![Workshops and Exercises (cont.)
Mad Libs
– User Stories: Establishes what product is and why people use it
• For [target customer], who has [customer need], [product name] is
a [market category] that [one key benefit]. Unlike [competition],
the product [unique differentiator].
– Project Direction: Establishes high-level goals, users and content needs
• Our content should help [target users] [user goal]. To do this, our
content must be [descriptive phrase]. The content should make
users feel [adjective]. We’ll know we’re successful when users
[desired action], which will help us [business goal].
– Specifics:
• 1-2 hours
• Stakeholders + facilitator (you)
• Mad lib worksheets
Content Strategy Southern California
@ContentSoCal](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/6d9583f5-39dc-43d6-bb07-bd25270dfe4f-160806035510/85/Transforming-UX-with-Content-Strategy-24-320.jpg)
Transforming-UX-with-Content-Strategy
- 3. Transforming User Experience with Content Strategy Content Tips, Tactics, and Tricks for Great UX #ConnectPasadena #ADP #ADPinnovation #ContentStrategy @ContentSoCal
- 4. What the heck is content strategy? 4
- 5. Content Strategy Is Not Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal • Content marketing • Managing writers • Editing • Voice and tone guidelines (or any set of artifacts — these are tactical outcomes of content strategy) • Newsletters or blogs • Copywriting
- 6. Content Strategy Is The establishment of a plan for the creation, publication, distribution and repurposing of useful, usable content that: • Defines the “how” and the “why” of content types and assets • How content is used to meet organizational goals and user needs • Why a specific content type is relevant to those goals and needs • Guides decisions on the content lifecycle, from discovery to deletion • Sets benchmarks against which to measure (future) success Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 7. What It Is Content strategy plans for the creation, publication and governance of useful, usable content. Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 8. Content Strategy Quad At the center, Core Strategy defines how content will be used to achieve business objectives and meet user needs. Content Components • Substance – What content is needed to achieve business goals? • Structure – How will content be prioritized, organized, displayed? People Components • Workflow – What tools, processes are needed to establish, maintain strategy? • Governance – Who (internally) has oversight over key content decisions? Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 9. Content in UX Source: Marcella Missirian, User Experience and the UX Process Content Content ContentContent Content Content Content Content Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 10. Content in UX Source: Sonya Lee, UX Your Life: Applying User Experience Principles to Your Life ContentContent ContentContent Content Content Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 11. Large-scale content organization Enterprise content strategy 11
- 13. Business Strategy User Experience Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal • Provides insight into the overall goal of the campaign or project • Provides use case information • Offers viability of content workflow and governance plans from organizational perspective • Provides insight into user flow and projected swim lanes • Provides the delivery platforms and display context of the content • Partners with content strategy to frame the story
- 14. Content Analysis Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal Messaging Goals • Content Plan • Content Calendar Content Audit • URLs • Content Types Data Sources Taxonomies How do we make sure content is • Findable • Useful • Engaging?
- 15. Content Preparation Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal 1. Determine what content goes where – Qualified, sorted, ranked, organized – Tagged according to metadata schema 2. Customize the CMS – Content details: types, assets, sub-assets 3. Content Workflow – Creation, management, maintenance
- 16. Content Implementation Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal 1. Content is created according to the messaging aligned with editorial strategy. 2. Content manager or producer uses the workflow model to put content into the CMS 3. Content is measured, analyzed, improved.
- 17. Better content always equals better user experience. 17
- 18. Template Design and Content Strategy Designing Templates for Content and Users • To ensure that each page can achieve its stated intent, rely on the content strategist for insight and decisions about content elements of each template, their relative weight, and how they interrelate. • Do proposed templates meet all business and user needs? Are some extraneous? Ask the content strategist. • With tools such as editorial calendars, campaign communications plans, and “parking lot” lists of requested capabilities, the content strategist identifies gaps and contributes to template usability. Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 19. Component Design and Content Strategy Structured Content = Consistent Content The content strategist’s expertise enables her to weigh in on which content- entry fields are needed in each component, which must be suppressible or optional, and which options must be provided for usability and flexibility. Examples: > Fields needed in “Page Properties” > Correlations & re-use: what is fed by each content field > Number of calls to action (CTAs), images, headers Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 20. Operational Considerations Staffing and Resource Planning • Does the production team have sufficient resources (staff writers, art directors, video producers, or budget to procure them via contractors) to keep the site fresh? The content strategist can weigh in on resources needed; executives determine staffing and resource commitments. The delta identifies areas for further discussion. Editorial Calendars • With knowledge of past editorial calendars, will there be there sufficient content to feed the beast? Conversely, does the interactive model provide sufficient opportunity to present content for all anticipated situations? Test, retest, and test again. Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 22. Workshops and Exercises Message Architecture – Hierarchy of communication goals – Drives tactical components of communication (visual, verbal, interactive) – Specifics: • 2-3 hours • Stakeholders + facilitator (you) • 100+ index cards with adjectives • 3 category cards: Who We Are, Who We’re Not, Who We’d Like to Be Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 23. Workshops and Exercises (cont.) Core Model – Core pages = business objectives + user tasks – Defines inward paths, core content and forward paths – Shows how different pages are connected and prioritizes core content and modules – Specifics: • 3-4 hours • Stakeholders + project team (UX, content, design, etc.) • Handouts of user tasks and business objectives • Core model worksheets Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 24. Workshops and Exercises (cont.) Mad Libs – User Stories: Establishes what product is and why people use it • For [target customer], who has [customer need], [product name] is a [market category] that [one key benefit]. Unlike [competition], the product [unique differentiator]. – Project Direction: Establishes high-level goals, users and content needs • Our content should help [target users] [user goal]. To do this, our content must be [descriptive phrase]. The content should make users feel [adjective]. We’ll know we’re successful when users [desired action], which will help us [business goal]. – Specifics: • 1-2 hours • Stakeholders + facilitator (you) • Mad lib worksheets Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 25. Tips Avoid Lorem Ipsum Like the Plague – Write real copy (even if throw-away). – Use draft copy, existing site copy, competitor copy or descriptive copy. Map Content to Personas – What specific content do personas need to solve their problems? – What format do they prefer or need? – Where and how will they access it? Test Content Efficacy in Usability Tests – What does the content say? – How does it make users feel? – Is it readable, usable and clear? – Do users know what to do with the content? Does it have clear CTAs? Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 26. More Tips Think Like a Content Strategist When Performing Audits – Assess quality (ROT), language, labels, messaging, content types, sources, etc. Apply the Brand Voice and Tone to Your Process – Think about the look, feel and sound of a product. – What is the visual lexicon that will convey the brand personality (colors, typography, visual style)? – What emotional interactions methods should you use to support it? – Apply vocabulary and tone to user flows, CTA buttons, journey maps, sitemaps, error pages, form fields, storyboards, etc. Content Strategy Southern California @ContentSoCal
- 27. Transforming User Experience with Content Strategy Content Tips, Tactics, and Tricks for Great UX 10.21.2015 @ContentSoCal