Next-level collaboration: The future of content and design | Confab 2015

THE FUTURE OF CONTENT AND DESIGN
Next-Level Collaboration
CONFAB 2015 - @REBEKAHCANCINO

1st fully computer-animated ﬁlm
No. 1 ﬁlm of the year in 1995
Nominated for 3 Oscar awards
One lifetime achievement award
$191+M lifetime earnings
And it was all sorts of awesome

Meet Ed CatmullPhotograph by Deborah Coleman, Pixar

http://www.fastcompany.com/3027135/lessons-learned/inside-the-pixar-braintrust

http://www.fastcompany.com/3027135/lessons-learned/inside-the-pixar-braintrust
Tens of thousands of ideas

Traditional animation workflow

You don’t see the complexity,
all you see is a beautiful story

“I realized the most exciting thing I had ever
done was to help create the unique
environment that allowed that ﬁlm to be
made.”
-  Ed Catmull, Pixar Co-Founder & CEO

“TO PRESERVE THE
OF FORCES NECESSARY
TO CREATE “

confluence
magic.

Ed’s new mission?

“IT WAS IT HAD
CLEAR “
tangible,

edges.

@KERRY_ANNE

http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/back-to-the-future-part-ii-original.jpg
Flash forward to today

We expect so much of our
lives to be online

“Everything is content. Content is what the user
needs or wants right now.”
-  Jared Spool

Content is at the heart of
everything we design

2001 called, it wants its workflow back

http://cdn.softlayer.com/innerlayer/IBM370.png
And yet here we are...

HTML wireframes!
Atomic design!
Adaptive content!
Style tiles!

“Until we got stuck.”
PROTOTYPING YOUR WORKFLOW

“Meeting the demands of a multi-device web
is less a problem of technique, and more one
of communication.”
- Mark Llobrera

Finding our way forward
MAKING NEXT-LEVEL COLLABORATION
POSSIBLE

The whole is greater than
the sum of its parts

The value of effective collaboration
Create alignment
Remove politics
Reduce rework
Boost morale
Create alignment = deliver better outcomes
Remove politics = launch faster
Reduce rework = decrease costs
Boost morale = increase productivity
@REBEKAHCANCINO

Latching on to someone else’s process or
ﬁnding the next shiny tool that will save
the day.
It’s not about...
@REBEKAHCANCINO

IT’S ABOUT CREATING THE
ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR
OWN PROCESS TO emerge.

@REBEKAHCANCINO

How can we set the stage for
our own magic?

An unspoken prerequisite:
WITHOUT OPENNESS, WE
CAN’T HAVE EFFECTIVE
COLLABORATION.

A CULTURE OF OPENNESS
ISN’T IT TAKES
AND
automatic,

practice intention.
@REBEKAHCANCINO

Content strategists are
natural connecters

CONTENT STRATEGY ISN’T
A SPORT.solo

@REBEKAHCANCINO

What’s inside a culture of openness?

Personal openness
IT ALL STARTS WITH ME

Exponential openness
Outward openness
Active openness
Personal openness

An open mindset and personal belief system
grounded in humility, equality, and respect
for fellow collaborators. This personal lens of
openness defines how you see
everything else.

http://rlv.zcache.com/neon_open_sign_framed_in_a_heart_shape_in_a_wind_postcard-
r921910cb3db84ba9992f161fd2a5b51c_vgbaq_8byvr_1024.jpg
Being open to the ideas of others lets
others know we’re down to collaborate

FAUCET FUNNEL
Suspend judgment
Go for quantity
YES, and…
Embrace the unusual
Let go of ego
Accentuate the positive
Think strategically
Align to goals/objectives
Check for feasibility
Avoid default decisions
First faucet, then funnel

Know what you don’t know,
asking questions creates opportunity

“Humility is a critical strength for leaders and
organizations possessing it, and a dangerous
weakness for those lacking it.”
- Dusya Vera Ph.D., Strategic Virtues:
Humility as a Source of Competitive
Advantage

Personal opennessIS A MINDSET
THAT DRIVES EVERYTHING
ELSE. IT THAT YOU’RE
TO COLLABORATE.willing
signals
@REBEKAHCANCINO

feelPEOPLE NEED TO THAT
YOU ARE OPEN BEFORE THEY
CAN WITH YOU.collaborate
@REBEKAHCANCINO

Personal openness looks like...
BEING OPEN TO THE IDEAS OF
OTHERS.

KNOWING WHEN WE DON’T
KNOW SOMETHING (AND
BEING COOL WITH IT).

ASKING LOTS OF QUESTIONS.

RESPECTING THE SKILLS,
STRENGTHS, AND HUMANITY
OF OUR TEAMMATES.

3 easy ways to practice
1) Include someone you normally wouldn’t in your next
project meeting, someone who would add value but that
you don’t always agree with or think of first.
2) Suspend judgment when hearing new ideas, build in
time to think freely before narrowing down options as a
team.
3) Next time something comes up that you don’t
understand, ask about it (instead of Googling or
pretending that you know).

Active openness
PUTTING PERSONAL OPENNESS
TO GOOD USE

Personal openness
Outward openness
Active openness

Active openness is putting personal
openness to good use. It’s when we channel
our open mindset into courage, curiosity,
and concern for the whole outcome.

“Content doesn’t belong to content. Design
doesn’t belong to design. Code doesn’t
belong to dev.”
- Nicole Fenton

Just jumping in helps you
add value where it counts

This is Chris@CHRIS_CORAK
Director of Search Strategy at Sitewire

“I THINK ONE THING THAT I
TRY TO BE REALLY
CONSCIOUS OF IS
PROBABLY TONE.”
transcribed from an interview

“AND JUST, I DON’T KNOW.
THERE’S COOL WAYS TO SAY
THINGS, AND DEFINITELY
WAYS TO SAY THINGS THAT
FEEL ACCUSATORY OR
NEGATIVE.”

“I THINK, A LOT OF IN THE
WAY YOU SAY SOMETHING
COULD MAKE SOMEBODY
EVEN RECEPTIVE TO
LISTENING
TO YOU (AND ACTUALLY
HEARING YOU).”

“MAYBE A GOOD WAY TO
GET PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO
YOU IS TO TRY TO BRING
FACTS TO THE TABLE.”

“IF YOU HAVE DATA TO
BACK UP SOMETHING
YOU’RE TRYING TO TALK
ABOUT, IT’S DEFINITELY
MUCH EASIER TO, I THINK,
GET PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO
YOU.”

“EVEN IF I HAVE A HUNCH
ABOUT SOMETHING…”

“IF I CAN HELP PROVE IT,
THEN I FEEL LIKE MY IDEA
IS RECEPTIVE FAR MORE
OFTEN (THAN IF IT JUST
SOUNDED LIKE A
THOUGHT THAT DIDN’T
HAVE MUCH TO IT).”

IDEA
METRICS
PEOPLE
GOALS
BUSINESS
CASE

METRICS
PEOPLE
GOALS
Approach value and benefits
Supporting facts and data
Players involved and their role
Business goals and user needs met
Building your business case
IDEA

trust
Building a business case for
collaboration builds and
uncovers hidden .potential
@REBEKAHCANCINO

Meet Nicole@NICOLESLAW
Co-Author of Nicely Said

“BUT I THINK THAT
INTERFACE WRITING IS CODE.
IT’S CODE FOR PEOPLE, IT’S
CODE FOR READERS.”

“IT’S LIKE…
‘I’M DOING THIS STEP, WHAT
AM I SUPPOSED TO DO
NEXT?’
- A USER”

“YOU KNOW?
AND THAT’S A VERY LIKE,
PROGRAMMATIC WAY
OF DEALING WITH
SOMETHING.”

“LIKE IF YOU’RE GOING
THROUGH A CHECKOUT FLOW,
AND YOU HAVE QUESTIONS,
OR SOMETHING HAPPENS…”

“AN INTERFACE WRITER HAS
TO THINK OF IT ALMOST LIKE
A PROGRAMMER.”

Broad knowledge, deep expertise

Context builds
greater understanding

Active opennessIS THE
EVIDENCE OF BEING AN
OPEN PERSON—IT’S WHEN
YOU PUT YOUR OPEN
MINDSET TO
@REBEKAHCANCINO
good use.

Active openness looks like...
@REBEKAHCANCINO
CHOOSING OUTCOMES
OVER EGO.

@REBEKAHCANCINO
JUST JUMPING IN WHERE WE
CAN HELP AND ADD VALUE (IN
A HUMBLE WAY).

@REBEKAHCANCINO
UNDERSTANDING THE WHOLE
EXPERIENCE AND LEARNING
ABOUT OTHER DISCIPLINES.

1)  Talk to (or shadow) people in other disciplines who are
working on the same thing as you. Ask about their
process, challenges, and workflow.
2)  Build a business case for collaboration. Find ways to
communicate the value of what your idea will add to
the process. Saved time? Less rework?
3)  Read articles from other disciplines that complement
or overlap with your work. Follow a diverse set of
people on Twitter.

@REBEKAHCANCINO

Outward openness
PRACTICING EMPATHY FOR OTHERS

Personal openness
Active openness
Outward openness

Outward openness is an exercise in
empathy. It’s when we work to understand
the needs of those we are designing for, and
create solutions that are right for their
context.

BUSINESS
GOALS
CUSTOMER
NEEDS
Find balance

THINKING
DOINGFEELING
Start with context @danieleizans

Listen for pain points
and latent needs

Formulate a problem
statement, together

USER + NEED + INSIGHT
An anxious
mother sending
a grad gift
To feel
good
about
her gift
choice
Once she sends
the berries she
worries about if
her niece will
be there to
receive it, will
they spoil?
First, uncover insight

We believe that ___________ has ________________
and that ______________may solve this problem by
____________________ and _____________________.
We will know we have succeeded when
___________________and/or ____________________
reaches ___________________.
(USER) (PROBLEM)
(THIS SOLUTION)
(THIS ASPECT) (THAT ASPECT)
(QUANTATIVE MEASURE) (QUALITATIVE MEASURE)
(THIS LEVEL)
@kevinhoffman

@AURASELTZER
Designer at Happy Cog
This is Aura Seltzer

“SO, IF YOU’RE A DESIGNER,
CHANCES ARE, AND THIS IS AN
ASSUMPTION I’LL MAKE BUT
IT’S PROBABLY TRUE…”

“YOU ARE A SOMEWHAT
CONTROLLING PERSON
WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT
YOU’RE CREATING.”

“AND I THINK WHAT SETS
YOUR CLIENT UP FOR
SUCCESS, IS FOR WHAT
YOU’RE TRYING TO CONTROL
SO DEEPLY…”

“TO ACTUALLY LIKE, TAKE
INTO ACCOUNT THAT EXTRA
VARIABLE (CONTENT),
RIGHT?”

“AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST
TESTAMENTS TO THE
SUCCESS OF A SITE IS…”

“ONCE THE CLIENT PUTS ALL
THEIR CONTENT IN, DOES
THE DESIGN SYSTEM THAT
YOU BUILT STILL FUNCTION
THE WAY YOU INTENDED?”

“THAT’S TWO-FOLD, THAT
HAS TO DO WITH:
DID YOU BUILD A SYSTEM
THAT HAS ENOUGH FOR
THEIR NEEDS?”

“AND THEN ALSO THERE’S
EDUCATION PART.
DID YOU TEACH THE CLIENT
WHAT TO USE WHERE, AND
WHAT EACH PIECE IS FOR?”

“SO, I THINK THE SOONER YOU
OPEN YOURSELF UP TO
NEEDING TO ACCOUNT FOR
THOSE THINGS…”

“(RATHER THAN TRYING TO
LIKE, JAM A SQUARE INTO A
CIRCLE COOKIE CUTTER)”

“I THINK YOU’LL BE HAPPIER
ONCE YOUR SITE’S
LAUNCHED.”

BUSINESS
GOALS
CUSTOMER
NEEDS
So take it a step further
INTERNAL
NEEDS

Outward opennessIS AN
EXERCISE IN . IT’S
WHEN WE PUT OUR AGENDA
ASIDE AND DO WHAT’S RIGHT
FOR OUR USERS.
@REBEKAHCANCINO
empathy

Outward openness looks like...
@REBEKAHCANCINO
BALANCING BUSINESS GOALS
WITH USER NEEDS.

@REBEKAHCANCINO
DOING USER RESEARCH AS A
TEAM (AND ACTUALLY TALKING
TO REAL USERS, TOO).

@REBEKAHCANCINO
CONSIDERING THE NEEDS OF
INTERNAL TEAMS AND
SETTING THEM UP FOR
LONG-TERM SUCCESS.

@REBEKAHCANCINO
KILLING YOUR DARLINGS
IN SERVICE OF THE
GREATER GOOD.

1)  Do research as a team. Try walking through the user’s
context with an empathy map before discussing
solutions.
2)  Talk to the people you’re making things for to discover
latent needs (internal users count, too). Consider
inviting your users to co-design with you.
3)  Take your best idea off the table. Let go of
preconceived ideas of what will work best, work out a
user-centered solution with your team.
@REBEKAHCANCINO

POSSIBILITIES THAT WEREN’T THERE BEFORE

Personal openness
Active openness
Outward openness

Exponential openness happens when cross-
discipline teams come together to co-create
something greater than any one person could
on their own. This is where the benefits of
collaboration increase rapidly.

Hey, Joe!
@WORKJOESTEWART
Designer at Work & Co for Virgin America

“FOR THE VIRGIN PROJECT
THERE WERE TWO LEAD
DESIGNERS.”

“ME, WITH MY BACKGROUND
IN GRAPHIC DESIGN.
AND THIS OTHER GUY, FELIPE
MEMORIA, WHOSE
BACKGROUND WAS IN SORT
OF MORE TRADITIONAL UX.”

“AND SO, WE STARTED
DOING THE CONCEPT WORK
TOGETHER.”

“Just sitting in the same room,
next to each other.”

“AND YOU KNOW,
USUALLY WE’D START
TALKING ABOUT IT AFTER
WE’D DO A LITTLE BIT
OF…”

“USER RESEARCH ✓
CLIENT INTERVIEWS ✓
AND THEN DISCUSS OUR
OWN FINDINGS ✓”

“WE DRAW A LOT TOGETHER,
LIKE MOST OF THE TIME
WHAT WE’RE DOING IS
DRAWING REALLY LOOSE
WIREFRAMES TOGETHER.”

“AND THAT PART OF
CO-DESIGNING WAS A
REALLY BIG THING.”

MAKE SURE
INVITED.
everyone’s

ALL THE DIFFERENT
PEOPLE WHO
UNDERSTAND ALL THE
DIFFERENT PARTS OF
WHAT’S GOING TO MAKE
A PROJECT SUCCESSFUL.

DESIGN AND DEVS
UX PEEPS
CONTENT STRATEGISTS
STAKEHOLDERS (USERS, TOO)
PRODUCT MANAGERS
CREATIVE DIRECTORS
and more!

“Part of why we’re actually able to undertake
such a big process so successfully is that we
didn’t have a wall that we tossed things back
and forth over. It was really very tight feedback
loops. Very collaborative.”
- Dean Cookson, VP CIO Virgin America

BUSINESS GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Prioritized, measurable goals, objectives and
sub-objectives.
USER TASKS
Real, researched and prioritized user tasks.
Before designing together, you need:

Then you could, for example...
1)Define user information needs
and tasks

2) Prioritize user flow and
content hierarchy

3) Align to internal goals,
look for gaps

4) Map to layout and discuss
functionality and interactions

Exponential opennessIS WHEN
WE COME TOGETHER IN A
PRODUCTIVE WAY TO CREATE
SOMETHING
THAN ANY ONE OF US COULD
ON OUR OWN.
@REBEKAHCANCINO
greater

Exponential openness looks like...
@REBEKAHCANCINO
CO-DESIGNING SOLUTIONS
WITH YOUR STAKEHOLDERS
AND USERS.

@REBEKAHCANCINO
GETTING ALL THE RIGHT
PEOPLE IN THE ROOM.

@REBEKAHCANCINO
DOING THE WORK TOGETHER,
INSTEAD OF JUST TALKING
ABOUT THE WORK.

3 ways to encourage exponential openness
@REBEKAHCANCINO
1)  Design a meeting differently. Start with goals in mind,
try group work and games to elicit the outcomes you
need.
2)  Get executives involved. Find out who the final
decision makers are and invite them to the design
process early. (Clearly communicate the benefit of
them being there.)
3)  Team up, and don’t make decisions in a vacuum. Join
forces with your stakeholders, teammates, and users.

And so...
JUST TO WRAP THINGS UP

COLLABORATION AND
CO-DESIGN ARE
TO BUILDING THE
INTERCONNECTED
EXPERIENCES OF THE
future.
essential
@REBEKAHCANCINO

A CULTURE OF
SETS THE STAGE FOR
SUCCESSFUL
AND .
openness
collaboration
co-creation
@REBEKAHCANCINO

1)  PERSONAL OPENNESS: be humble
2)  ACTIVE OPENNESS: just jump in
3)  OUTWARD OPENNESS: start with heart
4)  EXPONENTIAL OPENNESS: join forces
Ways to champion openness
@REBEKAHCANCINO

togetherly.co
sitewire.com
@REBEKAHCANCINO
Thanks, y’all!

Next-level collaboration: The future of content and design | Confab 2015

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Next-level collaboration: The future of content and design | Confab 2015