Andrea's Information Development World mini-workshop http://informationdevelopmentworld.com/speakers/andrea-ames/ Handout: https://www.slideshare.net/aames/handout-for-miniworkshop-content-architecture-where-humans-and-machines-agree If there’s one thing about content on which humans and machines can agree, it’s consistency — particularly architectural consistency. Often the format, markup language, or content management approach that you use is far less relevant than the output of the content—the deliverables, themselves—in the success of content for both humans and machines. This is somewhat controversial, as much of the discussion of “structured content” dives directly to the underlying format—even though the architecture and design of the resulting experience and content within that experience should be driving those more technical decisions. Arguably, the most critical aspect of structured content—“the architecture”—drives the success of the content for people and machines. The pitfalls of leaping directly into a technology discussion—about XML, content management systems, etc.—vs. spending the right time and focus on design can often lead to significantly less successful content, rework, and additional cost. Attend this mini-workshop with Andrea Ames to better understand content modeling at the deliverable and experience level—not at the individual article or topic level. You’ll learn about an approach for accomplishing great content architecture (one that can save time, reduce costs, and help you use your limited resources wisely). And, you’ll discover the steps you’ll need to follow in order to successfully create—and validate—your own content modeling approach.

1. Mini-Workshop
Content Architecture:
Where Humans and Machines Agree
Andrea L. Ames (@aames)
Idyll Point™ Group
29 Nov 2017 @aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC

2. Today’s
discussion
Let’s get on the same page
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3. Today’s
discussion
What enables the best*–
and most consistent –
content architecture
*for your user and content experience
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4. Today’s
discussion
How to build it
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5. @aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC
Before we get started…a quick poll:
Content Modeling Experience
q I’m a pro…I modeled content on clay tablets in cuneiform.
q I’m experienced…I’ve been responsible for everything from modeling
concrete topics to building abstract models.
q I’ve done it a few times…I’ve done some topic modeling for specific
information using existing abstract models.
q I’m tabula rasa, baby…never done it.

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Let’s get on the same page

7. Let’s start with
a controlled
vocabulary J
Distinguish between
data, content, and
information
Distinguish between
content architecture and
information architecture
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8. FromAbby
Covert
(withacoupleoftweaks)
Data
facts, observations, and questions about
something
Content
what the user is interacting with or what you
are arranging or sequencing
Information
What the user interprets from the
arrangement of the content
Information architecture
how we arrange the user-facing parts to be
understandable as a whole
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9. Thus…
Content architecture
is how we arrange the content
and not always user-facing
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10. @aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC
Deliverable
Topic model
Content model
Experience framework
Personas,
journeys...
Content
types,
formats
Navigation,
search...
Metrics,
KPS...
Let’s level-set on levels … of abstraction

11. @aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC
Deliverable
Topic model
Content model
Experience framework
Personas,
journeys...
Content
types,
formats
Navigation,
search...
Metrics,
KPS...
Let’s level-set on levels … of abstraction

12. @aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC
Deliverable
Topic model
Content model
Experience model
Let’s level-set on levels … of abstraction
Taxonomy of your content

13. REMEMBER:
For our
customers
It’s more that just content
It’s the
experience
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14. And for us
It needs to be all about the
experience
Everything we do
should have
a direct correlation
to the experience
we’re building
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15. In the end…
Taxonomy is Rhetoric
(again, a la Abby Covert J)
There’s no one right way
Your organization and
classification says something
about you
Instead, make your taxonomy say
something about your user!
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16. Bad
experience
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17. Good
experience
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18. Factors
contributing to
sub-optimal
experience
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Lack of strategy
Lack of plan Silos
Politics
Lack of user
knowledge
Unplanned
redundancy
Inconsistency
Inappropriate incentives
Lack of measures
Disjointed
flow
Poor navigation design

19. Factors
contributing to
sub-optimal
content
architecture
@aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC
Lack of strategy
Lack of plan Silos
Politics
Lack of user
knowledge
Unplanned
redundancy
Inconsistency
Inappropriate incentives
Lack of measures
Disjointed
flow
Poor navigation design

20. @aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC
What enables the best and most
consistent content architecture
Models! And in particular, content models

21. Consistency
through
systems
Organizational support
Shared models à
processes, goals, incentives,
content types, metrics
Structured content
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22. 1. Organization supports and incents
integrated content strategy,
design, and development
2. Teams plan content using
processes, frameworks, models
to create a unified content strategy
3. Strategy and design informed
by validated research
about the customer
4. The right content consistently
delivered where, when, and how
it’s needed to ensure customer
success across the entire journey
5. Effectiveness measured
ongoing to determine results
Content
strategy
ecosystem
excellence
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23. Experience
framework
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Personas,
journeys...
Content
types,
formats
Navigation,
search...
Metrics,
KPS...

24. Our focus
today
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Deliverable
Topic model
Content model
Experience framework

25. Content Model
Defines standard building blocks, called
“types”
Scale: From the atomic level to larger
deliverables
Includes: Any dimensions of types that
are important to your user/experience
and needed for appropriate author
access, storage, and delivery; e.g.,
subject, context(s), format, etc.
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26. Additional
context you
will need
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Personas,
journeys...
Content
types,
formats
Navigation,
search...
Metrics,
KPS...

27. Let’s evaluate
your current
context
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Interested in a detailed ecosystem evaluation? Contact me: andrea@IdyllPointLLC.com

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How to build it
(and if we have time, how to apply it J)

29. Warning:
Curves ahead
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30. Warning: More
curves ahead
Process that follows is ideal.
Assumes ecosystem support.
Your mileage may vary.
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31. Last warning:
“It depends”
There is more than one way
to skin a cat
Or to create a content
model…
top-down, bottom-up
Objects in mirror
are larger than they appear.
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32. Prereqs:
Leverage user
knowledge
The subjects and units of
information your users will
need
The best ways to structure
and combine the
information
The best presentation style
and media to communicate
the information
The deliverable and
delivery vehicle/channel
that will work best
@aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC 32
1

33. Create a
controlled
vocabulary
Standardize common subjects
Capture in taxonomy
Standardize common terms for
describing content model elements
Capture “all appropriate items”
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2

34. Identify
customer
deliverables
Define standard, customer-
recognizable information
deliverables
Specify how to combine atomic units of information
and common subjects to deliver understandable,
stand-alone information products that humans will
see and touch
Yes, this is a forward-reference J
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3

35. Identify
content atoms
Standardize list of required atomic
units of content
The information objects that you can’t break down
into smaller pieces without making them
meaningless
Capture as content type elements
– required and optional
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4

36. Identify
delivery
mechanisms
Identify delivery vehicles
Iterate with model defining access
mechanisms
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5

37. Make it easy to
implement
Develop presentation templates,
indicating how to use to present
the information deliverables for
human consumption, with required
and optional elements
Document it!
Describe required and optional deliverables with
their required and optional elements, how they
relate to one another and are used and delivered,
and how the content model can be applied to
produce offering-specific content
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6

38. 38
Validate your
model
Across several different products,
information sets, etc.
Test early, test often, during the process of
developing your offering-specific content
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7

39. Applying your
model
Models have value when applied
systematically
Get stakeholder support
Train teams
Enforce use
Govern
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40. @aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC

41. Questions
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42. Andrea L. Ames
Keynote speaker, author
CEO/Founder & Content Experience Strategist
Idyll Point™ Group
Program Chair & Instructor, Technical Writing & Communication
UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley
2016 MindTouch Top 25 Content Strategy Influencer
STC Fellow & past president
ACM Distinguished Engineer
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