What does Content First really mean?

© Weave Web Communications 2014 www.weaveweb.com.au
What does Content First
really mean?
!
!
Angus Gordon
Content strategist
!
Weave Web Communications, Melbourne
@WeAreWeave
!

“Content First”
“Content is King”
“Content before design”
“Content strategy”

What should I do about it?
How would a focus on content change
the way I work?

In this talk I’m going to…
• Use a hypothetical web project to
show some specific ways content
can influence design
• Give you 3 ways to start adding
content strategy to your design
process

Some assumptions about you
• You’re a designer, front end developer,
or someone whose work directly
affects user experience
• You work on content-managed
websites
• You do client work (if you’re in-house,
substitute “stakeholders” for “clients”)

A hypothetical web
project

The brief
• KidFund, a crowdfunding site for
talented children
• Raises money to pay for music
lessons, science equipment,
computers, etc.
• Aimed at economically
disadvantaged parents

A typical design process
• Meetings
• User research
• Requirements gathering
• Mood boards/style tiles
• Wireframes

A typical design process
Culminating in a series of
page mockups:

KidFund
Headline!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam
varius imperdiet porta. Aenean quis accumsan eros, viverra.
$xxxx of $xxxx raised
Brief blurb explaining!
what KidFund is about
Explore Create Sign up Log in
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!
Headline!

As a content strategist,
I immediately want to
ask questions like…

KidFund
Headline!
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!
Headline!
What will this
bit actually say?

KidFund
Headline!
Crowdfunding to help talented kids!
develop their skills
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!
Headline!

KidFund
Headline!
So your kid is some kind of genius?!
Get funding to help your little Einstein thrive
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!
Headline!

KidFund
Headline!
Make these INCREDIBLE kids’ dreams come true!!!!
KidFund gives talented youngsters a helping hand
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!
Headline!

Designing with real
content gives you a
voice to work with.

KidFund
Headline!
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!
Headline!
How well can
these elements
tell the kids’
stories?

Just because it works for their
content, doesn’t mean it’s going
to work for our content

KidFund
An iPad for Sarah!
Sarah has been accepted into a school for gifted children. She
needs money for an iPad so she can take part in lessons.!
$200 of $500 raised
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Violin lessons for May!
May was playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto at age 5. Now
her refugee parents need help to continue her violin lessons.
$1230 of $1500 raised
A telescope for Ahmed!
Ahmed has always loved science, especially astronomy. Now
he needs money for a new telescope.!
$350 of $2000 raised

KidFund
An iPad for Sarah!
Brief positioning
statement explaining what
KidFund is about
Donate now
Menu
Violin lessons for May!
Donate now
A telescope for Ahmed!
Donate now

Designing with real
content helps you spot
unintended consequences.

KidFund
Headline!
Donate now
Donate now
Donate now
Headline!
Headline!
What kinds of photos will we
actually get?
(If photos support content, they are content)

Designing with real, imperfect
content helps you think through
contingencies and edge cases.

Even more questions
• Who writes the content?
• What content gets promoted?
• What happens to old content?
• How will people get to the website?
• How does our content look on
Facebook?

If you ﬁnd yourself asking  
the same questions, then congratulations:
You’re already doing content strategy

Content strategy can and should be part of
every project that involves content.
Content strategists are good to have on a
project with lots of content, or complex
content needs.

3 ways to start adding
content strategy to your
design process

1
Design with real content

Design with real content
• Draft content is OK; any content is better than
none
• Design with best case, worst case and “zero case”
content
• Be prepared for content to come up in design
discussions
• This is what “Content First” really means

2
Talk about who’s going to
write the content, and when

Talk about who’s going to
write the content, and when
• The “11th hour shitstorm” problem
• Don’t assume — even if the RFQ says “All content
will be provided”
• Use back of envelope calculations as reality
checks
• Build relationships with copywriters (or become
one yourself)

3
Your job doesn’t end on
launch day

Your job doesn’t end on
launch day
• The “Day 2” problem
• Magical thinking: content management system
means content is managed
• How many websites you built 2 years ago are you
still happy to show off?
• Work with the client on an achievable post-
launch plan, and pester them about it

3 ways to start adding content
strategy to your design process
1. Design with real content
2. Talk about who’s going to write the
content, and when
3. Your job doesn’t end on launch day

If you’d like to know
more…

Karen McGrane
Content Strategy
for Mobile
(A Book Apart)
Content Strategy Melbourne
meetup
meetup.com/Content-Strategy-Melbourne

Thank you!
@WeAreWeave

What does Content First really mean?

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