Big Content: Content Strategy as a

Design Framework

© 2012 Intentional Design Inc. www.intentionaldesign.ca

Rahel Anne Bailie @rahelab

Content Strategy

Business communications

Technical communication

IA/Usability Content/info management

SOME

DESIGN

FRAMEWORKS

Product design

Credit: NASA Engineering design process

WHERE’S THE CONTENT?

Industrial design

Credit: Product design consultants Costello Design

WHERE’S THE CONTENT?

Web design

Credit: University of Texas

CONTENT

Web design • Requirements analysis

• Project charter, contracts, finances

• Site map, servers, folders, software, resources Planning

• Wireframe and design elements, create mock-ups

• Review and approval cycle

• Slide and code valid XHTML/CSS Design

• Build development framework and code templates

• Develop /test features, interactivity, links, functionality

• Fill with content Development

• Polish

• Transfer to live server / test

• Cross-browser check Launch

• Hand off to client

• Documentation and source files

• Project close, final documentation Post-Launch

Credit: Smashing Magazine

CONTENT

CONTENT

Credit: Jesse James Garrett

Web design

Web design

Credit: UX Movement

CONTENT

Web design

Credit: Adaptive Path

CONTENT

CONTENT

DESIGN:

CONTENT DELIVERY MECHANISMS

UX

Tech

Content

Design

Change

Tech

UX

Content

Design

Change

Design

UX

Content

Tech

Change

Content

UX

Design

Tech

Change

Credit: conversation with Whitney Quesenbery

Content

UX

Design

Tech

Change

Credit: conversation with Whitney Quesenbery

USERS

How useful is this site…

…without content?

If you couldn’t find what you wanted…

…would technical elegance matter?

Without the content…

…does the design matter?

CONTENT AND DESIGN: A GREAT TEAM

The purpose of design

Content in context

Data Context Content

Content Context Infor-

mation

Infor-mation

Context Know-ledge

The purpose of content strategy

“Content strategy is the repeatable system that governs the management of content throughout the entire lifecycle.”

- Rahel Anne Bailie IntentionalDesign

• Modeling/typing

• Configure/components

• Structure /standards

• Repository

• Aggregate/Transform

• Publish/Syndicate

• Evaluate

• Iterate or sunset

• Author/Edit

• Acquire

• Version/Localize

• Metadata

• Requirement analysis

• User research

• Governance planning

• Budget

Analyze Collect

Manage Publish

LET’S TALK

CONTENT STRATEGY

Content strategy

The phrase “from the right source on the right platform in the right media to the right people at the right time in the right channel in the right format in the right version in the right language” is quite a mouthful, and too long for Twitter. That's why we're better off calling it something simple, like content strategy.

Credit: Rahel Anne Bailie

Strategy

Alternatives chosen to make happen a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem.

Content

Something contained, in a receptacle

The stuff between the tags

Potential information

Human-usable, contextualized data

http://profile.typepad.com/jgollner

http://goo.gl/bmIhg

www.thefreedictionary.com/content

Rahel Anne Bailie at Lavacon 2010

…is expensive to create.

…is a valuable business asset.

…is complex to manage.

…is the primary vehicle for comprehension.

…deserves to be managed with care.

WHERE ARE WE GOING WITH THIS?

The Big C

BIG Content

…allows business to tell the whole story.

…considers infrastructure.

…looks at business processes.

…remembers governance.

…recognizes the importance of data quality.

Example of how to think about Big Content: http://intentionaldesign.ca/2012/05/29/move-over-big-data-its-time-for-big-content/

Storytelling (Curation)

Infrastructure

Content Federation

Document Repository

Content Repository

Database

Interaction by Business Process

Interaction by Role

Interaction by Content Type

Metadata

Content / Document Lifecycle Management

Print

Subject Matter Experts (content creators/reviewers)

Documentation

Public Awareness Program

OQ

Training Material

O&M Manual

Field Guide

Repository

Topic

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Option to single-source content between other publications

Combine and recombine content to create manuals

Approved?

Yes No

Web, XXXX, Sharepoint

Archive

Outdated?

SOP

Compliance Analyst

(reviews,edits)

Yes

No

Business processes

Governance

Communication

Board & Committees

Legal & Regulatory

Business Practices & Ethics

Disclosure & Transparency

Risk & Performance Management

Monitoring

Data quality

Content strategy goes beyond the content, beyond the site, beyond the design.

Design Brief:

Where is the content section?

May 25, 2011

2 days after volcanic eruption

CMS configuration:

Where are your content types, flows, and models?

So your content can be delivered as needed

Usability tests:

How are you testing content?

( = international roaming)

( = SIM card)

…to an integrated user experience

User experience:

How are you planning for publishing?

Get inspired

Get informed

Get involved

Get together

Get content

Want more content strategy? 2-day intensive workshop series: contentstrategyworkshops.com