Content Modeling: Where Strategy, Design, and Tech Converge

Presented 5/1 at Peers Conference 2015 in Philadelphia, PA.

Building a better CMS driven website. Focusing on the importance of having a CMS engineer involved in strategic site planning and use of Content Modeling to help manage the convergence of strategy, design, and technology.

1. Content Modeling
2. Who am I? Seth Giammanco Minds On Design Lab
 Principal, Business and Technology Lead @sethgiammanco
 @mindsondesign http://mod-lab.com Architecting, building, and using the web since ’95 I like Aikido Content Modeling
3. Goals Building a Better CMS Driven Website Content Modeling Site developers and CMS engineers need to have a seat at the table of content strategy.
4. Goals Content Modeling
5. Goals Content Modeling
6. What is a content model? “A content model helps clarify requirements and encourages collaboration between the designers, the developers creating the CMS, and the content creators.” - Rachel Lovinger, Content Strategy Director, Razorfish NYC - 
 http://alistapart.com/article/content-modelling-a-master-skill Content Modeling
7. What is a content model? Technical documentation for your digitally delivered content. • What are the different types of content? • What are the elements that comprise each type? • What are the relationships between types of content? • How does each content type connect to desired outcomes? Content Modeling
8. What is a content model? What does it look like? Content Modeling
9. What is a content model? Content Modeling Strategy
 What is the role of each content type? What fields require attention to strategic detail? Design
 What content do we have to design with/for? What is missing that we want? Tech
 How does the content map into the CMS?
10. How is a content model created? “Content models appear to be the black sheep of information architecture. They are seldom done.” - Cleve Gibbon, CTO, 
 Cognifide — http://www.clevegibbon.com/content-modeling/what-is-content-modeling/ Content Modeling
11. How is a content model created? Process - Working Backwards • Strategy: What do want to have happen? • Strategy: What is the content like? • Strategy: How is the content organized • Tech: How we will deliver the 
 content well? • Design: How will be presented 
 to establish/support brand and support CTAs Content Modeling
12. How is a content model created? What’s the Point? The Strategy Who are the audiences the site is trying to engage and what do you want them to do? Audience & Outcomes Planning • What are the key audiences for a given page or area of a site? • What are the CTAs for these pages/areas? • How does the content on these pages work to achieve the desired outcome? Content Modeling
13. How is a content model created? What’s the content like? You need to get intimate with the content. Make it romantic
 It’s not about numbers and it is not a sitemap! Getting to know content is not “We have 100 pages” and certainly is not a spreadsheet with page titles. Content Modeling http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/spotlight-the-st-regis-aspen-resort/27159
14. How is a content model created? What are the different types of content? • General Page • Blog • Event • News • Press Release • Product • Testimonial • Review • … Content Modeling
15. How is a content model created? Explore similarities between content News = Press Release = Blog? Content Modeling Explore relationships between content News -> Event Schedule -> Event Speaker -> Event
16. How is a content model created? Define the relationships • Category • Tag • Direct content lookup fields (Relationships, Playa, …) Content Modeling
17. How is a content model created? Define the structure of content • Event - Title - Start Date - End Date - Summary - Description - Detail Image - Location - … Content Modeling
18. How is a content model created? What is the content that doesn’t fit a Section/Channel Type? What are your globals? • Header Content • Footer Content • House Ads • … Content Modelling
19. How is a content model created? Break it down Content modeling begins with strategic understandings, involves reviewing content intimately, and documenting types, relationships, and elements. Content Modeling https://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-break-it-down-20/
20. Why does a content model matter? “Create one that is too complex and full of distinctions without meaningful differences and you wind up with unwieldy content management systems (CMSs) and unhappy content creators. But if you don’t break the hard rocks of the given subject matter you wind up with an unstructured blob of content that is hard to reshape and reuse.” - Anthony Kosner, Contributor to Forbes.com. Developer and designer, content strategist, producer and web editor. -
 http://contently.com/strategist/2013/03/12/content-modeling-and-the-art-of-the-database/ Content Modeling
21. Why does a content model matter? In Action: GCEUS The “Action Topic” - highlighting related content around a cause that can inspire the right audience at the right time. Content Modeling
22. Why does a content model matter? In Action: Tech 1. Topic Title 2. Topic Subtitle 3. Topic Summary 4. Detail Image Relationships are facilitated via a lookup field from action -> action topic. Content Modeling 1 2 3 4
23. Why does a content model matter? Content Modeling In Action: Tech 1. Home Page - Featured 2. Action Topic List 3. Action Topic Detail 1 2 3
24. Why does a content model matter? Break it down Content modeling impacts the delivery of your strategic messaging, visual design possibilities, and technology efficiency and ease of use… to name a few. Content Modeling https://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-break-it-down-20/
25. What can go wrong? “Content modeling is one of these lonely ungrateful jobs, that nobody notices, except if something goes wrong.” - Albert Warnecke, Bandikutmedia - 
 http://www.bandikutmedia.de/eintrag/content-modeling-the-tip-of-the-iceberg Content Modeling
26. What can go wrong? WYSIWYG If your answer to modeling different content is a WYSIWYG that looks like this … Content Modeling ckeditor.com/demo#full
27. What can go wrong? Content Frankenstein’s monster • News • Article • Press Release • Blog Content Modeling • Update • Action Alert • Happening • Impact Story http://mets360.com/?attachment_id=18219
28. What can go wrong? Tech Frankenstein’s monster Add-ons to the rescue! 1, 2, 3 Okay … 4, 5, 6 Beware 7, 8, 9 Why why why! Content Modeling http://mets360.com/?attachment_id=18219
29. What can go wrong? CMS ease of use This is the form entry for your blog, event, page, staff member, board member, product, story, … Content Modeling
30. What can go wrong? CMS ease of use • What are these fields used for? • What data do I enter? • Where is that PDF that has all the directions? Content Modeling
31. What can go wrong? This! The result of going wrong. • I hate working with this website! • This CMS is so not easy to use, I want another one! • We need a new development partner. Content Modeling
32. What can go wrong? Break it down Content modeling gone wrong impacts flexibility, maintainability, brand and messaging alignment, and most of all quality of web publishing life. Content Modeling https://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-break-it-down-20/
33. Why it matters the sequel: The now and future tech Outcomes driven by stories require flexible content solutions. Content should be able to change from page to page, web to app, and from device to device. Content Modeling
34. Why it matters the sequel: The now and future tech Content blocks Content Modeling http://www.newfangled.com/ the_way_you_design_web_content_is_about_to_change
35. Why it matters the sequel: The now and future tech Content blocks: We have the technology • Craft CMS - Matrix - http://buildwithcraft.com • Statamic - Replicator - http://statamic • Perch - Blocks - http://grabaperch.com/ • ExpressionEngine - Blocks - https://eeblocks.com/ • Wordpress - Divi - http://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery/divi/ - Advanced Custom Fields - http:// www.advancedcustomfields.com/add-ons/flexible- content-field/ • Drupal - Layout - https://www.drupal.org/project/layout Content Modeling
36. Why it matters the sequel: The now and future tech Content Modeling
37. Why it matters the sequel: The now and future tech API madness Digital content travels beyond the confines of a website. • RSS for blobs • API is modeled way EECMS - Templates/ Entry API Craft CMS - Templates & Routing Wordpress 4.1 REST API http://wptavern.com/json-rest-api-slated-for- wordpress-4-1-release Content Modeling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Step_Beyond...
38. Why it matters the sequel: The now and future tech Content Modeling
39. Why it matters the sequel: The now and future tech Responsive design is not a fad … it’s an accessibility issue! It’s an SEO Issue! Content Modeling http://bradfrostweb.com/blog/post/this-is-the-web/
40. Why it matters the sequel: The now and future tech Responsive and performant • Images - One Image … many versions - Responsive, Retina, and Performance • Video Embeds - Oembed - Foundation div.flex-video • Content as discrete and easily targeted entities = opportunity for thoughtful and fun responsive optimizations Content Modeling
41. Why it matters the sequel: The now and future tech Break it down Content modeling can lead 
 to more effective distributed use of content, increase accessibility and optimization, and support publishers. Content Modeling https://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-break-it-down-20/
42. Summary Content Modeling
43. Strategic design and technology mod-lab.com