LavaCon

1. ATaleofaHappyMarriage:
ContentStrategy&UserExperienceStrategy
PayalMistry
UXLead
payal.mistry@vsf-experts.de
www.vsf-experts.de
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property ofVSF ExpertsGmbH Slide 2 of 38

2. Personal Bio
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 2 of 42
Mumbai
Boston
Bachelors in CS
Mannheim, DE
VSF-Experts
Boston
Masters in HFID
Healthcare
E-commerce
UX consulting

3. Personal Bio
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 3 of 42
Efficiency
Effectiveness
Satisfaction
Attractiveness
Trustworthy
Persuasive
Operable
Findable
Accessible
Intuitiveness
Learnable
Useful
Traditional
viewpoint of
Usability
Will they
use it?
How well
can they
use it?
Can they
use it?
✓ Lead UX Strategy
✓ Develop UX Expertise
✓ Hands-on contribution in Research & Design
Key Responsibilities
✓ Product Owner &
Requirements Engineering

4. Agenda
– Understanding Content Strategy (CS)
– Understanding User Experience Strategy (UXS)
– Bringing CS & UXS together
– Case Study: How we embraced CS & UXS
– Key takeaways
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 4 of 42
Topics

5. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 5 of 42

6. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 6 of 42

7. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 7 of 42
Newspaper headlines A/B test (for the Boston Globe)
A. When the first subway opened in Boston
B. Cartoons from when the first subway opened in Boston
* This data comes from Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a former data scientist at Google.

8. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 8 of 42
Newspaper headlines A/B test (for the Boston Globe)
A. When the first subway opened in Boston
B. Cartoons from when the first subway opened in Boston
33% more clicks *
* This data comes from Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a former data scientist at Google.

9. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 9 of 42
Newspaper headlines A/B test (for the Boston Globe)
A. When the first subway opened in Boston
B. Cartoons from when the first subway opened in Boston
33% more clicks *
A. Woman makes bank off rare baseball card
B. Woman makes $179,000 off rare baseball card
* This data comes from Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a former data scientist at Google.

10. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 10 of 42
Newspaper headlines A/B test (for the Boston Globe)
A. When the first subway opened in Boston
B. Cartoons from when the first subway opened in Boston
33% more clicks *
A. Woman makes bank off rare baseball card
B. Woman makes $179,000 off rare baseball card
30% more clicks *
* This data comes from Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a former data scientist at Google.

11. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 11 of 42
Newspaper headlines A/B test (for the Boston Globe)
A. When the first subway opened in Boston
B. Cartoons from when the first subway opened in Boston
33% more clicks *
A. Woman makes bank off rare baseball card
B. Woman makes $179,000 off rare baseball card
A. Hook-up contest at heart of St. Paul rape trial
B. No charges in prep-school sex scandal
30% more clicks *
* This data comes from Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a former data scientist at Google.

12. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 12 of 42
Newspaper headlines A/B test (for the Boston Globe)
A. When the first subway opened in Boston
B. Cartoons from when the first subway opened in Boston
33% more clicks *
A. Woman makes bank off rare baseball card
B. Woman makes $179,000 off rare baseball card
A. Hook-up contest at heart of St. Paul rape trial
B. No charges in prep-school sex scandal 108% more clicks *
30% more clicks *
* This data comes from Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a former data scientist at Google.

13. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 13 of 42
Newspaper headlines
Email subject line writing

14. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 14 of 42
Email subject line writing (desktop)
A. “hello”
B. “Do you have a sec”
C. “Thoughts needed on the lean canvas”
D. “Re: Fw: project status”
E. “Website 2.0: Release plan”
Which ones would you
find more helpful
(professional setting)?
Guess the content?
Read it to later?
Findability?
Newspaper headlines

15. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 15 of 42
Email subject line writing (mobile)
– Pre 2006
Most desktop email clients displayed the first 60 characters
– Smart phone era
Mobile reading suggests we stick to 30 characters (6-8 words)*
* SalesForce Markting Cloud, www.marketingcloud.com
Newspaper headlines

16. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 16 of 42
Survey writing
Newspaper headlines
Email subject line writing

17. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 17 of 42
Survey writing: A double-barrel question
– Would you like to be notified about new articles through Facebook andTwitter?
Yes
No
– Would you like to be notified about new articles?
Yes
No
Please select the method of notification:
Facebook
Twitter
Others
Newspaper headlines
Email subject line writing
Which question would
yield better results?

18. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 18 of 42
Survey writing
Newspaper headlines
Email subject line writing

19. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 19 of 42
Attributes of good content:
– It is useful
– Is user centered
– Is clear and consistent
– Is concise
– Is well planned

20. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
– Good content writing involves good planning
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 20 of 42
Research
Creation
Correction
Scheduling
Publishing
Curation
Is the goal of the message and its intended audience clear?
Are the right people responsible for creating it?
Do we have all the relevant information for the topic?
Has it been proof read (preferably by another pair of eyes)?
Is there a plan to refresh the content periodically?
Is there a plan to publish it on the right channels?

21. What is
ContentStrategy
– Content is omnipresent
– Good content, not so much
– Good content writing involves good planning
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 21 of 42
Research
Creation
Correction
Scheduling
Publishing
Curation
Good content planning
Good Content Strategy

22. What is
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 22 of 42

23. What is
UXStrategy
– UX is also omnipresent – strategic or not
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 23 of 42

24. What is
UXStrategy
– UX is also omnipresent
– Creation of good UX starts with recognizing it’s value
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 24 of 42
Every website gets ‘usability tested’, whether is it intentional or not.
Every design creates an experience, whether it is memorable or not.

25. What is
UXStrategy
– UX is also omnipresent
– Creation of good UX starts with recognizing it’s value
– Good UX involves few key components
User
Research
Information
Architecture
Prototyping
User
Interface
Design
Copywriting
Front end
development

26. What is
UXStrategy
– UX is also omnipresent
– Creation of good UX starts with recognizing it’s value
– Good UX involves few key components
User
Research
Information
Architecture
Prototyping
User
Interface
Design
Copywriting
Front end
development
What? Who?
Where? When?
Why? How?
Source: VFS Digital Design Source: JesseBob.com
Source: Coding Horror

27. What is
UXStrategy
– UX is also omnipresent
– Creation of good UX starts with recognizing it’s value
– Good UX involves few key components
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 27 of 42
Good UX planning
Good UX Strategy

28. Whybring
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
together
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 28 of 42

29. Whybring
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
together
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 29 of 42
Good content
needs
good UX
“Content strategy is to copywriting as information architecture is to design.”
- Rachel Lovinger
LinkedIn article with a catchy title
but
a long and unreadable page

30. Whybring
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
together
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 30 of 42
Good content
needs
good UX
“Content strategy is to copywriting as information architecture is to design.”
- Rachel Lovinger
LinkedIn article with a catchy title
but
a long and unreadable page
LinkedIn articles with an appealing photo
but
beautiful page with irrelevant content
Good UX
needs
good content

31. What makes
ContentStrategy
+
UXStrategy
successful
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH
“For more than 20 years, Americans have relied on the Nutrition Facts label as a
leading source of information regarding calories, fat and other nutrients to help them
understand more about the foods they eat in a day”
- FDA Commissioner
1990s 2006 2011*
* Conceptual design: Berkeley Food Label Design Competition

32. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 32 of 42
VSF Experts: Website Redesign

33. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 33 of 42
VSF Experts: Website Redesign
Our web presence no longer represents our growth
We need to update our marketing if we need to attract new clients
We don’t look 2.0
Problem

34. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 34 of 42
VSF Experts: Website Redesign
Our web presence no longer represents our growth
We need to update our marketing if we need to attract new clients
We don’t look 2.0
Problem
Solution
Let’s look at our competitors, their web presence etc.
We need a fresh look-n-feel
We need to bring more colors into the website
and possibly change the logo
! !

35. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 35 of 42
VSF Experts: Website 2.0
– Problem Framing - ’Website Redesign’ ’Website 2.0’

36. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 36 of 42
VSF Experts: Website 2.0
– Problem Framing - ’Website Redesign’ ’Website 2.0’
– Pivoting - Content-first vs. design-first

37. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 37 of 42
VSF Experts: Website 2.0
– Problem Framing - ’Website Redesign’ ’Website 2.0’
– Pivoting - Content-first vs. design-first
– Content Guru(s) - when there isn't a budget for one

38. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 38 of 42
VSF Experts: Website 2.0
– Problem Framing - ’Website Redesign’ ’Website 2.0’
– Pivoting - Content-first vs. design-first
– Content Guru(s) - when there isn't a budget for one
– Content Libraries - managing the influx of words

39. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 39 of 42
VSF Experts: Website 2.0
– Problem Framing - ’Website Redesign’ ’Website 2.0’
– Pivoting - Content-first vs. design-first
– Content Guru(s) - when there isn't a budget for one
– Content Libraries - managing the influx of words
– Look-n-feel - content didn't look the way it was meant

40. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 40 of 42
VSF Experts: Website 2.0
– Problem Framing - ’Website Redesign’ ’Website 2.0’
– Pivoting - Content-first vs. design-first
– Content Guru(s) - when there isn't a budget for one
– Content Libraries - managing the influx of words
– Look-n-feel - content didn’t look the way it was meant
– Iterate & restate - revisiting designs, finding new ways to package info

41. CaseStudy:
How we embraced
ContentStrategy
&
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 41 of 42
VSF Experts: Website 2.0
– Problem Framing - ’Website Redesign’ ’Website 2.0’
– Pivoting - Content-first vs. design-first
– Content Guru(s) - when there isn't a budget for one
– Content Libraries - managing the influx of words
– Look-n-feel - content didn’t look the way it was meant
– Iterate & restate - revisiting designs, finding new ways to package info
Opportunities
Inventory check
Urgent vs. Important
Decide on content ownersAlign early
Delegate early Audit tools

42. ContentStrategy
+
UXStrategy
LavaCon Dublin, 22nd May, 2017 Content Property of VSF Experts GmbH Slide 42 of 42
KeyTakeaways
– Eliminate information silos
– Value progress over perfection
– Identify inner strengths & knowledge gaps
– Market the strategy
– Measure the ROI
– Appreciating the symbiotic relationship
Whole is greater than the
sum of its parts