How content strategy & UX can tackle the content challenge together
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This document tells a story about how an information architect named Kurt and a content strategist named Frank learned to work together effectively on a large portal project. They defined their roles early, did a show and tell of deliverables, and agreed on how to refer to different content types. Over the years, as their careers advanced, Frank had to educate others about content strategy through roadshows and examples, while Kurt continued to improve collaboration between user experience designers and content strategists by establishing check-ins, encouraging agile sharing of work, and having strategists consider the ongoing impact of their work. The document advocates that user-centered content is best achieved through collaboration between UX and content teams.
How content strategy & UX can tackle the content challenge together
- 1. Murray Cox Acting Head of Content Strategy How Content Strategy and UX can tackle the content challenge together Julie Mahoney | Head of Content Strategy, LBi
- 2. Once upon a time there was an information architect and a content strategist… And a long, long time ago, they had less “interesting” problems than they do today.
- 3. They got along OK, but never really had many “opportunities” to work on projects together…
- 4. But life was still pretty good, until one day an account person brought in a new kind of project. This one was shiny. And big. Big enough to rule the world really. It was called portal. And it wanted to go global. Insert brand here
- 5. Luckily, both Kurt and Frank took deep breathes and gathered their courage before plunging into those portal depths… “Dude. No one knows what I do…” “Why does every website have to be so self-referential and use click here text!”
- 6. And they did three really good things… Defined their roles early on Did a show and tell Agreed “what to call things”
- 7. They knew they would wear many hats “Researcher ” Finder of 3rd party stats and competitive insights Defined their roles early on “Big concept ” guy Creator of main categories “Relationship maker” Creator of relating content types to each other
- 8. Kurt and Frank did a show and tell of deliverables… Did a “show and tell”
- 9. And when blending their deliverables, they agreed on a methodology first Did a “show and tell”
- 10. Frank created a visual glossary of content types that he and Kurt refined until they had a universal way of thinking about content Agreed “what to call things” This made them totally popular and successful when the project was delivered in time and on budget
- 11. But our story doesn’t end there. Over the years, Kurt and Frank rose through the digital ranks…working their way from place to place, until they landed in a very nice agency that eventually launched its own content strategy department…
- 12. Funny enough…when Frank first joined the agency, most people had a totally different interpretation of content strategy
- 13. So Frank had to do roadshows (and socialising and chatting), educating people about content strategy
- 14. And Frank did three really good things… Demystified the process Made the case for content Showcased examples of amazing content
- 15. Sometimes he showed the content strategy in full…
- 16. Sometimes he showed examples of content strategy deliverables and how they helped both businesses and users
- 17. Sometimes he built the case around the commercial value of content Metrics! Case Studies ! Research!
- 18. And sometimes he just got people excited with examples of good content
- 19. Meanwhile… a mysterious monster emerged from the deep, dark internets called POE a.k.a Paid, Owned, and Earned Media
- 20. But luckily Kurt was still sharpening his collaboration skills working with more and more content strategists. And Kurt did three really good things… Established regular check points in a project Encouraged agile sharing Encouraged UXers to think beyond the sprints
- 21. He always used a reconciliation process and routine with creative, user experience, and content strategy all putting up WIP every Friday
- 22. He always encouraged agile sharing from everyone…Frank’s colleague Michael Exon was known to quickly sketch up his deliverables to show their purpose
- 23. He always clarified the purpose of his deliverables, knowing that his sitemap would live on …dictating content creation and migration…
- 24. And eventually user-centered content!
- 25. a more beautiful answer goes to he who asks the more beautiful question -e.e. cummings
- 26. A BEAUTIFUL QUESTION IS ONLY BUILT WITH UX AND CONTENT WORKING TOGETHER