Taxonomy bootcamp 2017_lindy_roux

WHY TAXONOMY ADOPTION
IS NOT GUARANTEED
Taxonomy Bootcamp, November 2017
@TaxonomyBC #TaxoBC @lindroux @digitallydeft @versednetwork

COMPLETE THE PATTERN
“Our brains seek coherence,
structure, and order.”
- Bernard D. Beitman, MD, 2009
@TaxonomyBC #TaxoBC @lindroux @digitallydeft @versednetwork 2

WHY ARE WE
HERE?
3@TaxonomyBC #TaxoBC @lindroux @digitallydeft @versednetwork

… of organizations indicated in a recent survey that their plan was to deploy their
taxonomy across the entire organization. However, anecdotal comments indicated that
many of these roll-outs are bumpy at best.
-James “Jim” Connelly, CRM, 2010
58%

5 REASONS ADOPTION FAILS
1. Limited participation
2. Not enough education
3. Becomes outdated
4. Tools not supporting
5. Lack of governance

#NOTMYTAXONOMY
REASON #1: LIMITED PARTICIPATION

„A taxonomy that’s good might not be right for the
people who are going to be using it…So how do you
build the right taxonomy for your people? You talk to
them.
- Rachel Price, 2016

0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.5
User Participation in
Design
Management
Involvement
Designers Knowledge of
Organization
Communication Strategy. Design Validation
Technique
Use of Pilot
Implementation.
Critical Success Factors for Taxonomies in N. America
-James “Jim” Connelly, CRM, 2010

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Be inclusive
➤ Review ALL existing taxonomies
➤ Interview representatives from
ALL parts of the organization
➤ Create taxonomy ambassadors
to work with you throughout
design and governanceBe compelling
➤ Build buzz early and often
➤ Demonstrate the value of a
taxonomy
➤ Where necessary, lay down
the law (not a popular topic)
Test, and re-test
➤ Test and validate before, during and after
the taxonomy design process
➤ Use data on usage, search logs and
folksonomy to drive ongoing
optimization

REASON #2: NOT ENOUGH EDUCATION
#TAXONOMYNOTTAXIDERMY

„Taxonomies, despite a lot of improved understanding
over the last decade, can still be somewhat esoteric
to the non-indoctrinated
- Zach Wahl - 2014

… of ﬁrms that invest in unstructured information-management initiatives won't
achieve their targeted return on investment, due to underinvestment in taxonomy
building (0.7 probability) -Gartner, 2003
70%
More than…

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
➤ Don’t assume deep understanding of taxonomy
➤ Educate decision makers, users, inﬂuencers, everyone!
➤ Spend time on the beneﬁts and use of taxonomy
➤ Provide perpetual access to training and documentation
➤ Never waste a good teaching moment

EDUCATE FROM A PLACE OF FAMILIARITY
Category 1: Caffeine
Full Caf
Half Caf
Decaf
Category 2: Shots
One Shot
Two Shots
Three Shots
Four Shots
Five Shots
A black eye and bloody
nose
Category 3: Syrup
Toffee Nut
Caramel
Vanilla
Peppermint
Mocha
Pumpkin Spice
Hazelnut
Category 4: Milk
Full cream
2%
Skim

REASON #3: BECOMES OUTDATED
#taxonomiesevolve

„Taxonomies are not artifacts for safekeeping: they adapt
and change in coevolution with the efforts of users to
make sense of ambiguity, emergence, and uncertainty in
their environment.
- Knowledge Solutions, 2010

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
4 elements critical to a dynamic taxonomy
1. Acceptance: Give up the idea of ‘One and Done’
2. Planning: Decide on a process for change
3. Communication: Set expectations across the organization
4. Flexibility: Be willing to change the change process

GATED APPROACH
Request
Folksonomy
NLP
Usage
Analysis
Evaluation and
Approval
Implementation

UNGATED APPROACH
Request
Folksonomy
NLP
Usage
Analysis
Audit and
adjustment
Automation

REASON #4: TOOLS DON’T SUPPORT IT
#SPREADSHEETfromhell

„Taxonomy management tools differ widely in their ability
to scale, their complexity, and the components of the TM
process that they address.
- Richard Medina , 2013

SPECTRUM OF CAPABILITIES
Spreadsheets Managers Full Automation
Development
Deployment
Maintenance
Governance
Usage

WHICH TOOL IS RIGHT FOR YOU
Factors to consider when selecting a taxonomy tool:
➤ Where will the taxonomy be applied?
➤ How extensive and complex is your taxonomy?
➤ What is your technology ecosystem?
➤ Who will be managing, applying and using the taxonomy?
➤ How will changes be applied?
➤ What is your budget? (think TCO)

REASON #5: LACK OF GOVERNANCE
#EVERYONE’SATAXONOMIST

„Without appropriate taxonomy governance, taxonomy
designs can quickly fall into chaos, resulting in poor
usability and ﬁndability.
- Claire Brawdy, 2017

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Governance includes three key areas:
People
• The people or groups required to manage your taxonomy
• Who is accountable for each step in the process
Process
• The steps involved in applying, managing and using taxonomy
• How decisions will be made and monitored
Technology
• Strengths and limitations of existing tools
• Requirements for additional features/enhancements

PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY
Core
Team
Taxonomy
Manager
Tech Ecosystem
(CMS, DAM, KM
Tool, Taxonomy
Tool, etc.)
Content
Managers
Content
Stakeholders
Use taxonomy
to find content
Request taxonomy
changes
Oversee
taxonomy
reviews and
changes Manage
taxonomy
Manage content
and apply
taxonomy

PROCESS (GATED EXAMPLE)
5. Apply4. Communicate3. Change2. Assess1. Request
Changes to
taxonomy are
initiated by:
• Request by
content owners
• Review of
‘Folksonomy’ tags
• Review of usage
statistics
Changes are
assessed by core
team for:
• Consistency with
existing terms and
structure
• Level of effort in
applying changes
to content
Taxonomy admin
makes changes to
taxonomy in
appropriate
systems
System or Admin
notifies content
owners of change in
taxonomy
Content
automatically
inherits changes in
tags or hierarchy
New tags are
applied to content
by content
managers/tools

Q & A

DEFT
WE DEFINE AND OPTIMIZE DIGITAL EXPERIENCES
DEFT is a collective of agency professionals with end-to-end expertise
in creating successful digital campaigns. We pride ourselves on a ‘no-
BS’ approach to strategy. We love to roll up our sleeves and spend time
collaborating with your team on the right solution for your business and
customers.
Together, we have decades of experience in content and digital strategy,
CMS and digital asset management, user experience and insights. Over 4
continents, with clients ranging from Fortune 500 big hitters to Hollywood
upstarts, we’ve led a ton of engagements, including enterprise websites,
integrated campaigns, mobile applications and email & social media
campaigns.
 
PLANNING CONTENT EXPERIENCE
At DEFT, we deliver experiences with the right CONTENT, speaking to right PEOPLE, in the right CONTEXT.

VERSED NETWORK
BASED ON SCIENCE, STEEPED IN CREATIVITY
EXPERIENCE CONNECTED.
STRATEGY EXPERIENCE CREATIVE INNOVATION
Content Strategy
Product Strategy
Brand Strategy
Migration Strategy
SEO
Social Media Strategy
Personas & Journeys
Audience Research
UX Design
UX Audits & Heuristics
Taxonomy
Information Architecture
Analytics
Creative Direction
Content Production
Experience/UI Design
Mobile UI Design
Product Design
Corporate Identity
Startup Consultation
Product Development
Practice Enablement
Community Building

Taxonomy bootcamp 2017_lindy_roux

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