The document discusses building a digital experience that supports a customer's journey through a company's product documentation. It describes challenges such as complex navigation relationships that need managing and updating, and developing a taxonomy and content delivery platform simultaneously. Solutions included creating a simple application for authors to apply metadata, optimizing the metadata model to improve search, and converting a mind map into a taxonomy to manage navigation relationships. The results were an 8x increase in content views and users, with 300% more interactions.

1. Building a Digital Experience that Supports Your
Customer’s Journey
Gal Oron, May 2017

2. THE CUSTOMER
JOURNEY IS A STORY OF
EXPLORATION

3. LONG TERM
LOYAL
CUSTOMER
W E
PRE-SALE
IMMEDIATE
POST-SALE
DISCOVER
SEARCH COMPARE TRUST
RESEARCH EVANGELIZE
DECIDE PURCHASE
FRIEND
PURCHASE
USE SHARE
N
GET HELP
PURCHASE
PERSONALIZE
EACH STEP CAN WIN OR LOSE THE HEART OF THE CUSTOMER

4. LONG TERM
LOYAL
CUSTOMER
S
W E
PRE-SALE
IMMEDIATE
POST-SALE
DISCOVER
SEARCH COMPARE TRUST
RESEARCH EVANGELIZE
DECIDE PURCHASE
FRIEND
PURCHASE
USE SHARE
N
GET HELP
PURCHASE
PERSONALIZE

5. LONG TERM
LOYAL
CUSTOMER
S
W E
N
GET HELP
AND THEY LOOK FOR ANSWERS WHEREVER THEY CAN
IMMEDIATE
POST-SALE
PRE-SALE
DISCOVER
SEARCH COMPARE TRUST
RESEARCH EVANGELIZE
DECIDE PURCHASE
FRIEND
PURCHASE
USE SHARE
PURCHASE
PERSONALIZE

6. No analytics
Not mobile
friendly

7. RESULTING IN A BLACK HOLE OF
MONEY AND RESOURCES
SO INSTEAD OF BEING A CRITICAL BUSINESS ASSET,
DOCUMENTATION IS A LIABILITY. AND EVEN A RISK.

8. YOUR ANSWER.
HERE AND NOW.

9. Personalized answers accessible
to customers wherever they are.
Convert existing documentation
into engaging micro-moments
for customers.
And turn documentation from
being a liability to being a
business asset.

10. PRODUCT DOCUMENTATION BECOMES A MAJOR
INFLUENCER ON CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
36% 89%
2012 2016
Of companies expected to compete mostly
on the basis of customer experience
DIGITAL CX IS BECOMING A
PRIMARY AREA OF INVESTMENT
DOCUMENTATION IS SEEN AS AN ESSENTIAL
ELEMENT THROUGHOUT THE CUSTOMER
JOURNEY
THE INTELLIGENT CONTENT
REVOLUTION IS REACHING MASS
MARKET

11. Paper books
ebooks/ pdf
Static web
Personalized
content
Future
channels

12. DellEMC has closed this gap
Technical Resource Center
Make all document types accessible from
a single hub

13. Content Transformation:
Building a Digital
Experience that Supports
Your Customer’s Journey

14. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.14
Background

15. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.15
CI and HCI System Outcomes
Deliver high business value
More applications
deployed
Faster
time-to-market
Reduction in
downtime
Less time keeping
lights on
4.6X 4.4X 96% 41%Converged
operations
Dell - Internal Use - Confidential15 of 70

16. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.16
About Me
Content Architect and Program Manager
With Dell EMC 4 years
18 years in Global Content Development
Born and live in Cork, Ireland
Married with 2 children (5 & 2 years old)
Baker, Soccer fan, and (before I had kids) Golfer

17. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.17
Project justification
Internal Information
Center delivery of content
PDF deliver of
external content on
company website
No single central
location or search for
content
No agreed taxonomy:
Metadata applied
informally
Very little data on user
experience and search
Need to provide solutions for
customers that delivered the right
content at the right time

18. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.18
Content Delivery Platform

19. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.19
Metadata
• Data about content
• Metadata is composed of one or more
metadata elements
• Provides context, definition and additional
relevant information about content
• Tagging:
– The process of assigning metadata to
content
– Values can be from controlled vocabularies
or free text values
Kermit
Muppet Frog
Performer Jim
Henson
Green
May 9,
1955

20. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.20
Taxonomy
• Taxonomy:
– A structure used for classifying information
into a hierarchy of categories and
subcategories*
• Taxonomy to support and improve search results
• A taxonomy is not static. It is a living thing that
adapts and evolves as business grows and
changes
• Uses
– Enhance information retrieval
– Foster connections between information
– Clarify similar concepts
– Harmonize vocabulary

21. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.21
Taxonomy & Metadata
Together in harmony
• Metadata describes your content
• Taxonomy organizes it
• Together they provide the context and
definition of the content

22. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.22
Content Delivery Platform

23. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.23
Metadata requirements
Search and
Navigation
Security Publish Monitor

24. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.24
Challenges and solutions
• Brainstorming, mind-mapping
and prototyping
• Research other Zoomin implementations
and wider industry solutions
• Provide tooling to support the
application of metadata
• Centralize metadata management and
governance
• Research and stakeholder engagement
• Determining metadata
requirements and implications
• Developing the taxonomy and
platform simultaneously
• Implementing a new DITA paradigm –
classification maps
• Understanding change management
within embedded metadata
• Understanding analytics and metrics
Challenges Solutions

25. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.25
Developing the model
• Brainstorming using mind
mapping techniques
• Quick identification of key criteria:
• Navigation and search facets
should maintain a parallel
approach
• Metadata application
should be lightweight
• Segregate publishing
and content metadata
• Prototype and share quickly
• Apply and trial within the
development framework
Technology
Extension
VCE Fabric Technology
Extension
Components
Restriction
Services
Data Protection
RCM
Data Published
VCE Systems
VCE Software
Solutions
Installations
Administartion
White Paper
Architecture
Security
Software Dev
Information Types
Metadata

26. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.26
Challenge:
• Complex navigation relationships that
need to be managed and updated
• Need for a visual mechanism that
was generally understood
Solution:
• Maintain the mind map with
conversion script to create
and apply the Taxonomy
Maintenance
Converged Systems
VCE_ID vcesystems
1
2
2
build Collab, Prod
CRGs All
sherpa
search
categories
group vce_sys
VxRack Systems
VCE_ID vxrack
2
2
2
build Collab, Prod
CRGs All
sherpa
search
categories
group vce_sys
VxRack Systems FLEX
VCE_ID Vxrack100..
1
1
1
build Collab, Prod
CRGs All
sherpa
search
categories
group vce_sys
Product Documentation
VCE_ID Vxrack100..
1
-1
-1
build Collab, Prod
CRGs All
sherpa
search
categories
RCM
VCE_ID Vxrack100..
2
-1
-1
build Collab, Prod
CRGs Customer
sherpa
search
categories
Technical and Security Alerts
VCE_ID Vxrack100..
3
-1
-1
build Collab, Prod
CRGs All
sherpa
search
categories
Field Replaceable Unit (FRU)
4
-1
-1
build Collab, Prod
CRGs Employee
sherpa
search
categories
VCE_ID Vxrack100..

27. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.27
Supporting writers
Challenge:
• Classification maps are
complex and error prone
• Wide group of writers
implementing metadata
Solution:
• Create simple application to
allow authors to apply metadata
• Introduce error detection
• Reduce support requirements

28. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.28
Search and metadata optimization
Use of analytics tools to
determine how the content is
used and searched
Optimized the metadata
model to make search
more effective
Implementation of
synonym search
Optimization of the
internal search engine

29. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.29
Where to next
• Ever-evolving stakeholder requirements necessitate
frequent updates to the model and tools
• Longer term plans to isolate metadata from content to
facilitate easier updates and faster application
• The search for the perfect model continues…….

30. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.30
Fold increase in
content views
Fold increase in users Topics
Monthly comments
addressed
Users registered
Increase in interactions
Experience
8 9 18,000+
8,500+ 200+ 300%

31. © Copyright 2016 Dell Inc.31
Thank you