What I learnt from working with a content strategist

What to expect as a UXer working alongside a content strategist. Or rather, what a content strategist can do for you, the UXer. Presented at UX Camp Brighton 2016.

Transcript

1. Clearleft What I learnt from working with a content strategist Richard Rutter, Clearleft @clagnut UX Camp Brighton 2016
2. @eldevri
3. Phase 1 - Immersion and Strategies • Stakeholder interviews • User archetype development • Brand strategy • Brand language, tone of voice and messaging guidelines • Content inventory and gap analysis • Overall information architecture and navigation scheme • Design principles • Content topology (taxonomy, content types, etc) • Determine requirements for CMS and campaign software • Content strategy recommendations Phase 2 - Production and Development • Navigation mechanisms • Page structures • Detailed page content tables • Page and component layouts • Visual design • Possible prototype and usability testing • Front-end development • CMS configuration, integration, testing and deployment • Post-delivery support
4. Clearleft User archetype development (proto-personas)
7. Think and feel (preoccupations) See (environment) Say and do (behaviour) Hear (influences) Gain (wants, needs, success) Pain (fears, frustrations, obstacles) • What is important to them? • What really counts for them? • What keeps them up at night? • What are their worries and aspirations? • What does it look like? • Who surrounds her? • How do they access websites? • What are main forms of communication? • What do their colleagues say? • What does their boss say? • What other media or sources are influential? • What is their attitude in public? • What is their behaviour towards others? • What is their biggest pain? • What is their biggest frustration? • What obstacles are holding them back? • What do they gain? • What do they want to achieve? • How do they determine or measure success? • What strategies, shortcuts or workarounds might they use?
8. • Gaining empathy leads to developing messaging for the personas • Knowing more about the tone of voice for each audience group • What pieces of website or other content do they need to help • Knowing more about the tone of voice for each audience group
13. archetypesinbranding.com
14. Definition: Campaign (to support) A campaign supports a cause or several causes. It may also be used to advocate causes. A campaign is supported and promoted by partners but can sometimes just be set up by Theirworld. A campaign is supported by campaigners , which may include individual supporters, who may be members of the public. A campaign has specific goals, targets, timings and key dates with associated actions that are planned. A campaign may evolve into a movement. Campaign types We use a range of tactics including digital campaigning, public mobilisation, youth mobilisation, high level advocacy etc A campaign may have more than one online petition associated with it as well as messaging politicians directly, crowdfunding, schools packs, high profile supporters and youth rallies, Campaign examples #upforschool Syrian rappers petition signing #safeschools Not to be confused with… A campaign is different from a movement because it has fixed goals, timings and can be ended. It is rigorously planned with actions in mind.
15. Individual Supporters Campaigns Causes support advocate Projects Actions Movements Goals GYAs Countries News Member groups Lifestages Partners Moments Resources Blogs Top table targets Updates Coalitions lead to support promote support include focus on contribute to publicise influence influence advance promote generate generate run write active in build towards address use provide read share affect live in / interested in occur in support form run in Concept Map v1.1 Richard Rutter, Clearleft use
16. Campaign flow Campaign Action Social media, email, word of mouth, home page, etc Cause Story (Voices post) Share Campaign Resources News article/ blog post Social media, email, word of mouth, home page, etc User Journeys v1.0 Richard Rutter, Clearleft Share Cause depends on subject Campaign flow Project A supporter clicks a link in their social media feed and lands on a Campaign page. They click to read a story on a GYA’s blog about the benefits of the campaign. The blog post directs them back to Campaign where they click the call-to-action. The supporter is directed to an Action page and completes the action (eg. signs a petition). They share the action on their social media. They are presented with further campaigning options (‘what to do next’) and directed towards campaign- specific Resources. A supporter clicks a link to a News article in their social media feed. They read the article and share it with their own social network. The news article is about a Project and, interested, they follow the link to the Project page for more information. They see the project has a campaign behind it and follow the link to the Campaign page.
17. Site Map v1.1 Richard Rutter, Clearleft Page 1/2 Fundraise / Donate Voices GYA blog post Staff blog post Guest blog post Personal story Topic Country News Centre News article Topic Country Campaigns Campaign Action Cause Campaign Resources Update Voice post Project Explainer Resources Teacher packs GYA Resources Advocacy Resources files files files files Campaign Resources Take Action* Impact (past campaigns) * Not a page in itself, just a nav item Movement Podcast files Podcast host eg. Soundcloud, iTunes Movement (A World at School) Social media presence Our Community GYAs Partners Coalition Campaign Site Map v1.1 Richard Rutter, Clearleft Page 2/2 Causes Explainer* Cause x 4 (one per lifestage) Campaign Project file * A short to feature-length page about a theme, issue, report or any other useful information. Always associated with a Cause. Topic Projects Project Voices post News Updates Join Celebrities Join Impact (past projects)
20. 4.5 Governing documents and tools > Sample content brief and page table Page tables are essential writing briefs for any writer who is commissioned to write content. They can be designed to suit the project. The page table is usually created by the person who co-ordinates the content writing process. Page code: EXPLA_THEME_CHILDMARRIAGE Page template in CMS: XXX Page writer: Ellen de Vries Peer reviewer: Melinda Gazelle Subject Matter Expert Genie Smith Core aims of this page: To provide an educational overview of the theme To offer ‘the story so far’ To act as a holding area for core data on the topic To offer shareable nuggets of information for users To tell some ‘on the ground stories’ To offer information about breakthroughs in the theme to date Key questions to answer with this page Why is child marriage an important issue? Why is it a barrier to education? Who is affected by the problem? What shifts in the political landscape have there been? What does the future look like? What can people do to support the cause? Target audience Educators. Youth supporters. Non-youth supporters. Core media to be used: IMG_101 Youtube video [Link] Page breakdown Intro component Individual voice component Data component Sub heading Sub heading Sub heading Useful links In-line signposts to: [URL] [URL] Metadescription Tagging Recommended resources for the writer to use Original content on A World At School for Child Marriage [URL] A World at School [URL] Additional comments e.g This page needs more individual voices and quotes. Chief editor to source [DONE]
21. Working with content strategists • Get a content strategist from the start • Form a close partnership • Assign roles and ownership • CS form intimate understandings of users and staff • Use their research • Content strategists are your friends - use them or lose out
22. Thank you! Richard Rutter, Clearleft @clagnut http://clearleft.com/is/hiring