IRL Web Strategy 2008-09
Industrial Research Limited (IRL)
20th August 2008
Lulu Pachuau
Provoke Solutions
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We’ll talk about…
• Web Strategy – What, Why and How
• What we did & found
– IRL web now
– People: views & wish list
– Web vision (proposed)
– Business goals & objectives
– Comparative analysis
– Requirements
• Getting to the Vision – IRL web roadmap
• Measuring Success
• What next?
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“ Strategy for your website provides an
explicit understanding of the goals of
”
the site and your users…
Adapted from Adaptive Path UX Intensive, Design Strategy, Chicago
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Web Strategy – What, Why and How
• What does the business want out of the site? – Site Objectives
• What do our users want out of it? – User needs
Web strategy
Site objectives User needs
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3 Principles – keep in mind
• Will people want/like it? – Desirability
• Can we build it? – Capability
• Can we sustain it? – Viability
Viability Capability
Website
/ Product/
Service
Desirability
Conceptual model from Alan Cooper, Inmates are Running the Asylum, the 3 primary qualities in high-technology business created by Larry Keeley, Doblin Group.
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Develop a
vision
Build a Outline site
roadmap objectives
Prioritise Identify success
objectives measures
Identify &
Define
understand
requirements
target users
Do a
comparative
analysis 6

What we did
• 4 strategy workshops – science, corporate & business
• Workshop with project sponsors
• Communications Plan 2008/09, IT Strategy and IRL Strategy
• Comparative study
• The Littlest Clue by Selwyn Parker
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What we did – Strategy sessions
• About
– Who is interacting with IRL: People
– How they are interacting with IRL: Funding, Collaborate, Projects, Staff,
News, Events, etc
– Expectations: Web experience, context
– Needs from IRL: Goals, information needs, opportunities for
interaction online
• Not about
– How bad the current website is
– What people (think they) want
– Having everything for everyone
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Workshops
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People, Stakeholders, Business & Science Community
History
People & Stories
Standards & Quality
Networking & science community
World class science
New Zealand
Discoveries
Business & Opportunities
Connection
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Common themes and suggestions
• Website needs to reflect depth and what IRL is about
– “Diversity is our strength”
– “We do more than what the homepage shows”
– “We’re in the news all the time…”
• Support careers
– “Have a career hub”
– “.. I don’t know what jobs are available and why I should join”
– “I looked at the website, but gave up (and) tried to get in touch some
other way…”
• Stories
– “...share the stories (that) capture the passion”
– “We (IRL) are in the news all the time…”
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Common themes and suggestions
• Relevant to audience types
– “..it’s hard to focus for audiences like business, teachers, students and
corporate”
– “…provide high-level ‘front-door’ homepage that has ‘doors’ for
targeted audiences”
– “I looked at the website, but gave up (and) tried to get in touch some
other way…”
• Content governance
– “need ‘rubber stick’ to look out for inconsistencies with language and
style”
– “…up to date content and dynamic”
• Propagate and encourage Collaboration
– “…help collaboration (and) good people and staff”
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Common themes and suggestions
• Contribution, participation and distribution of content
– “…we should ask content owners from science, what do we actually do
to provide input into content”
– “..some of us use wikis to share our work…”
• Share and connect
– “Linking to professionals’ sites, associations – scientists, international
credibility”
– “…help collaboration (and) good people and staff”
• Better representation of what IRL does and stands for
– “We have too many activities at IRL, how do we communicate this on
the site? These complexities”
• Attract business
– “Commercialization opportunities…”
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IRL Website now to see
“Want “Sector vs.
more staff profile platforms –
and what they confusing “Corporate
do” services, non-
“Not sure where existent”
to start and does
not show enough
of what we do” “Too
static”
“Looks like it “Not enough
came out of a pictures, and
production stories”
line”
“not enough “Not
Maori “I looked at the site audience
representation” for jobs, but gave up specific”
pretty easily”
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IRL Website – now
IRL Home
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
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IRL Website – bring out the depth
IRL Home
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
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IRL Website – now
Science
IRL Science
Science
People
Science
Stories
Business
Corporate
services
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IRL Website – now
Science
IRL Science
Science
One
People
small
Science
door Stories
Business
Corporate
services
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IRL Website – future
Science
IRL Science
Science
People
Website = Gateway
Science
Stories
Business
Corporate
services
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IRL Website – future
Stories
IRL
Stories
Science
Science
Science
Science
Science
Science
People
Website = Gateway
People
Science Science
Corporate Business
services Business
Corporate
services
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“ IRL website is the gateway for -
businesses, stakeholders, staff and-
people to access information, interact-
and transact with IRL online…
”
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Site objectives
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Audiences and user groups
2 –Researchers, Collaborators &
Projects
• Industry bodies, Regional
development agencies
1 –Investors &Stakeholders • Science community, CRIs, research
• NZ industry, Industry bodies
• RDAs IRL 2.
NZ & overseas
• Education sector
• Shareholding ministers, Politicians Science • Clients
1.
• MoRST, FRST, CCMAU, MED researchers, • People involved or interested in
Investors &
Stakeholders collaborators projects
& project
teams
3 – Information seekers &
Interested parties
• Science community
4 –New business & ventures Website • Educations sector
• Potential clients, NZ SME’s • General public & media
• International R&D and 3. • International R&D and
4. Information innovation community
innovation community New seekers &
• Education sector business & interested
ventures parties
5.
Overseas
audience
User groups based on tasks
and interaction with IRL
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What are others doing – Comparative Analysis
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Other CRI’s
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International sites
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What others are doing – User offerings
• Promote/Strategic display of who we are & what we do
– people, services, research, testimonials, stories, case studies, pictures,
news & events, articles, publications, etc.
• Exposure of deeper content
– Serious science, platforms, scientists, pioneering work, citations, etc.
• Ways to interact with us, keep up to date and informed
– Events, news, RSS, email-newsletters
• Careers, jobs and benefits
– Vacancies, apply online, supporting content
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What others are doing – User offerings cont’d…
• Share & Connect
– collaborate, comments, feedback, ratings, projects, alumni
• Free stuff
– Tools, activities & resources, downloads
• Buy stuff
– shop for products, chemicals, instruments, services
• Use of latest web content types – Videos, podcasts, etc.
• Visual design
– application of graphical elements, colour, type and so on to enhance
experience
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Low High
You don’t want to be on You want to be on this
this side side
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Pattern with
International
Pattern with
CRI’s
Pattern with
International
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Opportunity for IRL
- Point of
Difference
- Add value to
customers
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Objectives – prioritized
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Objectives – prioritized
• [add graph]
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Why prioritise?
• Provide scope
– What we ARE doing
– What we are NOT doing
• Give us confidence we are meeting the overall business
objectives
• Helps us define specific features for each strategic phase
• Helps build the roadmap…
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Roadmap to Innovation
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Roadmap – Elements
• For each phase
Goal &
– Goal and focus
Focus
– Customer offerings
– Business value & Benefits
Features/
Scope
Customer
value
Business
value
Inspired by Adapted from Adaptive Path UX Intensive, Design Strategy, Chicago
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“ Rediscover IRL –
An integrated experience for IRL services
and info to regain trust from staff and
”
clients online and set expectations for
what’s ahead.
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“ Communicate and share –
A unified communications platform that
fosters community of scientists by sharing
and contributing to IRL website.
”
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“ Gateway to IRL –
Gateway for interaction with IRL online.
”
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Measuring success and ROI
• Listen to users of the site – internal and external
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Phase Unique visits RSS Feeds Number of Staff Views – videos,
from targeted registrations participation / images,
audiences for (for jobs & contribution at downloads
specific publications/ least up to
pages... newsletters)
Phase 1 50% increase 10% of visits n/a 5% of staff n/a
Phase 2 300% increase 25% of visits At least 10 10% of staff At least 50% of
the total unique
visits
Phase 3 Steady rise Steady rise Steady 20 % of staff No staff x 3
including increase
global
audiences
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So what is the strategy?
• World class science, history and depth – IRL
• Science community and network
• Listen to your users
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Roadmap to Innovation
• Where to from here?
• Listen to users – external and internal
• Offer new features based on usage & return
• Be open to change
• Look for opportunities – there are no limits
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“ IRL website is the gateway for
businesses, stakeholders, staff and
people to access information, interact
and transact with IRL online…
”
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Thank you ☺
lulu@provoke.co.nz
alastair@provoke.co.nz
bob@provoke.co.nz
Inspired by & adapted from Adaptive Path UX Intensive (Chicago)
http://adaptivepath.com
http://adaptivepath.com/events/2008/oct/strategy.php
Creative Commons License:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/nz/
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