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
   

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2. YOUR WEBSITE NEEDS HELP.
   

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3. You’re alone on
   this island.
   

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4. You’re alone on
   this island.
   A redesign will
   save you
   RIGHT?
   . . .
   

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5. You’re alone on
   this island.
   A redesign will
   save you
   RIGHT?
   . . .
   

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6. THERE’S
   HOPE!
   

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7. WHO WE ARE.
   (WHY YOU SHOULD TRUST US)
   

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9. 1
   CONTENT
   INVENTORY
   

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10. WHERE TO START.
    

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13. Page title URL Notes
    A CONTENT INVENTORY.
    

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16. Page title URL Notes
    U.S. Geological Survey www.usgs.gov Lots of links. Check later to ensure all captured.
    

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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.
    

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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.
    

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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
    

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26. Skimming each page
    WHAT AM I REALLY DOING ?
    Documenting
    Looking for gotchas
    Capturing ideas for things I might want to change later
    

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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
    

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28. 2
    CONTENT
    AUDIT
    

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29. R
    O
    T
    edundant
    utdated
    rivial
    

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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
    

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31. GIANT SITE ?
    OVERWHELMED ?
    Your website isn’t a
    scrapbook
    

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32. 3
    AUDIENCES
    

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33. “ My site is for everyone! ”
    

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34. A site made for everyone, often feels like it is for no one.
    Is it really ?
    

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35. Prospective students
    Alumni
    Legislators
    Media
    Faculty
    Staff
    Current students
    Research
    collaborators
    Donors
    Parents
    

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36. Prospective students
    Parents
    Alumni
    Donors
    Current students
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    

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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
    

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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
    

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39. TAKE A BREAK.
    

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40. 4
    VOICE & TONE
    

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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.
    

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42. We are plainspoken.
    

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43. We are genuine.
    

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44. Content isn’t just
    text
    

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45. VOICE & TONE
    Serious
    Formal
    Respectful
    Matter-of-fact
    Funny
    Casual
    Irreverent
    Enthusiastic
    OR
    OR
    OR
    OR
    

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46. Predict your reader’s
    emotional state.
    VOICE & TONE .
    

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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
    

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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
    

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51. 5
    GOALS
    

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52. Why are you doing this ?
    

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53. To make your website better ?
    

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54. What does better mean to
    your organization ?
    

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55. Attract new members
    ORGANIZATION
    GOALS
    Explain the importance of
    membership to the
    organization
    Highlight member perks
    List and thank members
    WEBSITE
    TACTICS
    

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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
    

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57. When will you use the goals ?
    

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58. 6
    ORGANIZATION
    

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59. STEP 1
    CARD SORT
    

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62. CARD SORT
    1
    2
    Organize the cards
    into a minimum of 4
    groups.
    Label each group
    (with the blank card)
    15 Min
    

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64. STEP 2
    SITE MAP
    

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66. STEP 3
    PAGE OBJECTIVES
    

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67. Which audience group is this for?
    FOR EACH PAGE ASK...
    What goal does this content support?
    

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68. Which audience group is this for?
    What goal does this content support?
    Order of your
    navigation
    FOR EACH PAGE ASK...
    

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69. TAKE A BREAK.
    

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70. 7
    WRITING FOR
    THE WEB
    

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72. WHY BOTHER?
    People don’t read anyway.
    

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73. (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
    

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74. STOP BLAMING
    USERS FOR YOUR
    CONTENT
    PROBLEMS
    

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75. scannable
    “People don’t read”
    IF your content isn’t...
    findable
    understandable
    

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76. Be brief.
    Improve your content’s readability
    Be clear.
    Add visual structure.
    Don’t overfeed.
    

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77. 50%
    Write no more than
    of the text you would
    have used in a hard copy.
    BE BRIEF
    

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78. Grade 8
    Average reading level for adults in the US
    BE CLEAR
    

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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
    

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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
    

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81. DON’T OVERFEED.
    Bite
    Snack
    Meal
    Well-written headline that
    links to more information
    Key message or brief
    summary
    The details
    

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82. SAN FRANCISCO, Wednesday, July 18, 2018 (AP)
    San Francisco bans tour buses from
    ‘Full House’ residence
    

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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.
    

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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.
    

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85. TRANSLATED TO THE WEB ...
    

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86. Bite: A headline, link, or both plus a very brief description
    

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87. Snack: Key message or brief summary
    

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88. Meal: the details
    

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89. 7
    Your Turn
    On your own, work
    through creating
    content that matches
    the bite, snack, meal
    method.
    10 Min
    

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90. CORE STRATEGY
    YOUR
    

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93. REGARDLESS.
    

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94. Take this back to your team
    Talk it out
    You must agree (sorry)
    For the real deal:
    

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95. Our content should help our
    users/customers [user goal], [user
    goal], and [user goal].
    

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96. To do this, our content must be
    [adjective], [adjective], and
    [adjective].
    

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97. This content should make users
    feel [adjective] and [adjective].
    

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98. We will know we are successful
    when users [desired action] and
    [desired action], which will
    help us [business goal] and
    [business goal].
    

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99. YOUR CORE
    STRATEGY
    On your own, fill in the
    blanks to create a first
    draft of your own core
    strategy!
    10 Min
    

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100. Need some help?
     

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101. RESOURCES
     tinyurl.com/just-enough-strategy
     @LGatesMarkel
     @melindamiller
     @allieofisher
     pixotech.com
     

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