Build a Better Authoring Experience

Segregating content guidelines into training documents is a great way to make sure no one will actually read them.

If we want site administrators and authors to follow our recommendations, we have to try something new: building the guidelines into the CMS interface itself. We’ll talk about how to name and organize fields, and learn to write help text that lets our authors do their jobs well. Most importantly, we’ll learn how to communicate the information needed for ongoing support of structured content, information architecture, and design.

Full transcript and video at http://webmeadow.com/blog/archives/201509/build-a-better-authoring-experience .

Transcript

1. Eileen Webb Director of Strategy & Livestock 
 @webmeadow Improving the Authoring Experience Micromanaging for All the Right Reasons
2. Uh-oh, content length
3. Uh-oh, picture choice
4. Uh-oh, reuse woes
5. Why are you breaking my site?
15. What are
 content guidelines?
16. Who are
 content guidelines for?
17. Our intrepid heroes Dedicated
 Web Team Part-time Editors You Your Community
18. Our intrepid heroes Dedicated Web Team Part-time
 Editors You Your Community
19. Our intrepid heroes Dedicated Web Team Part-time Editors You Your Community
20. Our intrepid heroes Dedicated Web Team Part-time Editors You Your Community
21. Our intrepid heroes Dedicated
 Web Team Part-time
 Editors You Your Community
22. First: figure out your
 content model
23. A content model is
 a representation of all 
 the content types and relationships on your site http://www.google.com/patents/US7794547
24. Look for repeating patterns in your content http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-ginger-cake-103238
25. Look for repeating patterns in your content http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-ginger-cake-103238
26. Look for repeating patterns in your content http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-ginger-cake-103238
27. It’s hard to build consistent content 
 in this
28. It’s much more reasonable in this
29. Creating Content Guidelines Write enough, but not too much https://flic.kr/p/AZToY
30. Names give context • Content Type • Type Description • Field Names
31. Editorial: what are we saying? • Voice & tone • Underlying messages • Intended audience • Grammar reminders • Information that must (or must not) be included
32. Format: how are we saying it? • Field length • Data format (with example) • If a field uses HTML, which tags are accepted? • For a checkbox or select list, how many selections are allowed?
33. Images: not all photos are equal • Image file format • Image shape & size • Where/how will this image be used? • Art direction
34. Display: where does this content go? • Does this field control where the content will be displayed? • Will the contents of this field be displayed alongside other information? • What are “categories” and “tags” fields used for?
35. Who should be involved
 in creating
 content guidelines?
36. Build guidelines with your team Designers Developers
37. Build guidelines with your team Marketing Content Team
38. Build guidelines with your team QA Customer Service
39. https://www.flickr.com/photos/shepard4711/14339825810 Talk to your team:
 Build with, not for.
40. How do you communicate content guidelines to your authors?
41. PDF Pros • Easy • Tons of formatting control • You can do this yourself; no development resources necessary https://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyohm/2979302736
42. PDF Cons • No one reads them • Multiple versions floating around https://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyohm/2979302736
43. In the CMS Pros The information
 is shown right where it’s needed
44. In the CMS Pros Fields can be organized and grouped to make content entry easy https://www.flickr.com/photos/53771866@N05/6123741198
45. In the CMS Pros Customize the AX to make their jobs clearer and easier AX = UX for authors https://flic.kr/p/9wHTqk
46. In the CMS Pros Authors are always being shown the latest version https://www.flickr.com/photos/peasap/2923944370
47. In the CMS But! Putting guidelines directly in the CMS (probably) requires development resources https://www.flickr.com/photos/iicd/5348562559
48. What about those of us in the real world? https://www.flickr.com/photos/jenrossey/2676754612
49. Put a link to the content guidelines 
 on the edit screen https://www.flickr.com/photos/benhusmann/3120095949
50. Get your guidelines 
 into HTML https://www.flickr.com/photos/nics_events/2349630471
51. Update and review regularly https://www.flickr.com/photos/sanjoselibrary/8282689830
52. Content guidelines we are all in agreement now
 they are the best
53. Eileen Webb Director of Strategy & Livestock 
 @webmeadow 
 content-workshops.com Thank you!