My deck from the opening keynote of HighEdWeb Michigan 2014. More info and print-ready handout available at kubie.co/vmt This talk introduced VMT, a framework for articulating and/or debugging the purpose behind your products and initiatives. The things we believe, the things we do, and the people we impact shape the way we see the world, the way we think, and the way we speak. The tools and teachings of content strategy are well-suited to facilitating understanding within product teams. Clarity in each of these areas will empower designers, writers, and business leaders to do their best work.

1. @scottrocketship
Scott Kubie - HighEdWeb Michigan
Design like a
Content Strategist
#VMT

2. Hooray, I’m a
content
strategist!
#VMT

3. #VMT
Now what?

4. CONTENT
PROBLEM
AVALANCHE!

5. #VMT
Why […] ?
(x infinity)

6. I don’t know.
#VMT

7. #VMT

8. I don’t
understand.
#VMT

9. Never delegate
understanding.
- Charles Eames

10. Clarity is
empowering.
#VMT

11. #VMT

12. Stop.
Step back.
Abstract.
#VMT

13. V M T

14. TMV
TMV
V M T

15. VISION MISSION TARGETS
V M T
V M T

16. VISION MISSION TARGETS
V M T
Business
V M T

17. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
V M T
Business

18. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
V M T
Business
Brand

19. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
V M T
Business
Brand
Organization Project Context

20. Stop.
Step back.
Abstract.
#VMT

21. An Interlude:!
5 PROJECTS FROM HELL
#VMT

22. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

23. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

24. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
The Grilled
Cheese

25. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

26. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

27. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
The Sales
Project

28. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

29. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

30. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
The Technical
Founder

31. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

32. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

33. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
The We Need
To Be on
Pinterest

34. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

35. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE

36. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
The C-Suite

37. VISION

38. Visions are
realized.

39. Clear visions are
ambitious.

40. Rework p. 44, 2010
When you don’t know
what you believe,
everything becomes an
argument.
- Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

41. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
Organization Project Context
Brand
Business
V M T

42. Manifesto
TOOL

43. WHO needs WHAT
because WHY
Problem Statement
Described by Whitney Hess at MinneWebCon 2012
http://www.slideshare.net/whitneyhess/whats-your-problem-
putting-purpose-back-into-your-projects
TOOL

44. VOICE

45. A voice is
found.

46. A clear voice is
unique.

47. As predicted in her closing plenary at the 2013 IA Summit
In 30 years...
!
Every business is
digital.
!
Every business is in the
user experience
business.
- Karen McGrane

48. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
Organization Project Context
Brand
Business
V M T

49. A really good name.
FOCUS ON:

50. A really good name.
When brainstorming, seek
hyponyms, not just synonyms.
FOCUS ON:

51. A really good name.
When brainstorming, seek
hyponyms, not just synonyms.
FOCUS ON:

52. A really good name.
When brainstorming, seek
hyponyms, not just synonyms.
FOCUS ON:

53. I’m not Mr. Lebowski.
You’re Mr. Lebowski.
I’m the Dude.- Jeff Bridges is The Dude
The Big Lebowski

54. Elevator Pitch Workshop
TOOL

55. Theme Audit
TOOL
Select a group of key pages/
documents (10-30) and
highlight common themes in
different colors.

56. MISSIONMISSION

57. Missions are
accomplished.

58. Clear missions
have an end.

59. There’s nothing
worse than a sharp
image of a fuzzy
concept.
- Ansel Adams, photographer
#VMT

61. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
Organization Project Context
Brand
Business
V M T

62. Concept Modeling
TOOL
Give the abstract more
substance with a structured
diagram focused on
relationships.

66. MoSCoW
TECHNIQUE

67. MoSCoW
TECHNIQUE
Must
Include

68. MoSCoW
TECHNIQUE
Must
Include
Should
Include
(if it’s easy)

69. MoSCoW
TECHNIQUE
Must
Include
Should
Include
(if it’s easy)
Could
Include
(if X wasn’t in our
way)

70. MoSCoW
TECHNIQUE
Must
Include
Should
Include
(if it’s easy)
Could
Include
(if X wasn’t in our
way)
Won’t
Include
(in this version, at
least)

71. Good start: UIE
article on “short
form creative brief”
CREATIVE BRIEFS
TOOL

72. MESSAGE

73. A message is
designed.

74. A clear message
has structure.

75. People who think well, write
well.
!
Woolly minded people write
woolly memos, woolly letters
and woolly speeches.
- David Ogilvy

76. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
Organization Project Context
Brand
Business
V M T

77. Message Architecture
TECHNIQUE

78. Identify conflicting priorities
and identify important
messages with a cardsorting
workshop.
Message Architecture
TECHNIQUE

79. CORE + PATHS DIAGRAM
TECHNIQUE

81. TARGETS

82. Targets are
chosen.

83. Clear targets are
specific.

84. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
Organization Project Context
Brand
Business
V M T

85. PERSONAS
TOOL

86. It’s 3 a.m. Do you know how
many domains your
organization has registered?
CHANNEL INVENTORY
TOOL

87. TONE

88. Tone is
responsive.

89. Clear tone is
appropriate.

92. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
Organization Project Context
Brand
Business
V M T

93. EMPATHY MAP
TOOL
THINKING FEELING
HEARING SEEING
DOING

95. I don’t
understand.
#VMT

96. VISION MISSION TARGETS
VOICE MESSAGE TONE
Organization Project Context
Brand
Business
V M T

97. That’s all.
Thank you.
#VMT

98. ?Questions?
kubie.co/vmt
#VMT