or article, break it up with multiple sub-headings and consider adding sidebar text to highlight certain elements. Try to avoid using only narrative text on product or service pages. <br />
<br />
<b>Bullet Lists</b><br />
Bullet lists are not the silver <i>bullet </i>of web writing that they're often made out to be. I can't tell you how many web-writing guidelines I've read that tell people to break narrative text into bullet lists without any more guidance than that. In my opinion, that's a crime. But bullet points are very useful if you follow some basic rules:<br />
<ul><li>Use bullet lists for three or more related items.</li>
<li> Structure all items within a list similarly (for example, if one item begins with a verb, they all should).</li>
<li>End complete sentences with a period. If any item on a list is punctuated, punctuate every item. </li>
<li> Do not use numbers unless the sequence of the items is important. Bullets imply random order.<br />
</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41NbzfxJQypOgJiA7UTBGRa63s3rN9_n6Jgav3OgHTBS7-WKSGUG-txjZZt1O-MJ8ZPTmhFcDpg1LwNVzPWvFAyDAwEX__pybmGqlxMBSEoHVJx8Bol3-7tQS7AXt2abokvNYX_Jaj3Nh/s1600/iStock_000010466280XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41NbzfxJQypOgJiA7UTBGRa63s3rN9_n6Jgav3OgHTBS7-WKSGUG-txjZZt1O-MJ8ZPTmhFcDpg1LwNVzPWvFAyDAwEX__pybmGqlxMBSEoHVJx8Bol3-7tQS7AXt2abokvNYX_Jaj3Nh/s200/iStock_000010466280XSmall.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Checklists</b><br />
Checklists are simply lists that have<i> </i>tick boxes in front of each item. Use them when you want to help readers ensure they have all of the proper materials or have completed all required tasks. If you use a checklist, provide and easy and obvious way for readers to <i>print the page so they can actually use the checklist</i>.<br />
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<b>Sidebar text</b><br />
<i></i>Sidebar text is used to call out information that is related to the text on the page. If you use sidebar text, make sure that its design immediately differentiates it from the body text on the page. Some examples of when you may want to consider using sidebar text include: <br />
<ul><li> To provide commentary on the text.</li>
<li> To emphasize key concepts.</li>
<li> To provide definitions of technical terms.</li>
<li> To highlight quotations.</li>
<li> To provide tips.</li>
<li>To provide supporting information.</li>
<li>To show a short example of the key concept at work.</li>
</ul><b>Tables</b><br />
If you have to convey a large amount of data, using a table is often the best way to do it. Tables are also useful to compare different products in terms of characteristics such as size, weight, price, or performance. "If... Then" tables are excellent when you want to show different conditions. Here's some tips for writing tables:<br />
<ul><li>Introduce the table in the text preceding it. Don't expect readers to figure it out entirely for themselves.</li>
<li>Simplify the table data down to just that amount of data that illustrates your point (without distorting the data!). </li>
<li>Don't put the unit of measurement in every cell of a column. For example, in a column of measurements all in millimeters, don't put "mm" after every number. Put the abbreviation in parentheses in the column or row heading.</li>
<li>When there is a special point you need to make about one or more of the items in the table, use a footnote instead of clogging up the table with the information.</li>
</ul><br />
<h2></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoydiB1jQ3kqVm93gqDITASjWQzSdNyjJEurZxONIdkqeyJlZaaMxAwik3-Iy1uTjvuTZfWabp0yDrIenh1-je65KhaIT-LC1DPpYo1A1yOzJ_D8y7jf1GQ5EZgHXkmQyusbNQ4WDGUOnu/s1600/charts.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoydiB1jQ3kqVm93gqDITASjWQzSdNyjJEurZxONIdkqeyJlZaaMxAwik3-Iy1uTjvuTZfWabp0yDrIenh1-je65KhaIT-LC1DPpYo1A1yOzJ_D8y7jf1GQ5EZgHXkmQyusbNQ4WDGUOnu/s200/charts.PNG" width="149" /></a></div><b>Charts and graphs</b><br />
Charts and graphs are actually just another way of presenting the same data that is presented in tables — but a more dramatic and interesting one. However, they provide less detail than tables. Imagine the difference between a <i>table</i> of sales figures for a ten-year period and a <i>graph</i> for that same data. You get a better sense of the overall trend in the graph but not the precise dollar amount. <br />
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<b>Step-by-step procedures </b><br />
<b></b> Use step-by-step procedures to describe tasks that the reader must carry out in a specific order. Don't bury procedures in narrative form. Use step-by-step when there is a consistent linear pattern without a lot of decisions to make. If there are a lot of decisions required, consider using a decision tree instead. Here are some guidelines for writing step-by-step procedures: <br />
<ul><li> Use the imperative style, beginning each step with an action verb (for example, “Calculate the amount of tax payable….”).<br />
</li>
<li> If the step is conditional upon something else, state the condition first (for example, “If you have expenses, complete the <i>Expense Form </i>and attach your receipts.”).<br />
</li>
<li> Order steps in the sequence in which they must be carried out.<br />
</li>
<li> Number each step. Don’t include more than one activity in a step.<br />
</li>
</ul><h2></h2><br />
<h2></h2><i> </i><b>Playscript procedures</b><br />
Playscript is a simple variation of step-by-step procedures used where several people are involved. It specifies which person is responsible for each step by including the name or role in front of a numbered when the person responsible for that step changes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdf2MGMdNN6AeJTQppwatXlOvTdcfJiruJzdA4PzY51HNtthkrqu6w4nq3kz7Ws-2JyxoOSUyuvDKe7pHqmKpN0QbnKiaNu691_gQAkRyHPwxXkcVG4_zPJyCsHFuznLA50CDybrZdjwF/s1600/flowchart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdf2MGMdNN6AeJTQppwatXlOvTdcfJiruJzdA4PzY51HNtthkrqu6w4nq3kz7Ws-2JyxoOSUyuvDKe7pHqmKpN0QbnKiaNu691_gQAkRyHPwxXkcVG4_zPJyCsHFuznLA50CDybrZdjwF/s200/flowchart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Flow diagrams </b><br />
Use a <i></i>flow diagram to provide a graphic overview of the relationship between things, how processes work, or how documents move. Don’t try to illustrate every step in a complex procedure—this is better left to step-by-step procedures. Flow diagrams are also good for showing feedback loops and branches within procedures. Here are some tips on creating flow diagrams:<br />
<ul><li> Keep the number of shapes to a minimum. Stick with the standard shapes, and always include a legend explaining the meaning of each shape.<br />
</li>
<li> Indicate the start point.<br />
</li>
<li> Don’t cram a lot of text into the shapes—the purpose is to provide a graphic overview, not to give readers all the details</li>
</ul><b>Decision trees</b><br />
Decision trees are a form of flow diagram in which readers are routed according to their responses to questions. Use decision trees to provide a visual representation of conditional steps in a procedure, or to help readers decide which procedure to use. Each box of the decision tree can indicate a different procedure. <br />
Here are some tips on creating decision trees:<br />
<ul><li> Use diamonds for questions and boxes for actions. <br />
</li>
<li> Always indicate where the reader should start.<br />
</li>
<li> Try to keep the text in the shapes to four or five words.<br />
</li>
<li> Keep the shapes the same size.<br />
</li>
<li> Don’t include more than one action in a box. If necessary, refer the reader to a step-by-step procedure.</li>
</ul> <br />
Still not sure which presentation method you should choose? Check out Duncan's <a href="http://www.techcommunicators.com/emanuals/wrm/chap06/06-17_method.htm">table of content presentation methods</a>.<br />
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Did I forget any major content presentation methods for text-based web pages? If so, let me know in the comments!KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-12594136749208970312011-01-16T18:42:00.000-08:002011-03-16T23:20:27.943-07:00Integrating Usability & Content Strategy: Series Kickoff<h1 id="internal-source-marker_0.6172817204376477"></h1><h1 id="internal-source-marker_0.6172817204376477"></h1><h1 id="internal-source-marker_0.6172817204376477"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></h1><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Editor's note: </b>I'm excited to present the first in a 12-part series by <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/?page_id=101">Theresa Putkey</a>. Once a month, Theresa will share her perspectives on usability and information architecture to help us see why they're so important to content strategy. I hope this will start some conversations about how to integrate these disciplines to create even better solutions for businesses and end-users. Please add your thoughts as comments below. </i></span><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the last 10 years, we’ve heard a lot of talk about usability and user-centred design. Given that the idea has been around for a while now, you’d think that people would have a good idea of what usability is. Not true! As a usability expert and user-centred designer, a lot of my work involves educating clients on the value and purpose of user-centred design and the tasks that go into making a usable technology product, such as a website, intranet,or mobile phone interface.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is “usability” anyways?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">User-centred design is a way of designing a product so that it meets the needs of those using it. Usability refers to how easy it is to actually use that product. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When a company designs a product, it does so because it sees a business need for that product. However, there are many many details that go into making a product that are not answered by the business need that drives it. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One way to answer these questions is to talk to the people who will be using it. This is where the “user” in “user-centred design” comes into play. We find the target product users and ask them what their current problems are, what would make their lives easier, observe them at work or play, and then create a design that integrates more seamlessly into their lives. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If the product fulfills the business need and is easy-to-use, then the user will likely find this product more valuable. This person will use it more, recommend it to friends, and help contribute to the success of the product. But using a product isn’t always by choice. Sometimes employees in a company are required to use certain products, such as an intranet, to do their work. The faster they can access the information they need on the intranet, the more efficient and effective the employee will be. Usability improvements add to the company’s overall success. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What does usability have to do with content strategy?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If people can’t find information or understand what they’ve found, then that content isn’t usable. User-centred design and usability testing helps you discover the information that your end user is looking for and how they want it delivered. It also helps you validate that your messages are being perceived in the way you want them to be, and highlights opportunities to improve. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This series</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this 12-part series, I hope to shine some light on usability and user-centred design. My approach is to educate those who don’t know a lot about the practice. In this series, I’ll go over:</span></span><br />
<ul><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">User-centred design and its process</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Information architecture</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Deliverables</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kickoff, Collaboration & Reviews</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">User interviews and personas</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Site maps</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wireframes</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Taxonomy and metadata</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Usability testing</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wrap up</span></span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Resources to get you started</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://usability.gov/">Usability.gov</a> has a great overview of the user-centred design process. Although I’m an expert in usability, I still refer to this site for information! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can also look at this article, “<a href="http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2007/11/the-five-competencies-of-user-experience-design.php">The Five Competencies of User Experience Design,</a>” to give you a good understanding of the various roles in the usability arena. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: lime;">___________________________________________________________________</span></i></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjQfKTd-WSQ0wY4twKV1mta3S2w0QugRc_RKzdU5bneTcmRiJrbidkiffdi43tVPB8gnCc4FpCtwhN-GuqIA6aF0zho-lqn3ueQbzTWbR9WinKcXIUp4CXfrgykzQC5wb-T9XjNoh1seD/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjQfKTd-WSQ0wY4twKV1mta3S2w0QugRc_RKzdU5bneTcmRiJrbidkiffdi43tVPB8gnCc4FpCtwhN-GuqIA6aF0zho-lqn3ueQbzTWbR9WinKcXIUp4CXfrgykzQC5wb-T9XjNoh1seD/s1600/Theresa_Putkey.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">About the Author </span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theresa Putkey is an information architect consultant living in Vancouver, BC. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, she focuses on integrating user needs into website and software design projects. She's currently doing her online Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can find out more about Theresa at <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/">www.keypointe.ca</a>, or follow her on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/tputkey">@tputkey.</a></span></span>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-14094119559184610672011-01-14T00:14:00.000-08:002011-01-14T00:14:10.679-08:0028 Content Marketing Tips from the Content Marketing MastersI went to a fantastic content marketing retreat today, put on by<a href="http://www.langleynewmedia.com/programs/marketing-pr/bootcamp/contentmarketing/"> Langley New Media</a>. The speakers were amazing -- knowledgeable, entertaining, and very human. There were so many great ideas and discussions, not just between speakers and participants, but also online in real-time.<br />
<br />
I swear I'm the only person left of the planet who doesn't take technology to a conference. Just my pen and paper. And, for the most part, I'm so distracted by what the presenters are actually saying that I forget to take notes. But I did feel a bit left out of the Twitter party, so I thought I'd share my tidbit take-aways with you here. There were tons of great nuggets and this is only a small handful of them...<br />
<br />
<ol><li>Determine your content goals, and then choose ONE.</li>
<li> Focus on a niche, and then get super niched.</li>
<li>Don't talk about yourself.</li>
<li>The sweet spot is the blend of informative and entertaining.</li>
<li>Know what people are thinking about today. </li>
<li>Know what people are thinking about when they're not getting paid.</li>
<li>Know what your competitors are doing in content marketing.</li>
<li>People don't care what you sell. They react to what you stand for.</li>
<li>Make sure the audience you're targeting is the market that's buying.</li>
<li>"Hide the pill" of important information inside the entertaining stuff.</li>
<li>Solve people's problems.</li>
<li>Your content should relate a quest or challenge. </li>
<li>Tell stories about people, not products or services.</li>
<li>Talking heads are boring.</li>
<li>A story needs a beginning, a middle, a conflict, and then an end.</li>
<li>Content is a renewable asset. Ads are non-renewable assets. </li>
<li>Connect with people through content.</li>
<li>Use a content calendar and identify daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual content. </li>
<li>People trust other people like themselves. They don't easily trust corporations or the media.</li>
<li>A good information architecture supports business strategy.</li>
<li>Taxonomy and content programming can help content to flow efficiently.</li>
<li>Niche print magazines are here to stay and have a place near and dear to people's hearts.</li>
<li>Do more listening than talking online.</li>
<li>Connect with the key online influencers in your market.</li>
<li>Distribute content through multiple channels, in multiple formats, in many conversations.</li>
<li>Lorem ipsum is shit.</li>
<li>You can't manage what you don't measure.</li>
<li>Make sure that what you measure is relevant to your key stakeholders.</li>
</ol>My apologies to the presenters for not capturing all of their key ideas. But I've listed their names below, and Twitter handles where I could, so please check them out to learn more about their particular focus in content marketing... they're a crazy-smart bunch of people!<br />
<br />
Joe Pulizzie @JuntaJoe<br />
Russell Sparkman @fusionspark<br />
Terri Nopp<br />
Jack Penland <br />
Hanson Hosein @hrhmedia<br />
Eleanor Fye @eleanorfye<br />
Kevin Lund<br />
T.A. McCann @tamccann<br />
Bill Flitter @bflitter<br />
Drew Davis @TPLDrew<br />
Matt Heinz @heinzmarketingKathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-39067598928844165852011-01-04T16:24:00.000-08:002011-01-04T16:24:39.773-08:00What's better: Fewer clicks, or greater simplicity?For a project I'm currently working on, part of my content strategy involves coming up with a simple information architecture (IA) for a large product & service section of a website. These aren't products or services that people buy frequently, and visitors are only expected to come to this section of the site occasionally. In the IA that I proposed, the user needs to make a few more clicks then they do on the current site but the pages are clean and simple and the path to the products is clear and straight-forward. This was getting some push-back from members of the project team who felt that there were too many clicks. So, what did I do?<br />
<br />
First, I asked (yet again) to do user testing. There were all sorts of vague excuses that may make for another interesting blog post, but the bottom line was "no". <br />
<br />
Then, I engaged our <a href="http://www.vanue.com/">Vancouver User Experience Group</a> in a lively discussion about which is better: fewer clicks, or greater simplicity.They provided really valuable feedback, and I thought I'd share the gist of it here with you:<br />
<ul><li>There is no acceptable excuse for not testing with users in a project of this size. Be creative, be sneaky, but get the design options in front of real people!</li>
<li>Overwhelmingly, for infrequent site visitors, people supported 5 or 6 easy clicks and clear signposts over 2 or 3 clicks that require users to slow down to find the right link. (But for frequent users this isn't true.)</li>
<li>Use personas and do scenario walkthroughs to make sure that you've considered how users will go through the site to find what they need. </li>
<li>Be aware that these types of discussions are sometimes more about ego and being right than what's best for the user.</li>
</ul>To see the full conversation, check out the <a href="http://www.vanue.com/messages/archive/">VanUE mailing list</a> archive. <br />
<br />
But this is design and usability, so what does it have to do with content strategy? Well, design needs to support content, and usability makes sure that content is easy to get to. But everything on the page -- words, buttons, links, navigation --, and the pages themselves, are all content. How the user experiences this content is all part of a content strategy. <br />
<br />
So now all I have to do is put on a mask and cape like Zorro, and find some unsuspecting people to walk through our designs... Don't give me away if you see me on the streets of Vancouver!<br />
<br />
Please use the comments below to provide your 2 cents worth about what you think is better, fewer clicks or greater simplicity.KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-51419049307631298172011-01-03T09:54:00.000-08:002011-01-03T09:54:37.057-08:00New content for the new year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZeSB03JeGMVkAR8l4loyNBXrZxhY8dYjEQtaRqvZvVHmyXsAVj4PTT_IRoV62ye62LGJE4Kq-beRSzL1chXJpRC_bBIbOTzHxLPs_tsR9QEyRrm8P2Fh5YWBeiWHz0Mssc6-i1npTD0y/s1600/2011NewYear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZeSB03JeGMVkAR8l4loyNBXrZxhY8dYjEQtaRqvZvVHmyXsAVj4PTT_IRoV62ye62LGJE4Kq-beRSzL1chXJpRC_bBIbOTzHxLPs_tsR9QEyRrm8P2Fh5YWBeiWHz0Mssc6-i1npTD0y/s200/2011NewYear.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>What better way to start the new year than with the resolution to improve your web content? With E3 Content Strategy entering its second year in business, I'm making the resolution to heed my own advice. And I'm really excited about the content I have lined up! <br />
<br />
First of all, I have 2 great new blogging partnerships. Ahava Leibtag and I are teaming up to bring you a series of videos that use real-world examples to demonstrate key content strategy concepts and practices. Ahava (@ahaval) is a content strategy superstar from Washington, DC, and founder of <a href="http://www.ahamediagroup.com/">AHA Media Group</a>. She's also one of the presenters at the upcoming Confab content strategy conference, and is a whirlwind of creativity and ideas. Then, I'm swapping guest blogs with Vancouver-based information architect and founder of <a href="http://www.keypointe.ca/">Key Pointe Usability Consulting</a>, Theresa Putkey (@tputkey). With more than a decade of content and usability experience behind her, Theresa is completing her Masters degree in Librarian and Information systems. She's an incredibly smart cookie, and I'm thrilled that she's agreed to contribute one post per month to E3 Content Strategy showing how information architecture and usability are essential to content strategy. In turn, I'll be writing guest blogs once a month for Key Pointe that show how content strategy integrates into the user-centred design process.<br />
<br />
In addition to these partnerships, I'm going to focus on a couple of themes over the next few months. You'll see a lot of new stuff on content strategy solutions, best practices, and quality writing. We've all been talking a lot about the process and discipline of content strategy, so now I want to talk more about the actual solutions. What they are, what problems they solve, how to implement them, and when they're useful. <br />
<br />
Throughout 2010, I've read so many great articles, and run across so many good books, that I've decided to share them with you this year. Each month I'll publish a list of the best content strategy content that I find -- articles, videos, presentations, infographics, books... anything that's interesting and relevant. I'll even be sharing new content Strategy people that I've discovered. Let's face it, they're cropping up everywhere!<br />
<br />
And I'm going to implement a couple of improvements to make it easier to find and share my content. Towards the end of 2011, I'll launch a client e-newsletter and update my website to make it easier to find articles of interest. <br />
<br />
The biggest challenge will be for me to stick to my editorial calendar and regular blogging schedule. I like to set things up, come up with topics, make charts and put dates beside everything. Sitting down and getting it done is not always so much fun. But that's what resolutions are for. One blog per week, minimum, no exceptions. Bonus points if I publish two. There, I said it. Now you can hold me accountable. <br />
<br />
So, between that and my client work, contributing to <a href="http://www.firehead.net/firehead-bitesize">Firehead's Bitesized Content Strategy</a> initiatives, and attending some great industry conferences (the <a href="http://www.langleynewmedia.com/programs/marketing-pr/bootcamp/contentmarketing/">Content Marketing Retreat</a> and <a href="http://confab2011.com/">Confab </a>are currently booked, yay!), I'm really excited about 2011. It's shaping up to be very busy, but very fun. <br />
<br />
What would you like to see more of in the new year? Are there any topics you're particularly interested in? Or, what do you plan to contribute to the content strategy arena? Please leave a comment and let us know!<br />
<br />
I wish you all an incredibly happy and successful new year, and thank you most sincerely for being part of my success in 2010.KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-20650825328349839162010-12-15T10:29:00.000-08:002010-12-15T10:29:05.227-08:00Customer-Centric Content: 10 Do's & 10 Do Not's.It's no secret that if you want to engage your customers, you need customer-centric content. Business people, writers, and marketers are all getting on board with this. But what does customer-centric content look like? And, right now, I'm not talking about the medium or the delivery channel or the content provider. Sure, social media makes it easier to have a conversation with your customers, and customer-generated content is inherently customer-centric... but what about the copy that your company writes? With our ingrained habits of talking about ourselves, our company, and our key benefits, we're not always as good at writing from the customer's perspectives as we'd like.<br />
<br />
Here are some tips to keep you focused. <br />
<br />
<b>Do Not:</b><br />
<ol><li> Write about how wonderful your company is. It's not credible coming from you. </li>
<li>Use a gazillion wonderfully exciting adjectives to describe how unique and revolutionary your amazing new products and services are. </li>
<li>Use many words at all.</li>
<li>Focus on what you sell.</li>
<li>Be too stuffy and serious.</li>
<li>Expect your customers to come to your website...just because.</li>
<li>Expect to get it right the first time. </li>
<li>Interrupt your customers with irrelevant content when they're trying <i>to do</i> something. </li>
<li>Try to say more than one thing at one time.</li>
<li>Assume your customers are just like you. </li>
</ol><b>Do:</b><br />
<ol><li><i>Demonstrate </i>that you know who your customers are, without <i>telling </i>them. </li>
<li><i>Demonstrate </i>how wonderful your company is, without <i>talking </i>about it. </li>
<li>Write as if you're a person, wanting to build a relationship with your customers.</li>
<li>Reflect your customers motivations, emotions, and life-context in your writing. </li>
<li>Provide content that is relevant to both your customers, and your business. </li>
<li>Be generous in sharing your knowledge in your area of expertise.</li>
<li>Get customer feedback, rewrite, revise, repeat. </li>
<li>Make products and service details easy to find and make the buying process easy.</li>
<li>Publish your content where your customers hang out. </li>
<li>Focus on your industry expertise and customer needs. </li>
</ol>Any other good ideas? Let me know.KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-89053037423051283972010-12-09T14:42:00.000-08:002010-12-09T14:47:50.014-08:00Content Strategy or Content Marketing? I'm Confused!In the past few weeks I've had a lot of people asking me about the difference between content strategy and content marketing. If you remove the first word from each label, it's pretty clear: content strategy is about STRATEGY and content marketing is about MARKETING. But both of them focus on content to get the job done. Let's look a bit closer...<br />
<br />
A Content Strategist evaluates business and customer needs and provides strategic direction on how improved content and content processes can help to achieve specific objectives. The focus is to provide direction on how to improve content to meet measurable business goals. <br />
<br />
A Content Marketer evaluates the market to find ways to engage with customers and prospective customers through relevant content. The focus is to attract and retain customers and promote the brand. <br />
<br />
So, clearly there's overlap. The word "content" is in each of them for good reason. And frequently a content strategy contains a content marketing component which in turn requires a more defined content marketing strategy. And THIS is why people get confused! <br />
<br />
Make sense?KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-19970003741205810092010-11-28T18:12:00.000-08:002010-11-28T18:12:13.655-08:00Creating a Castle from Content Building Blocks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPqog3gEXC7oeGd1ETpSubNOjaInFU8-nv9xf2Z_efmORlZ3WbdDYe53XkzpMnrE7-IPdtiZpk5CNco0HB2BzaBNxndFuYyBSCJhn3pO4-ve6Iy-n80SySFyMgB7xvTfT8jBLcROkQbev/s1600/blocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPqog3gEXC7oeGd1ETpSubNOjaInFU8-nv9xf2Z_efmORlZ3WbdDYe53XkzpMnrE7-IPdtiZpk5CNco0HB2BzaBNxndFuYyBSCJhn3pO4-ve6Iy-n80SySFyMgB7xvTfT8jBLcROkQbev/s200/blocks.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>There are so many decisions that need to be made when creating content. To make that process efficient and effective, you need a system. Here's one of the easiest tricks I've found for wrestling messy content into shape: Think about all of the content-development decisions as building blocks. If you wanted to create a castle out of building blocks, you'd choose different blocks than if you wanted to build a truck. And if you wanted to build a bridge, you'd put the blocks together in a different way again. And so it is with content. You can pick and choose different elements (or building blocks) to use to create different effects, and to engage different audiences. <br />
<br />
Trying to consider all of these elements whenever you create a new piece of content may seem daunting, but it really isn't. Your resources will dictate some choices, your audience some others. As you get used to making content decisions in this way, it builds a repeatable system that's efficient, and results in content that has both variety and consistency. The variety will keep your customers engaged and extend your reach, while the consistency will create a predictability which your customers will appreciate and learn to recognize. This reinforces your brand. You'll see patterns develop, and you'll learn that certain building blocks go together well and get good responses from your customer, and that other ones just don't. <br />
<br />
<div>Every company has different content requirements, but here are some of the building blocks that I typically think about. This is just <em>a</em> list. It's certainly not <em>the</em> list. Use it as a basis to brainstorm which building blocks are relevant within your organization and for your customers. </div><br />
<div><strong>Content Goals</strong></div>Stick to one primary goal for each piece of content. For example, the primary purpose of your content may be to:<br />
<ul><li>Engage</li>
<li>Inform</li>
<li>Educate</li>
<li>Advise </li>
<li>Persuade </li>
<li>Inspire</li>
</ul><strong>Content Types</strong><br />
For instance, is your content essentially:<br />
<ul><li>An opinion</li>
<li>An analysis</li>
<li>A description</li>
<li>An overview</li>
<li>A how-to</li>
<li>News</li>
<li>A story</li>
<li>Tips & tricks</li>
<li>Wayfinding</li>
</ul><strong>Content Source</strong><br />
Where does, or should, the content come from? <br />
<ul><li>A dedicated content team</li>
<li>Marketing</li>
<li>Key contributors within your company</li>
<li>Your executives</li>
<li>Your subject matter experts</li>
<li>Your staff</li>
<li>Your customers</li>
<li>The public</li>
</ul><strong>Content Voice</strong><br />
The voice of your content should be distinct and recognizable. Even an overall corporate voice is made up of a tapestry of individual voices. So, is a specific piece of content best served by the voice of:<br />
<ul><li>A specific individual</li>
<li>The "company" voice, and if so does the tone vary based on purpose or different customer segments?</li>
<li>Your customers</li>
<li>The public</li>
</ul><strong>Content Topics</strong><br />
These are completely driven by your business, but you'll likely have different topics that you frequently speak about relating to your areas of expertise, your customers needs and motivations, and your community actions or involvement. <br />
<div> </div><div><strong>Content Format</strong></div>This is all about how you're communicating your content. For instance, as a:<br />
<ul><li>Blog</li>
<li>Video</li>
<li>Webinar</li>
<li>Article</li>
<li>Image</li>
<li>Diagram</li>
<li>Interactive tool</li>
<li>Checklist</li>
<li>Interview</li>
<li>Call-to-action</li>
<li>Presentation</li>
<li>Newsletter</li>
</ul><strong>Content Placement</strong><br />
Where is this content best published and presented? It could be:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>On your website. If so, where on your website?</li>
<li>Your blog</li>
<li>On YouTube, Facebook, or other social networking platform</li>
<li>External to your company</li>
</ul><strong>Content Promotion</strong><br />
What's the best way or ways to promote your content? Through:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Twitter</li>
<li>Facebook</li>
<li>Website links</li>
<li>Presentations</li>
</ul>If this list seems overwhelming, then trim it down. Just try to think about the key decisions that are part of your content development process, and then create building blocks that you can keep coming back to. That way, you learn how to build a castle, or a truck, or a bridge, whenever you want to and your customers won't have to look at the pile of content on your site and wonder what the heck it's supposed to be.KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-78707480439385004472010-11-26T06:15:00.000-08:002010-11-26T11:28:19.401-08:00Thank you, content strategists everywhere!Well, all of the American Thanksgiving vibes must be drifting north to Canada, because I find myself needing to take a moment to let you all know how truly grateful I am to be part of the amazing group of people who make up the content strategy field.<br />
<br />
Earlier this year, as I was starting my business, I sought out other content strategists and asked them what it was like. What did they do, how did they get customers, what did they charge? You name it, I asked it. Everyone, including content strategists in my own town, were so welcoming and generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences. My "competitors" became my mentors and advisers. <br />
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When I showed up at my first content strategy conference last spring in Paris, I arrived knowing one person, and left knowing a whole network of content strategists from around the world. And every one of them has been open and excited to share what they know. This is also where I learned about the not-to-secret place where content strategists hang out... Twitter.<br />
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And that opened up a whole new world! In the last six months, I've found an endless supply of fantastic resources, a way to share thoughts and experiences, and I've found some real friends. The energy and enthusiasm that comes from content strategists everywhere is contagious... how can we not be thrilled about what we do when we're all so damned excited about it and each others successes!?<br />
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So, to all of you who have shared their expertise and experiences so generously, who have welcomed me so warmly into this community, who have provided such great material to feed the fire... and to all of you who have done the same for others... I thank you for making this a truly exceptional place to be.KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-64016975459316072732010-11-24T12:27:00.000-08:002010-11-24T12:27:44.315-08:00Content strategy: Getting started in bite-sized steps<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Content Strategy is fairly new and companies are still struggling to understand how to get started. They don't know what to ask for, or who to ask. They hear the buzz, but are not sure why they need a content strategy. As corporate content gets more complex, and the field of content strategy gains more exposure, executives begin to feel like they <i>should </i>know where to start but this only adds a layer of embarrassment to their ignorance. THIS IS NORMAL, and it's OK!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As content strategists, we frequently run across companies that really <i>need </i>a content strategy, but are not yet ready to commit. Sometimes it's because of lack of budget, sometimes it's because they are unsure of the value. And many times, it's just because they really don't see what all the fuss is about. But while we're all doing our best to educate our clients and the business world at large, one organization has decided to tackle this issue head on, and spread the content strategy love around. And not just around their own cozy circle of acquaintances, but around the world. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwHHzBdn90RuU_wz2gsBvN3sUotFa0xqOrsMAS0zMuzew0XZfIa-OWT7W_OW7gdeycoutHEB8nfupmUTP3Rnho1Gc4krcKbZ03C_VEsXO6lFo_0iAuZleAWoXrAQOYgwcT5CaAYDx7Iaz/s1600/FireheadLogo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwHHzBdn90RuU_wz2gsBvN3sUotFa0xqOrsMAS0zMuzew0XZfIa-OWT7W_OW7gdeycoutHEB8nfupmUTP3Rnho1Gc4krcKbZ03C_VEsXO6lFo_0iAuZleAWoXrAQOYgwcT5CaAYDx7Iaz/s1600/FireheadLogo.gif" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.firehead.net/">Firehead </a>is a recruiting company that specializes in matching the right content strategy and technical communication people with the right companies. With head offices in Sweden and the UK, they've come up with a program that matches interested companies with some of the leading content strategists around the world to deliver a "<a href="http://www.firehead.net/firehead-bitesize">Bitesized Content Strategy</a>" specific to the company's needs. For very little cost or commitment, the content strategist will 1) inventory, 2) audit, and 3) analyze their web content and then 4) define clear next steps on how to improve the content to meet business goals. Simple, quick, easy, and effective.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I won't go into detail about the Bitesized program here, because you can read about it on Firehead's site. But I was so happy to see that somebody is actually filling this need that I wanted to share it with you. And I ask you to share Bitesized Content Strategy with businesses you know that really need a content strategy but don't know what to ask for, or who to ask. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Check out these links for more information about Firehead and their Bitesized Content Strategy program:</span></div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.firehead.net/">Firehead's website</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.firehead.net/firehead-bitesize">Firehead Bitesize</a>, and <a href="http://www.firehead.net/content-strategy/how-bitesize-content-strategy-helps-clients-take-a-first-step">more here</a>, and <a href="http://www.firehead.net/what-is-a-bitesize-audit">here</a>. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Or follow the Bitesize team on twitter: @FireheadLtd, <span style="color: black;">@fionacullinan, @fit_to_print, @word_forge</span></span></li>
</ul>KathyHanburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03015536194984540885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122740441662857342.post-89768625057030312132010-10-27T20:44:00.000-07:002012-01-08T12:19:08.678-08:00Stakeholder interviews for quality content: Why, who, and how<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRDANrkyyl-BDT-2DaRraxFNL3dLZtiXOjxOQ2_lmS8OBWTui04xbrpWJHCnholLVKPAXQp038z1XG5PeSNhbuDUGUQ4dEr98Ok6oyxjs4Etr9UTUHNcNqXQEmZ7LiP9btwhIPnFOjb0/s1600/Interview.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532976161301555074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRDANrkyyl-BDT-2DaRraxFNL3dLZtiXOjxOQ2_lmS8OBWTui04xbrpWJHCnholLVKPAXQp038z1XG5PeSNhbuDUGUQ4dEr98Ok6oyxjs4Etr9UTUHNcNqXQEmZ7LiP9btwhIPnFOjb0/s200/Interview.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 214px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 143px;" /></a>Stakeholder interviews aren't very sexy. They're not new, or controversial, or unique to content strategy. They don't lend themselves to interesting diagrams or sketches. Both writers and clients often overlook them entirely. I'm not sure why. I think they just don't get it. They just don't see how powerful and useful stakeholder interviews can be. They must have tried it once, found it lacking, and gave up on it. If you're one of "them", I suggest you try again.<br />
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After all, how can we speak <span style="font-style: italic;">for </span>our clients, if we don't speak <span style="font-style: italic;">to </span>them? Here are some tips to make it easy for you.<br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">Why do stakeholder interviews?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">To build relationships and establish credibility. </span>What better way to reach out and establish a conversation with the people who can make or break your project and those who know the most about it? You get to know them, they get to know you, and information is much more likely to flow your way after that. If you're walking in cold as a new project team member, stakeholder interviews (done right) are a fantastic way to establish yourself as someone who can listen, contribute, and add value.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">To identify patterns. </span>Whether you're trying to determine content requirements, business objectives, customer needs, or anything else, you have to look for patterns. And the best way to identify patterns is to ask each similar type of stakeholder a similar set of questions. Of course, you're going to ask on-the-fly follow up and probing questions, but when your core set of questions are consistent throughout your interviews, you'll find that patterns emerge. These patterns point you in the right direction.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">To find discrepancies. </span>Identifying differences of opinion early in the project is critical. If key stakeholders disagree it's better to bring that to light before any development is done. Sometimes discrepancies are OK (like different business units having different objectives) and can be dealt with in various ways. Other times, you really need to facilitate a commonly accepted approach, whether or not everyone is in agreement. For example, neither you nor the project will be successful if there is no widespread acceptance of who the target market is or how to communicate with them. Discrepancies can also indicate an abundance of subjective opinion and lack of real knowledge. You want to base your content strategy and content decisions on sound research and knowledge.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">To unearth that golden nugget. </span>It doesn't matter how prepared the project lead is, and how many stacks of documents they've given you outlining project research and requirements, there is ALWAYS a gold nugget still locked away in a stakeholder's brain. Maybe it's an interesting insight, or a great piece of research, or some examples that demonstrate what can't be articulated through words. Sometimes you just need to get the facts straight, or validate your assumptions. Stakeholders are powerhouses of knowledge, and there's always something new to find out through talking to them directly.<br />
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<span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">Who do you interview? The people who..</span><br />
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Hold the purse strings. </span>We gotta keep them happy. They also tend to know a lot of useful stuff. Think department Directors, VPs, etc.<br />
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I<span style="font-weight: bold;">nfluence the people who hold the purse strings. </span>These people are a giant step closer to the actual project. They've usually fought to get the project budget from the person above and are highly invested in it. You better get input from these people, because if you head off in a direction they don't understand they'll stop you in your tracks. These are often business managers.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Have customer knowledge. </span>These are your customer stand-ins and advocates. They work directly with customers and understand their motivations and pain points. They often have a practical perspective and can provide insights that help you to see past a mountain of wish-lists and identify the few, critical, customer must-haves. These may be call-centre staff, sales people, or service providers.<br />
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Have technical knowledge. </span>It's all fine and well to create a brilliant content strategy, but if the client doesn't have the technical resources to make it happen, then it will die before it's born. Do your homework: talk to the IT guys.<br />
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Have subject matter knowledge. </span>As a writer, you know a lot of stuff. Especially about writing. But odds are, there are people in the company who know a lot more about what you're writing about than you do. You need to combine your writing wizardry with their knowledge. These people could be anyone. They may have an official title (like "Subject Matter Expert"), or they could be any old employee who has specialized knowledge.<br />
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<span style="color: #000066; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">How do you interview?</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Get as close as possible. </span>Face-to-face is best. By phone is OK if necessary, and sometimes preferable. For example, I'll often choose to do stakeholder interviews over the phone prior to an out-of-town, on-site project kick off to begin establishing relationships and so I can have something to contribute when we all meet. Then when I arrive on site, they already feel like they know me. But for the most part, interview in person when possible. Don't use surveys of any sort.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Be respectful of time. </span>There's no right or wrong time frame. It depends entirely on the purpose of the interview and who you're interviewing. But as a basic guideline, ask for half the time you think you'd really need and stick to it. If you frame your questions well, and stay on track, you won't need all the time you think you do anyway. And you can always follow up later if necessary. Most of my stakeholder interviews run about 20-45 minutes, depending on the purpose. Subject matter interviews may need longer, but for anything requiring more than 1 hour it's better to break it up over multiple sessions. Or turn it into a half day session and call it a workshop!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Carefully craft your questions.</span> This is critical. Developing really effective interview questions is both art and science. Read up on how to design good interview questions for your objectives. Focus your questions on three or four main topics and make sure that every question counts. Edit out the weak questions and eliminate redundancy unless it's part of your interviewing strategy. Always test-drive your interview questions on a real person first. Bonus points if that test person has a similar knowledge base as your actual stakeholders.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Take good notes.</span> Consider having someone else take notes for you so you can focus on the interview. Make notes of any potential quotes that you could use if you're delivering a stakeholder interview report. Quotes that reflect common themes are a great way to personalize the data you collect.E3 Content Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03409021874938799591noreply@blogger.com1