Presentation for Dallas/Fort Worth WordPress Meetup, 4/24/10, by Chris Ronan and Leia Scofield of RD2, Inc.

1. @rd2incrd2inc.com

2. Chris Ronan @cronan http://blog.rd2inc.com/archives/author/chris-ronan/Leia Scofield @leia http://blog.rd2inc.com/archives/author/leia/

3. A Design Studio + Lab + Partner

4. For companies who want to be the best in their line of business. And, for those who recognize the importance of delivering on design innovation as a valuable tool to take on their journey

5. what does "RD2" stand for?

6. R = ResearchD = DesignD = Develop

8. The name, further explained:http://blog.rd2inc.com/?p=677

9. tools

10. Some of our tools are obvious Text editors Graphic design software (Adobe Suite) Staging servers and environments

11. Some are less obvious User Experience Plan WordPress Drupal

12. Yes, we use Drupal too

13. [bending spoon pic]

14. But why do we love WordPress?

15. [light saber pic]

17. From this...

19. To this...

28. what's the big design challenge?

29. design is subjective

30. That's the challenge and the beautiful thing all rolled into one

31. Applications of design that work best can perform: In a subjective worldIn an objective world

32. sub·jec·tive[suhb-jek-tiv] -adjective"existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought" "placing excessive emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc.; unduly egocentric."

33. ob·jec·tive[uhb-jek-tiv]-adjective "not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased: an objective opinion." "verifiable"

34. Subjective:We picked these colors because...It was the color of my first bicycleThey're the color of my dog's eyesBecause I think this color palette is beautiful

35. Objective:We picked these colors because...They support the mood of your overall company message and go to market strategyThey are in the corporate style guideThey exemplify a fundamental change or direction in managementThey best convey the mood and message I'm trying to communicate

36. how do you design like a pro?

37. Step back and add the big, three letter filter...

38. WHY

39. Apply "WHY" to everything

40. Do it deliberately and with discipline...

41. ...apply it to every idea, every widget, every category, every tag, every banner, every suggestion

42. or your website could start to look like this

44. framework for design

45. Step away from WordPress Plan Explore

46. Give yourself a context for "WHY"

47. STEP 1: define your goals and objectives

48. The overarching reason or purposeThe highest level missionThe key summaryOften found through core values

49. Goals and Objectives (Examples for Businesses)

50. "Unleash the power and authenticity of our strongest assets: our employees and our customers."

51. "Encourage brand loyalty and referrals from existing customers"

52. "Educate prospects about our brand"

53. Goals and Objectives (for People)

54. "Share my knowledge"

55. "Make friends"

56. "Increase my notoriety"

57. "Increase notoriety of my cat"

58. Spend some time thinking about goalsTry them out on friendsTie all your decisions back to goals

59. meet christine - the client

61. Specialized methodology

63. STEP 2: identify your audience

64. Target Audience Definition & Personas:A detailed picture of each member of your audience in a “day in the life of” scenarioOften created from real life individuals who are interviewed and/or studiedMotivations and activities are observed, discussed, and documented

65. It's about Personas, their demographics, and data related to their experiences

66. Data google analyticsquantcastwoopra pollssurveys

67. who is looking at your site?what time of day? what day of week? where are they coming from? what pages do they visit most?what are they searching for?what are they browsing with? do they come back?

68. location? language? age? gender? education level? income?

69. Is this who you want your audience to be?What do you need to change or improve to make your audience the right one for your goals? WHY?

70. Personas

72. christine's personas

74. Looking for a personable expert

76. Long-time client of Christine's

78. Wants to learn Christine's specialty

80. STEP 3: know your competition

81. Know and document your competitorsDo your Personas find them more compelling? Why?Make screenshotsWrite your likes and dislikes

82. christine's competition

87. STEP 4: find your inspiration

88. It's not just about your competitionIt's not just about others in your spaceIt's about completely different sources of inspirationShoot it, snag it, scrap book itThen document what inspires you about it

95. STEP 5: plan your content

96. Arguably your most important assetCreate an outline for anticipated contentOrganize earlyWrite earlyThis informs the designerThis informs the developerDon't forget to ask WHY

97. Pages?Categories?Tags?Types of content?Ads? Posting frequency?Multiple authors?

98. Plan and write as much content as you can BEFORE you start designing.

99. christine's content

100. Pages: About, Contact, Class Schedule Content Types: Photos, Video, Events, News Categories: Lessons, Links, Events, Photos, Announcements, Workshops Tags: Specific poses, locations, details

101. STEP 6: list your features

102. List your desired featuresEvery dropdown, every tag cloud, every widgetWeigh them against your goals and objectives...asking why.How would your personas respond?

103. Spam PreventionContact FormStatsDownloadsRelated PostsComments

104. christine's features

106. STEP 7: outline your needs

107. Wire FramingPrioritize your features and functionsScore each and every itemApply them within a wire frame and be careful not to increase your scope!And remember: this is not design yet!

109. christine's outline

111. design like a pro

112. Whether it's you, a design partner or a vendor, now you have a collection of the most important elements to inform design

114. If you follow a process or method with discipline before you start design, you're giving design a real chance

115. This is the plan for your big idea. It's your blueprint.

116. Imagine you are building your home. You need the architectural plan before ordering the lumber.

117. so remember...

118. STEP 1: define your goals STEP 2: identify your audience STEP 3: know your competitionSTEP 4: find your inspiration STEP 5: plan your content STEP 6: list your features STEP 7: outline your needs

119. and always ask... WHY

120. thanks! and let the force be with you!

121. @rd2incrd2inc.com