Challenges of creating a f l e x i b l e Content Model 08/11/2007 [email_address] BBC – Future Media & Technology Content Management Culture

Overview Background: Content Management at the BBC What does content modelling have to do with UX? Why would you want a flexible content model? Challenges: Creating and managing a content model Communicating about a model User Interface challenges Questions 

Background: Content Management at the BBC

What does content modelling have to do with UX?

Why would you want a flexible content model?

Challenges:

Creating and managing a content model

Communicating about a model

User Interface challenges

Questions 

Content Management at the BBC I Over 200 websites, approx. 30 different web publishing solutions 3.6 billion page views per month 2 mayor in-house web publishing ‘players’: News CPS - internal built, only used by bbc.co.uk/news Documentum - bought in in 2002, customised, used by 3 content divisions (English regions sites, Drama & Comedy, parts of BBC Children)

Over 200 websites, approx. 30 different web publishing solutions

3.6 billion page views per month

2 mayor in-house web publishing ‘players’:

News CPS - internal built, only used by bbc.co.uk/news

Documentum - bought in in 2002, customised, used by 3 content divisions (English regions sites, Drama & Comedy, parts of BBC Children)

Content Management at the BBC II Situation: A multi-platform publishing organisation Old content production: tv & radio New content production: web, mobile, interactive tv Objective: Value for money!  Making the most out of any content produced. BBC funded by license fee paid by UK citizens. Content sharing & re-use Re-use across platforms Re-use in different context scenarios Re-use across business divisions

Situation: A multi-platform publishing organisation

Old content production: tv & radio

New content production: web, mobile, interactive tv

Objective: Value for money!  Making the most out of any content produced. BBC funded by license fee paid by UK citizens.

Content sharing & re-use

Re-use across platforms

Re-use in different context scenarios

Re-use across business divisions

What is a Content Model? ‘ The thingy you create when you turn our designer’s photoshop file into code’ (my client’s project manager) ‘ The model can define xml structures for any type of content’ (me) ‘ The model defines what editors can do and can’t do with their website’ (our CMS-Trainer) ‘ The model affects how you can display, target & search for content’ (T. Regli, 06/11/08) ‘ A successful model enables to effectively gather information for the purpose of effectively distributing the information’ (B. Boiko, 07/11/07)

‘ The thingy you create when you turn our designer’s photoshop file into code’ (my client’s project manager)

‘ The model can define xml structures for any type of content’ (me)

‘ The model defines what editors can do and can’t do with their website’ (our CMS-Trainer)

‘ The model affects how you can display, target & search for content’ (T. Regli, 06/11/08)

‘ A successful model enables to effectively gather information for the purpose of effectively distributing the information’ (B. Boiko, 07/11/07)

BBC News website Portal object containing elements like: Title Summary Link 1 Link 2 Image

BBC Local - Feature Body Text

BBC Children

BBC Mobile News

Process – Iteration 1 of a model Identify publishing objectives & content needed (define functionalities and output designs) Audit already existing content Gap analysis: existing content vs. needed content Create content model by identifying ’content chunks’ and their relationships to each other Implement content model with designs Train users of the CMS Iteration 2

Identify publishing objectives & content needed (define functionalities and output designs)

Audit already existing content

Gap analysis: existing content vs. needed content

Create content model by identifying ’content chunks’ and their relationships to each other

Implement content model with designs

Train users of the CMS

User Experience 3 types of users to have in mind when you do content modelling: Users of the CMS - owners of information e. g. editors, product managers, engineers = everyone who enters information into your system Users of the publication (= website, brochure, intranet...) - seekers of information e. g. members of the public, staff members, potential buyers = everyone who consumes the publication Creators of the CMS - providers of the system e. g. developers, IAs, operational support team = everyone who is involved in the creation, maintenance and enhancement of the CMS

3 types of users to have in mind when you do content modelling:

Users of the CMS - owners of information e. g. editors, product managers, engineers = everyone who enters information into your system

Users of the publication (= website, brochure, intranet...) - seekers of information e. g. members of the public, staff members, potential buyers = everyone who consumes the publication

Creators of the CMS - providers of the system e. g. developers, IAs, operational support team = everyone who is involved in the creation, maintenance and enhancement of the CMS

Different users, different requirements Users of the CMS: want easy to fill in online forms, don’t like training, hate entry fields they doesn’t know what to type in request new functionality regularly different CMS-user groups have different requirements different publications have different requirements Users of the publication: like well-structured content and a good search benefit from consistent user experience Creators of the CMS: need to be able to deploy upgrades as quickly as possible  simple & flexible solution required

Users of the CMS:

want easy to fill in online forms, don’t like training, hate entry fields they doesn’t know what to type in

request new functionality regularly

different CMS-user groups have different requirements

different publications have different requirements

Users of the publication:

like well-structured content and a good search

benefit from consistent user experience

Creators of the CMS:

need to be able to deploy upgrades as quickly as possible

What defines a flexible model? It’s not modelled to match 1 specific design. Designs change. Elements of the model have been identified as truly meaningful ‘content chunks’ – rather then as content just presented together Fewer generic objects - rather then many specific objects Objects with core elements and a variety of additional optional elements - rather then specific objects with no flexibility Open or generous character lengths for text fields - rather then 12 different title elements to match requirements of specific designs (that will change regularly)

It’s not modelled to match 1 specific design. Designs change.

Elements of the model have been identified as truly meaningful ‘content chunks’ – rather then as content just presented together

Fewer generic objects - rather then many specific objects

Objects with core elements and a variety of additional optional elements - rather then specific objects with no flexibility

Open or generous character lengths for text fields - rather then 12 different title elements to match requirements of specific designs (that will change regularly)

Challenge 1: Granularity The more chunks of content you identify and put as elements into a model, the more difficult it will be to maintain and enhance it More elements means MORE … lines of codes specifications to define (e. g. character lengths) difficult-to-reuse content chunks fields to fill out for CMS-users Structured content is good  BUT granularity kills the cat.

The more chunks of content you identify and put as elements into a model, the more difficult it will be to maintain and enhance it

More elements means MORE …

lines of codes

specifications to define (e. g. character lengths)

difficult-to-reuse content chunks

fields to fill out for CMS-users

Structured content is good  BUT granularity kills the cat.

Challenge 2: Tools – Word & Excel Feature_Venue: Content Model

Challenge 2: Tools – Word & Excel Word & Excel: Information Architect/Business Analyst can specify model and decisions around Developer needed to manually write XML With more than 20-30 objects/page types updating gets difficult and often leads to bugs

Word & Excel:

Information Architect/Business Analyst can specify model and decisions around

Developer needed to manually write XML

With more than 20-30 objects/page types updating gets difficult and often leads to bugs

Challenge 2: Tools - XML Feature_Venue: Rules File & Content Template

Challenge 2: Tools - XML XML straight away: Possible but you can’t capture notes around decisions IA/ BA often don’t have skills to write XML so again developer is needed XML is not suitable for communicating with clients

XML straight away:

Possible but you can’t capture notes around decisions

IA/ BA often don’t have skills to write XML so again developer is needed

XML is not suitable for communicating with clients

Challenge 2: Tools – an experiment BBC experiement with PROTÉGÉ : http://protege.stanford.edu RDF/OWL based, open source software Strict classification of all elements of the model in: Classes, sub-classes, instances & properties Model sharable with other tools Auto-generates XML  enables IA/ BA produce XML files & control UI of CMS-forms (e. g. order steps, label entry fields, label options in drop downs) Developer time for initial configuration required Training time for IA/BA required

BBC experiement with PROTÉGÉ :

http://protege.stanford.edu

RDF/OWL based, open source software

Strict classification of all elements of the model in: Classes, sub-classes, instances & properties

Model sharable with other tools

Auto-generates XML  enables IA/ BA produce XML files & control UI of CMS-forms (e. g. order steps, label entry fields, label options in drop downs)

Developer time for initial configuration required

Training time for IA/BA required

Challenge 2: Tools – an experiment

Challenge 3: Communicating Content models are genuinely abstract. What you see on website is never just the model, it’s always content + design. This is misleading because models … are independent from design can contain non-visible information (e. g. metadata) are made for capturing content platform-neutral. You can see a content model by looking at XML but not many can read XML.

Content models are genuinely abstract.

What you see on website is never just the model, it’s always content + design. This is misleading because models …

are independent from design

can contain non-visible information (e. g. metadata)

are made for capturing content platform-neutral.

You can see a content model by looking at XML but not many can read XML.

Challenge 3: Communicating Another BBC experiment : Semi-Visuals

Another BBC experiment : Semi-Visuals

Challenge 3: Communicating

Challenge 4: User Journey A flexible content model means that the user journey can vary a lot Optional elements and entry fields mean that little validation can be included in the UI to check for a client’s specific requirements However, trend anyway goes away from online forms to drag & drop solutions that don’t guide the user User centred design process is a must to design UI for a flexible model. Key question: Do users understand what the core elements and what optional elements are?

A flexible content model means that the user journey can vary a lot

Optional elements and entry fields mean that little validation can be included in the UI to check for a client’s specific requirements

However, trend anyway goes away from online forms to drag & drop solutions that don’t guide the user

User centred design process is a must to design UI for a flexible model. Key question: Do users understand what the core elements and what optional elements are?

Challenge 4: User Journey