Project Discovery for Content Websites

Talk presented at Powered By CMS, Pune. https://poweredbycms.in

Transcript

1. Project Discovery for content websites
2. @souvikdg
3. Miranj We architect information and 
 design radically simple, future-proof websites
4. Content-driven Websites Represent an organisation or a business Publishing platform (stories, articles, news, etc.) Facilitate e-commerce
5. “We want our new website to be modern,
 mobile-optimised, easy to change
 and good looking.”
 
 “And oh, SEO-friendly as well.”
7. The problem usually doesn’t lie in what they’re sharing, but rather on what they’re not sharing.
8. Problem Space Solution Space vs
9. Doctor by Hamza Butt on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/149902454@N08/35081927460
10. Doctor by Hamza Butt on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/149902454@N08/35081927460 Problem Space I have fever I feel dizzy My stomach is paining My cut is bleeding Solution Space vs I’ve got typhoid I need MRI Scan Prescribe me aspirin
11. Problem Space Feels old Difficult to browse on phones Pain to modify Dislike the design Doesn’t show on Google Solution Space vs Modern Mobile-optimised Easy to edit Good looking SEO-friendly
12. Typically briefs are unclear or inadequate because they try to communicate the solutions rather than the problems.
13. So, discovering project needs becomes a necessary part of our work.
14. 5 Stages of Discovery
15. 1. Listen
 2. Probe 3. Prioritise 4. Strategise 5. Align 5 Stages of Discovery
17. Who?
18. All stakeholders
19. Web Team Designer Developer / Technologist Content Strategist Information Architect Copywriter
20. Client “Website manager” or “Product owner” Management (decision maker)
21. Ongoing Roles Marketing and Communication Content-writer / authors Editor Digital Marketer
22. Anyone else who may 
 either have a say, 
 or simply, have good ideas.
23. Listen Stage 1
24. Domain Get familiar with the business, stakeholders, processes and terminologies
25. Wishlist Goals, Wishes, Content, Demand, 
 Outcome, Impact, Quality, Analytics, 
 Features, Functionality, etc…
28. No “thought” or “idea” is discarded at this stage
29. 1 “thought” or “idea” goes on 1 sticky note
31. Synthesise Add to the “thoughts” and move them around to achieve a structured understanding of the client’s domain
32. Identify the various stakeholders, business priorities and potential content inventory
33. Align with the client’s vocabulary
34. Landscape Peers, Competitors or Superstars
35. Probe Stage 2
36. Constraints Timelines, Budgets, Life Expectancy (ROI)
37. How long should this
 new website last?
38. Goals Features, Functionalities or important Outcomes
39. Goals Hygiene vs
40. Goals Flexibility in page layout and content Evolution in brand positioning Higher time on site Low bounce rate Increase repeat visitors Hygiene vs Easy to use Easy to edit Good looking Mobile friendly SEO optimised
42. Audience Identify the distinct groups that are likely to land on our website and for each type map out their context and motivations, current solutions and their problems.
44. The often-missing Audience Internal team members, content author / manager, partners, future hires, search bots, etc.
45. Design Run over references from the wild (including peers and competitors) that help us capture reaction from clients and understand their tastes and aspirations
46. Brand Collect the expressions and phrases that determine the 
 positioning of the organisation or the service
48. Content Identify types and for each detail the editorial process, frequency of publishing or update and real (or representative) samples
49. What is content?
50. All current and “future” information, document, write-up, knowledge, etc.
51. Marketing collateral
 is content
52. Media is content
53. Features and functionalities have intrinsic content
54. Synthesise Goals, Audience, Content, Design, Brand
55. Audience Goal (Outcome)
56. Audience Goal (Outcome) Content
57. Audience → Content → Goal Mapping is tedious but it is 
 important for the key outcomes
58. Prioritise Stage 3
59. “Everything is important”
60. Prioritisation is about
 “focusing on impact”
61. Prioritisation is about “analysing feasibility”
62. Prioritisation is about
 “building consensus”
63. Goals, Audience and Content
65. Card Sorting
66. Voting
67. Fist-to-five
68. Impact vs Effort
69. High Effort
 High Impact High Effort
 Low Impact Low Effort
 High Impact Low Effort
 Low Impact
70. Strategise Stage 4
71. Content-First
72. Content Strategy Choice of Content, Discoverability, Frequency of Updates, 
 Narrative and Storytelling, Page or Design Strategy, etc.
73. Information Architecture Identify the primary content models 
 and break them down into smaller components.
74. Content models can be “broken down” in two ways…
75. Semantic Style vs
76. Semantic Title Author Excerpt Body Date Topic Cover Image Style vs Text Block Image Block Video Block Gallery Block Timeline Block
77. Sitemap v2 by James Box on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/b0xman/4472627015 Sitemap and Navigation follows the information architecture
78. Technology CMS, Caching, SEO, Plugins, 
 Other 3rd Party Services, Performance Budgets
79. Work Plan For all stakeholders, including clients (fulfilling pre-requisites)
80. Align Stage 5
81. Discuss and agree on the
 Strategy, Scope and Plan
82. Responsibilities RACI matrix
 R=Responsible, A=Accountable, C=Consulted, I=Informed
83. Project Management Introduction to tool or process
84. 1. Listen
 2. Probe 3. Prioritise 4. Strategise 5. Align
85. 1. Listen
 2. Probe 3. Prioritise 4. Strategise 5. Align Problem Space Solution Space
86. A website is 
 not a commodity.
87. Neither is the 
 process of discovery.
88. As much as the process is about discovery, it is also about everyone aligning and being on the same page about the problems and the solutions.
89. And, helps speak the same language through the 
 project execution.
90. Not to mention, clients also gain a lot of clarity — not just about website but also their business!
91. The Challenge
92. Thanks!