Managing Content on the Princeton Web

During the past decade, Princeton’s web site has grown from a relatively simple tool supporting producers and consumers of information about the institution, its programs, and its people to what is today a complex, mission-critical appliance for teaching, research, administration, and collaboration.

Such complex web sites publish and sustain every day vast amounts of time sensitive information. To manage the mountain of content, Princeton has turned to Content Management Systems that offer an integrated set of powerful features for creating, storing, versioning, and publishing everything from news articles and brochures though audio, video, and images.

Transcript

1. Managing Content on the Princeton Web Lunch 'n Learn - Princeton University November 11th, 2009 Thursday, November 12, 2009
2. Content Thursday, November 12, 2009
3. Where to Begin? • define the site’s goal • ask questions • filter the answers • design document Thursday, November 12, 2009
4. What is IA? “Information architecture (IA) is the art of expressing a model or concept of information used in activities that require explicit details of complex systems.” Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Architecture Thursday, November 12, 2009
5. portabello poppies zinnias snapdragons shitake sliders snapping bog musk chanterelle tulips marigold impatiens hedgehog porcini clematis hydrangea painted matsutake Thursday, November 12, 2009
6. portabello poppies zinnias snapdragons shitake sliders snapping bog musk chanterelle tulips marigold impatiens hedgehog porcini clematis hydrangea painted matsutake Thursday, November 12, 2009
7. portabello poppies zinnias snapdragons shitake sliders snapping bog musk chanterelle tulips marigold impatiens hedgehog porcini clematis hydrangea painted matsutake Thursday, November 12, 2009
8. portabello poppies zinnias snapdragons shitake sliders snapping bog musk chanterelle tulips marigold impatiens hedgehog porcini clematis hydrangea painted matsutake Thursday, November 12, 2009
9. portabello poppies zinnias snapdragons shitake sliders snapping bog musk chanterelle tulips marigold impatiens hedgehog porcini clematis hydrangea painted matsutake Thursday, November 12, 2009
10. Thursday, November 12, 2009
11. Thursday, November 12, 2009
12. Information Architecture • Data Sheets • User Stories • Concept Map • Bullseye Diagram • Navigation Map Thursday, November 12, 2009
13. Creating Data Sheets • collect general information about each of your interviewees • find out about the interviewee’s goals upon visiting your site • If redesigning: • likes/dislikes about current site • content navigable/understandable? Thursday, November 12, 2009
14. One-on-one Interviews • come to the interview unprepared • take user off-subject to gain understanding • write a thank you note Thursday, November 12, 2009
15. Data Sheets Thursday, November 12, 2009
16. Creating User Stories • agile software/web development • use 3x5 cards • customer creates user story • prioritize Thursday, November 12, 2009
17. User Stories Thursday, November 12, 2009
18. Creating Concept Maps • make a list of nouns in your domain • draw lines connecting terms (nouns) • annotate lines with relationships (verbs) Thursday, November 12, 2009
19. Concept Map Thursday, November 12, 2009
20. Creating Bullseye Diagram • make a list of tasks (user stories) • draw a bullseye with three rings • place tasks in rings • look for natural relationships/structure Thursday, November 12, 2009
21. Bullseye Diagram Thursday, November 12, 2009
22. Creating Navigation Map • pick a landing place/page/screen • loosely define the UI for that “place” • backup one step. How do you get there? • sketch siblings that are connected • step back & look for patterns/relationships Thursday, November 12, 2009
23. Navigation Map Thursday, November 12, 2009
24. Manage Thursday, November 12, 2009
25. Managing Content • focus on top tasks • know your audience • write for the web • keep content current • archive content/web records Thursday, November 12, 2009
26. Focusing on Top Tasks • listen to customers • review your data • talk to customers Thursday, November 12, 2009
27. Know Your Audience • usability testing and research • customer satisfaction surveys • focus groups • market research • web server logs • email, phone calls, letters, etc • input from other web content managers • analyze search data • commercial products Thursday, November 12, 2009
28. Write for the Web • write for your audience • written in plain, simple language • tailor your writing to the audience with the least expertise • test your writing with typical visitors Thursday, November 12, 2009
29. Keep Content Current • establish a content review process • use date stamps • manage links • review homepage, major entry points, and navigation elements Thursday, November 12, 2009
30. Systems Thursday, November 12, 2009
31. What is a CMS? “A content management system (CMS) is a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment” Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_management_system Thursday, November 12, 2009
32. Types of CMS • Enterprise CMS (ECMS) • Web CMS (WCMS) • Document Management System (DMS) • Mobile Content Management System • Component Content Management System • Media Content Management System • Knowledge Management System Thursday, November 12, 2009
33. Managing Content • metadata • integration • capture • indexing • storage • retrieval • distribution • security • workflow • disaster recovery • retention period • archiving • collaboration • versioning Thursday, November 12, 2009
34. Features of a Web CMS • collaboration • automated templates • easily editable content • web standards • workflow • delegation • reusability • decentralized maintenance • non-technical • separation of content from design • access control Thursday, November 12, 2009
35. Various CMS Thursday, November 12, 2009
36. Recommended Readings • Designing Web Usability by Jakob Nielson • Designing with Web Standards 3rd edition by Jeffrey Zeldman • Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville • Princeton's Guide to Creating Website Information Architecture and Content http://tinyurl.com/pu-site Thursday, November 12, 2009
37. Questions? Thursday, November 12, 2009
38. Contact Henry Umansky Princeton University humansky@princeton.edu A special thanks goes to... Beck Trench at Duke University, Michael Muzzie at Princeton University, Mark Ratliff at Princeton University, Web Development Services at Princeton University, Office of Communications at Princeton University, The IT Crowd, Geek and Poke, Jakob Nielson, Jeffrey Zeldman, Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville Thursday, November 12, 2009