How Content Strategy Can Transform Government Websites

The purpose of content strategy is to achieve high-level goals by maximizing the impact of content. This presentation will explore how content strategy applies to modern government websites, and what steps can be taken to ensure meaningful, interactive experiences. We will also review specific case studies demonstrating how content strategy applies at both a local and federal level.

Topics covered will include:

- Principles of content strategy
- Working with stakeholders and teams
- Defining audiences and outcomes
- Tracking and measurement
- Content audits and inventory

To learn more or contact Aaron, visit http://www.civicactions.com

Transcript

1. How  Content  Strategy  Can     Transform  Government     Websites Aaron  Pava   @pava
2. AARON PAVA @ CIVICACTIONS @ PAVA
3. Question
4. Lorem ipsum
5. We’re Doing It Wrong
6. Image Source: http://optimalexperience.com/what-we-do/our-approach/fitting-in-with-your-processes/
7. Image Source: http://optimalexperience.com/what-we-do/our-approach/fitting-in-with-your-processes/
8. So What?
11. Content Strategy
12. ❖ Principles of Content Strategy ❖ Content Strategy in Action! ❖ Public Sector Content Strategy ❖ Real-World Case Studies
13. Content  Strategy Guides  your  plans  
 for  the  creation,  delivery  &   governance  of  content
14. Content  Strategy Use  words  and  data  to  
 create  unambiguous  content   that  supports  meaningful,   interactive  experiences…
15. FOR  USERS Content  Strategy
16. In  Other  Words… Achieve  high-­‐level  goals  and   create  meaningful  experiences  
 for  users.
17. Content Strategy Principles
18. Principles ❖ Substance   ❖  Structure   ❖  Workflow   ❖  Governance
19. Principles ❖ Substance   ❖  Structure   ❖  Workflow   ❖  Governance
20. Substance What  kinds  of  content     do  we  need?
 (topics,  types,  sources,  etc.)
21. Substance What  messages  do  we  need  to   communicate  to  our  audience?
22. Principles ❖ Substance   ❖  Structure   ❖  Workflow   ❖  Governance
23. Structure How  is  it  prioritized,  organized,   formatted  &  displayed?  
 (IA,  metadata,  data  modeling)
24. Principles ❖ Substance   ❖  Structure   ❖  Workflow   ❖  Governance
25. Workflow What  processes,  tools,  and   human  resources  are  required  to   maintain  ongoing  quality?
26. Principles ❖ Substance   ❖  Structure   ❖  Workflow   ❖  Governance
27. Governance How  are  the  key  decisions
 made,  changes  initiated  and   communicated?
28. Content Strategy in Action!
29. Big  Context Content  strategy   is  to  copywriting     as  information  architecture   is  to  design
30. Content  Strategy  in  Action ❖ Define  Agency’s  High-­‐Level  Goals   ❖  Audit  the  Existing  Content   ❖  Understand  Audience  Needs   ❖  Map  Content  to  Agency  Goals   ❖  Define  Workflow  &  Governance
31. Define  Agency’s  High-­‐Level  Goals Content  is  good  when  it     helps  accomplish  your     users  and  agency’s  goals   in  a  sustainable  way
32. Define  Agency’s  High-­‐Level  Goals There  should  be  little     variance  between  the     users  and  agency’s  goals
33. Audit  the  Existing  Content   A  spreadsheet  that  includes:
 all  pages,  structure  (fields),     and  supporting     site  architecture  
34. Understand  Audience  Needs Define  Audience  &  Visitors   Run  Focus  Groups   Do  Surveys   Deep  Dive  into  Analytics    
35.  Map  Content  to  Agency  Goals Both  for  existing  content  and  
 to-­‐be-­‐created  content  
36.  Define  Workflow  &  Governance Map  internal  and  community   capacity  for  creating,  editing,   and  publishing  various  types  of   content
37. Public Sector Content Strategy
38. What  steps  can  an  agency  take
 to  ensure  meaningful,  
 user-­‐centered  experiences? Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
39. Public  Sector  Content  Strategy Government  agencies     need  to  take  an     information-­‐centric  approach.  
40. ❖ Be  user-­‐centric!  (align  to  goals)   ❖ Always  think  multi-­‐platform  
  (mobile,  social,  web,  print)   ❖ Be  agile  and  iterate  
  (test  with  real  users!)   ❖ Use  plain  language Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
41. ❖ Differentiate  between  recent   and  evergreen  content   ❖ Define  policies  for  governance   ❖ Sustainable  content  includes  
 the  plan  for  managing  it   ❖ Focus  on  simplicity! Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
42. ❖ Define  agency’s  voice  and  tone   ❖ Know  the  purpose  for  every   piece  of  content   ❖ Omit  content  that  doesn’t  
 serve  goals   ❖ Adopt  best  practices Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
43. ❖ Define  from  the  start  how   content  is  organized,  structured,   and  accessed   ❖ Test  for  usability  and   accessibility  prior  to  launch Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
44. ❖ Define  roles  and  responsibilities   for  content  flow   ❖ What  happens  to  content  once   it  has  been  published?   ❖ Have  policies  and  infrastructure   for  ongoing  oversight Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
45. ❖ Use  analytics  to  stay  informed   of  site  visitors  needs   ❖ Proactively  archive  content  that   is  not  used  or  fails  to  meet  goals   ❖ Improve  search  through   standardized  metadata Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
46. ❖ Enable  user  ranking  and   satisfaction  of  content   ❖ Allow  users  to  vote  and   comment  on  selected  content   ❖ Create  data  driven  content   when  possible Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
47. ❖ Syndicate  content  using   government  standards   ❖ Highlight  timely  and  actionable   content  and  note  it  as  such   ❖ Provide  access  to  agency  
 data  sets  to  facilitate  
 innovation Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
48. ❖ Use  APIs  and  open  data   whenever  possible!   ❖ Increase  mobile  access   ❖ Commit  adequate  resources   ❖ Avoid  PDFs Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
49. ❖ Use  graphics,  infographics,   graphs  and  summaries   ❖ Create  short  videos  that  can  be   used  across  platforms   Public  Sector  Content  Strategy
50. Case Studies
51. Arkansas.gov  Case  Study   70%  of  visitors  were     using  search  first     to  find  what  they  were    looking  for
53. Arkansas.gov  Case  Study   The  new  search  accesses   databases  of  people,  agencies,   services,  jobs,  and  web  pages   simultaneously.
54. Arkansas.gov  Case  Study   The  system  learns  from  other   users  who  successfully  located   content  &  provides  
 predictive  search  suggestions
55. Energy.gov  Case  Study Goal  to  isolate  local  content   from  national  content.
 (most  relevant  rebates,  
 tax  incentives,  news,  data)
57. Designed  for  low-­‐income   audience  to  serve  as  a  portal  to   recipes,  nutrition  information,   and  access  to  information  about   benefits  to  make  members’   lives  easier  and  healthier.   San  Francisco  Human  Services   Agency  Case  Study
58. San  Francisco  Human  Services   Agency  Case  Study ❖ Playful,  Fun,  Engaging,  Easy,  Intuitive   ❖ Leverage  tech  currently  being  used  by   the  target  audience  (mobile)   ❖ Recipes  that  are  culturally  relevant     ❖ Contribute  to  changing  people’s  lives   ❖ Influence  eating,  cooking,  shopping,   and  lifestyle  habits  
62. Resources
63. Books
64. Web  Links Brain  Traffic  Resources http://blog.braintraffic.com/category/resources/   ! The  Epic  List  of  Content  Strategy  Resources   http://www.jonathoncolman.org/2013/02/04/content-strategy-resources/   ! Digital  Gov’s  Content  Strategy  Resources   http://www.digitalgov.gov/?s=content+strategy   ! Complete  Beginner’s  Guide  to  Content  Strategy   http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/complete-beginners-guide-to-content- strategy/   ! National  Dialogue  on  Improving  Federal  Websites  (PDF)   http://www.usa.gov/webreform/national-dialogue-report.pdf   !
65. Presentations ! Content  Management  for  Government http://www.slideshare.net/hannonhill/content-managementforgovernment   ! Public  Sector  Infographics   http://www.pinterest.com/ianirving/public-sector-infographics/   ! Content  Strategy  Workflow  &  Governance  Workshop,  UX  Bristol  2014   http://www.slideshare.net/sophiedennis/content- strategybeyondthewireframe-20140716   ! Content  Strategy  for  Designers:  ConvergeSE  2014   https://speakerdeck.com/jponch/content-strategy-for-designers- convergese-2014   ! ! !
66. THANK  YOU! Aaron  Pava   @pava   Q&A