Just Enough Strategy: How to redesign your site without losing your marbles

Not every web project requires a big budget or lots of staff time. And guess what? You may not even need a redesign to help your organization meet its goals and reach the right audiences. For smaller web projects, strategic content alone makes a huge difference.

User experience and content strategy consultants from Pixo will walk you through realistic processes for wrangling your unruly site – without giving up a year of your life.

presented by Allie Ofisher, Melinda Miller, and Lindsey Gates-Markel of Pixo

Transcript

1. JUST ENOUGH STRATEGY. How to redesign your site without losing your marbles
2. YOUR WEBSITE NEEDS HELP.
3. You’re alone on this island.
4. You’re alone on this island. A redesign will save you RIGHT? . . .
5. You’re alone on this island. A redesign will save you RIGHT? . . .
6. THERE’S HOPE!
7. WHO WE ARE. (WHY YOU SHOULD TRUST US)
9. 1 CONTENT INVENTORY
10. WHERE TO START.
13. Page title URL Notes A CONTENT INVENTORY.
16. Page title URL Notes U.S. Geological Survey www.usgs.gov Lots of links. Check later to ensure all captured.
19. Page title URL Notes U.S. Geological Survey www.usgs.gov Lots of links. Check later to ensure all captured. Science Category only. No page.
22. Page title URL Notes U.S. Geological Survey www.usgs.gov Lots of links. Check later to ensure all captured. Science Category only. No page. Science Explorer www.usgs.gov/science/s cience-explorer Landing page that’s a directory for section.
25. Page title URL Notes U.S. Geological Survey www.usgs.gov Lots of links. Check later to ensure all captured. Science Category only. No page. Science Explorer www.usgs.gov/science/s cience-explorer Landing page that’s a directory for section. Biology and Ecosystems www.usgs.gov/science/s cience-explorer/Biology +and+Ecosystems Just a list of topics
26. Skimming each page WHAT AM I REALLY DOING ? Documenting Looking for gotchas Capturing ideas for things I might want to change later
27. Your Turn 1 2 Pair off and pick a site that one of you works on. Start on the homepage and work your way down through the site’s sections. 1 15 Min
28. 2 CONTENT AUDIT
29. R O T edundant utdated rivial
30. Page title URL ROT To-do About Us https://www.us gs.gov/about/a bout-us Outdated Change dates at bottom, update mission statement with revised version Who We Are https://www.us gs.gov/about/a bout-us/who-w e-are Trivial—Same content as “About Us” Consolidate with About Us History www.usgs.gov/ science/scienc e-explorer Category Past Directors www.usgs.gov/ science/past-di rectors Redundant? History is covered elsewhere. Analytics show users rarely visit this page. Remove blurbs about directors from 1950 and earlier
31. GIANT SITE ? OVERWHELMED ? Your website isn’t a scrapbook
32. 3 AUDIENCES
33. “ My site is for everyone! ”
34. A site made for everyone, often feels like it is for no one. Is it really ?
35. Prospective students Alumni Legislators Media Faculty Staff Current students Research collaborators Donors Parents
36. Prospective students Parents Alumni Donors Current students 1 2 3 4 5
37. Is this program right for me? How do I get more information? How do I apply? What will I be able to do with this degree? Will I get a job? Prospective students Parents Alumni Donors Current students 1 2 3 4 5
38. AUDIENCES ACTIVITY Using the worksheet, brainstorm all possible audiences of your site. Feel free to collaborate with others from your organization or discuss with a tablemate. 3 15 Min
39. TAKE A BREAK.
40. 4 VOICE & TONE
41. 1. We are plainspoken. We understand the world our customers are living in: one muddled by hyperbolic language, upsells, and over-promises. We strip all that away and value clarity above all. Because businesses come to Mailchimp to get to work, we avoid distractions like fluffy metaphors and cheap plays to emotion. 2. We are genuine. We get small businesses because we were one not too long ago. That means we relate to customers’ challenges and passions and speak to them in a familiar, warm, and accessible way. 3. We are translators. Only experts can make what’s difficult look easy, and it’s our job to demystify B2B-speak and actually educate. 4. Our humor is dry. Our sense of humor is straight-faced, subtle, and a touch eccentric. We’re weird but not inappropriate, smart but not snobbish. We prefer winking to shouting. We’re never condescending or exclusive—we always bring our customers in on the joke.
42. We are plainspoken.
43. We are genuine.
44. Content isn’t just text
45. VOICE & TONE Serious Formal Respectful Matter-of-fact Funny Casual Irreverent Enthusiastic OR OR OR OR
46. Predict your reader’s emotional state. VOICE & TONE .
47. Think about your reader’s emotional state. Try to understand their frame of mind and talk to them where they are. Find out what happens just before your message appears.”. “ - NICELY SAID
50. VOICE ACTIVITY 4 On your own, use the worksheet to think through your organization’s voice and practice writing in different voices. 10 Min
51. 5 GOALS
52. Why are you doing this ?
53. To make your website better ?
54. What does better mean to your organization ?
55. Attract new members ORGANIZATION GOALS Explain the importance of membership to the organization Highlight member perks List and thank members WEBSITE TACTICS
56. Increase newsletter signups ORGANIZATION GOALS Explain the benefits of our newsletters Make signing up for newsletters easier Increase the visibility for newsletter signup WEBSITE TACTICS
57. When will you use the goals ?
58. 6 ORGANIZATION
59. STEP 1 CARD SORT
62. CARD SORT 1 2 Organize the cards into a minimum of 4 groups. Label each group (with the blank card) 15 Min
64. STEP 2 SITE MAP
66. STEP 3 PAGE OBJECTIVES
67. Which audience group is this for? FOR EACH PAGE ASK... What goal does this content support?
68. Which audience group is this for? What goal does this content support? Order of your navigation FOR EACH PAGE ASK...
69. TAKE A BREAK.
70. 7 WRITING FOR THE WEB
72. WHY BOTHER? People don’t read anyway.
73. (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
74. STOP BLAMING USERS FOR YOUR CONTENT PROBLEMS
75. scannable “People don’t read” IF your content isn’t... findable understandable
76. Be brief. Improve your content’s readability Be clear. Add visual structure. Don’t overfeed.
77. 50% Write no more than of the text you would have used in a hard copy. BE BRIEF
78. Grade 8 Average reading level for adults in the US BE CLEAR
79. Use heading levels • Assistive technologies use them to provide in-page navigation • Nest headings by their rank (or level) ADD VISUAL STRUCTURE Write meaningful alt text • No need to use “an image of…” • How would you describe the image to someone over the phone? Use key words in headings • Be as specific as possible • Clarity > cleverness Create bulleted lists • Avoid “walls of text” • Act as cues for assistive technology and search engines
80. Use heading levels. Assistive technologies use them to provide in-page navigation. Nest headings by their rank (or level). The most important heading is Heading 1. Use key words in headings. Be as specific as possible. Clarity > cleverness. Write meaningful alt text. No need to say “An image of…” How would you explain the image to someone over the phone? Create bulleted lists. Avoid “walls of text.” Act as cues for assistive technology and search engines. Add visual structure
81. DON’T OVERFEED. Bite Snack Meal Well-written headline that links to more information Key message or brief summary The details
82. SAN FRANCISCO, Wednesday, July 18, 2018 (AP) San Francisco bans tour buses from ‘Full House’ residence
83. SAN FRANCISCO, Wednesday, July 18, 2018 (AP) San Francisco bans tour buses from ‘Full House’ residence Spokesman Paul Rose says neighbors complained about double parking and congestion outside the Victorian home, causing traffic hazards. The exterior of the Broderick Street house was used as the family’s residence in the original show and in a Netflix reboot in 2016. The producer who created the show bought the home for more than $4 million in 2016. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency voted Tuesday to ban commercial vehicles from Broderick Street after neighbors complained. Vehicles that seat nine or more people will no longer be allowed on the block. Bite Snack Meal Spokesman Paul Rose says neighbors complained about double parking and congestion outside the Victorian home, causing traffic hazards. The exterior of the Broderick Street house was used as the family’s residence in the original show and in a Netflix reboot in 2016. The producer who created the show bought the home for more than $4 million in 2016.
84. SAN FRANCISCO, Wednesday, July 18, 2018 (AP) San Francisco bans tour buses from ‘Full House’ residence Spokesman Paul Rose says neighbors complained about double parking and congestion outside the Victorian home, causing traffic hazards. The exterior of the Broderick Street house was used as the family’s residence in the original show and in a Netflix reboot in 2016. The producer who created the show bought the home for more than $4 million in 2016. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency voted Tuesday to ban commercial vehicles from Broderick Street after neighbors complained. Vehicles that seat nine or more people will no longer be allowed on the block. Bite Snack Meal Spokesman Paul Rose says neighbors complained about double parking and congestion outside the Victorian home, causing traffic hazards. The exterior of the Broderick Street house was used as the family’s residence in the original show and in a Netflix reboot in 2016. The producer who created the show bought the home for more than $4 million in 2016.
85. TRANSLATED TO THE WEB ...
86. Bite: A headline, link, or both plus a very brief description
87. Snack: Key message or brief summary
88. Meal: the details
89. 7 Your Turn On your own, work through creating content that matches the bite, snack, meal method. 10 Min
90. CORE STRATEGY YOUR
93. REGARDLESS.
94. Take this back to your team Talk it out You must agree (sorry) For the real deal:
95. Our content should help our users/customers [user goal], [user goal], and [user goal].
96. To do this, our content must be [adjective], [adjective], and [adjective].
97. This content should make users feel [adjective] and [adjective].
98. We will know we are successful when users [desired action] and [desired action], which will help us [business goal] and [business goal].
99. YOUR CORE STRATEGY On your own, fill in the blanks to create a first draft of your own core strategy! 10 Min
100. Need some help?
101. RESOURCES tinyurl.com/just-enough-strategy @LGatesMarkel @melindamiller @allieofisher pixotech.com