Content Convergence
Rahel Anne Bailie
© 2008 Intentional Design Inc.

Content convergence is
a move away from content silos.

Paired with content integration, which is
combining content from multiple sources.

Together,
they have powerful
communication potential.

Content convergence means portability.
Content can be mixed-and-matched to fit new contexts.

To be portable,
content needs to:
• Be structured
• Have semantic properties
• Be findable (searchable)
• Conform to standards

Portable content makes context moremore important.
Portable content makes context important.
Content must support multiple contexts.

Complex contexts demand concise content.
Shape content around a single concept.

Context changes content.
The ability to re-use content across contexts increases content value.

Content is not isolated.
Content is not isolated.
Content does need to be self-contained.

Portable content can
look like this
•Blog posts
•Images (in blog posts)
•Twitter posts
•Upcoming conference gigs
•User-generated content
•Visitor log
•Subscription information
www.salimismail.com

Or it can look like this
•Blog posts
•Images
•Twitter posts
•Upcoming product releases
•User-generated content
•Visitor login
• Ratings information
• Ecommerce data
• Audio files
• Product descriptions
www.allmusic.com

Portable content
creates value
Content is integrated from:
• Airline booking
• Hotel booking
• Car rental booking
• Google maps
• Weather network
• User-generated content
… and more.
Convergence is automated,
generating an automatic,
customized itinerary.
This convergence of content
provides a value-add service to
the user.
www.tripit.com

Portable content creates efficiencies.
Portable content creates efficiencies
Content must support multiple contexts.

When architected well, it happens seamlessly.
User-generated
Subscriptions content RSS feeds
Marketing CRM
content Information content
portal
Engineering Tech
content Training Support center
Comm
content content
content

Convergence creates possibilities.
The end goal is user satisfaction.

Users demand more, better, faster.

Users demand it
Organic content convergence
World of Warcraft
• Some users dissatisfied with
documentation provided.
• Built their own database.
• Better quality, more features.
Apple
• Search for “iPhone help” and
observe the results
• Search for an error message by
number (e.g. “error message 12846”)
and observe the results
• Users will create their own
documentation.
•Their sites will come up higher in
search engines.
• Your reputation suffers.
• Brand management issues arise.

World of Warcraft
wow.allakhazam.com/

The market demands it
• Organizations need to deliver more
content, faster, cheaper.
• The content needs to work for many
similar products.
• There is a need to deliver to multiple
markets , sometimes in multiple
languages.
• There is too much content to deal
with, to create linear content.
HP
• HP knowledge base has integrated all
content into a single page
• Highest result in the search engines
• Well designed convergence
experience for users

HP Knowledge Center
h30413.www3.hp.com/SupportServices/country/us/en/support/T1100.html.htm

The move away from single-use, linear content is happening fast.
Every day, the bar is raised a little higher.

The pressure is on to devise strategies for portable content.
You snooze, you lose.

Strategies are
business-dependent
There is no formula.
• The solutions are as unique as the
business and the reasons for needing
the strategy.
• It means changes in technologies.
• It means change in processes.
•It means change in skill sets.
• There needs to be a strategy.
• The strategy needs to be rooted in
business requirements.

It means rethinking the nature of content.
Treat content as a valuable corporate asset.

Content should be a corporate strategy, designed by a content strategist.

Designing content ties
into experience design
Subsets of experience design are:
• Multi-channel experience
• Digital experience design
• User experience
• User-centered design
• Service design
• Usability
No matter what you call it, the end goal is to
improve the experience for the end user.

T-shaped thinkers are particularly adept
at convergent, synergistic thinking.
www.davidarmano.com/thought.html

Think outside the site
• What are the touch points
• What can be automated for users
• What are the preferences of your
audiences
• How creative can you be?
• What is the best you can provide,
in practicality?

Think holistically; act boldly.

Contact Info and
Acknowledgements
Presentation © 2008 Intentional
Design Inc.
www.intentionaldesign.ca
Presenter:
Rahel Anne Bailie, Content Strategist
+1.604.837.0034
Photographs used under Creative Commons:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdecomite/