Project Discovery for Content Websites

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

Transcript

1. Project Discovery
   for content websites
   

   View Slide

2. @souvikdg
   

   View Slide

3. Miranj
   We architect information and 

   design radically simple, future-proof websites
   

   View Slide

4. Content-driven Websites
   Represent an organisation or a business
   Publishing platform (stories, articles, news, etc.)
   Facilitate e-commerce
   

   View Slide

5. “We want our new website to be modern,

   mobile-optimised, easy to change

   and good looking.”

   

   “And oh, SEO-friendly as well.”
   

   View Slide

6. View Slide

7. The problem usually doesn’t lie in
   what they’re sharing, but rather
   on what they’re not sharing.
   

   View Slide

8. Problem Space Solution Space
   vs
   

   View Slide

9. Doctor by Hamza Butt on Flickr
   https://www.flickr.com/photos/149902454@N08/35081927460
   

   View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

12. Typically briefs are unclear or
    inadequate because they try to
    communicate the solutions rather
    than the problems.
    

    View Slide

13. So, discovering project
    needs becomes a necessary
    part of our work.
    

    View Slide

14. 5 Stages of
    Discovery
    

    View Slide

15. 1. Listen

    2. Probe
    3. Prioritise
    4. Strategise
    5. Align
    5 Stages of
    Discovery
    

    View Slide

16. View Slide

17. Who?
    

    View Slide

18. All stakeholders
    

    View Slide

19. Web Team
    Designer
    Developer / Technologist
    Content Strategist
    Information Architect
    Copywriter
    

    View Slide

20. Client
    “Website manager” or “Product owner”
    Management (decision maker)
    

    View Slide

21. Ongoing Roles
    Marketing and Communication
    Content-writer / authors
    Editor
    Digital Marketer
    

    View Slide

22. Anyone else who may 

    either have a say, 

    or simply, have good ideas.
    

    View Slide

23. Listen
    Stage 1
    

    View Slide

24. Domain
    Get familiar with the business, stakeholders,
    processes and terminologies
    

    View Slide

25. Wishlist
    Goals, Wishes, Content, Demand, 

    Outcome, Impact, Quality, Analytics, 

    Features, Functionality, etc…
    

    View Slide

26. View Slide

27. View Slide

28. No “thought” or “idea” is
    discarded at this stage
    

    View Slide

29. 1 “thought” or “idea”
    goes on
    1 sticky note
    

    View Slide

30. View Slide

31. Synthesise
    Add to the “thoughts” and move them around
    to achieve a structured understanding
    of the client’s domain
    

    View Slide

32. Identify the various
    stakeholders, business priorities
    and potential content inventory
    

    View Slide

33. Align with the
    client’s vocabulary
    

    View Slide

34. Landscape
    Peers, Competitors or Superstars
    

    View Slide

35. Probe
    Stage 2
    

    View Slide

36. Constraints
    Timelines, Budgets, Life Expectancy (ROI)
    

    View Slide

37. How long should this

    new website last?
    

    View Slide

38. Goals
    Features, Functionalities or important Outcomes
    

    View Slide

39. Goals Hygiene
    vs
    

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

41. View Slide

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.
    

    View Slide

43. View Slide

44. The often-missing Audience
    Internal team members, content author / manager,
    partners, future hires, search bots, etc.
    

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

46. Brand
    Collect the expressions and phrases that determine the 

    positioning of the organisation or the service
    

    View Slide

47. View Slide

48. Content
    Identify types and for each detail the editorial
    process, frequency of publishing or update and real
    (or representative) samples
    

    View Slide

49. What is content?
    

    View Slide

50. All current and “future”
    information, document,
    write-up, knowledge, etc.
    

    View Slide

51. Marketing collateral

    is content
    

    View Slide

52. Media is content
    

    View Slide

53. Features and functionalities
    have intrinsic content
    

    View Slide

54. Synthesise
    Goals, Audience, Content, Design, Brand
    

    View Slide

55. Audience Goal (Outcome)
    

    View Slide

56. Audience Goal (Outcome)
    Content
    

    View Slide

57. Audience → Content → Goal
    Mapping is tedious but it is 

    important for the key outcomes
    

    View Slide

58. Prioritise
    Stage 3
    

    View Slide

59. “Everything is important”
    

    View Slide

60. Prioritisation is about

    “focusing on impact”
    

    View Slide

61. Prioritisation is about
    “analysing feasibility”
    

    View Slide

62. Prioritisation is about

    “building consensus”
    

    View Slide

63. Goals, Audience and Content
    

    View Slide

64. View Slide

65. Card Sorting
    

    View Slide

66. Voting
    

    View Slide

67. Fist-to-five
    

    View Slide

68. Impact vs Effort
    

    View Slide

69. High Effort

    High Impact
    High Effort

    Low Impact
    Low Effort

    High Impact
    Low Effort

    Low Impact
    

    View Slide

70. Strategise
    Stage 4
    

    View Slide

71. Content-First
    

    View Slide

72. Content Strategy
    Choice of Content, Discoverability, Frequency of Updates, 

    Narrative and Storytelling, Page or Design Strategy, etc.
    

    View Slide

73. Information Architecture
    Identify the primary content models 

    and break them down into smaller components.
    

    View Slide

74. Content models can be
    “broken down” in two ways…
    

    View Slide

75. Semantic Style
    vs
    

    View Slide

76. Semantic
    Title
    Author
    Excerpt
    Body
    Date
    Topic
    Cover Image
    Style
    vs
    Text Block
    Image Block
    Video Block
    Gallery Block
    Timeline Block
    

    View Slide

77. Sitemap v2 by James Box on Flickr
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/b0xman/4472627015
    Sitemap and Navigation
    follows the information architecture
    

    View Slide

78. Technology
    CMS, Caching, SEO, Plugins, 

    Other 3rd Party Services, Performance Budgets
    

    View Slide

79. Work Plan
    For all stakeholders, including clients (fulfilling pre-requisites)
    

    View Slide

80. Align
    Stage 5
    

    View Slide

81. Discuss and agree on the

    Strategy, Scope and Plan
    

    View Slide

82. Responsibilities
    RACI matrix

    R=Responsible, A=Accountable, C=Consulted, I=Informed
    

    View Slide

83. Project Management
    Introduction to tool or process
    

    View Slide

84. 1. Listen

    2. Probe
    3. Prioritise
    4. Strategise
    5. Align
    

    View Slide

85. 1. Listen

    2. Probe
    3. Prioritise
    4. Strategise
    5. Align
    Problem Space
    Solution Space
    

    View Slide

86. A website is 

    not a commodity.
    

    View Slide

87. Neither is the 

    process of discovery.
    

    View Slide

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.
    

    View Slide

89. And, helps speak the same
    language through the 

    project execution.
    

    View Slide

90. Not to mention, clients also gain
    a lot of clarity — not just about
    website but also their business!
    

    View Slide

91. The Challenge
    

    View Slide

92. Thanks!
    

    View Slide