engineering influence: talking to developers about content

John Eckman | @jeckman | #ConfabEDU

Engineering InfluenceTalking to Developers About Content

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_and_Venus_(Botticelli)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_and_Venus_(Botticelli)


Q: How can you tell an extroverted engineer?

A: When he talks to you, he looks at your shoes (instead of his own).


http://www.wix.com/blog/2010/11/web-designers-vs-web-developers-infographic-by-wix-com/

http://www.wix.com/blog/2010/11/web-designers-vs-web-developers-infographic-by-wix-com/


But we have to work together


–Winston Churchill

“There is only one thing worse than going to war with allies . . . and that is going to war without them.”

- Donald Rumsfeld

“You go to war with the army you have---not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.”


#blameEthan• We had this nice workflow

worked out where we didn’t have to talk to each other.

• Static wireframes with Lorem Ipsum -> Static comps with Lorem Ipsum -> Built out sites with Lorem Ipsum

• Now have to think about multiple devices? Yikes

• Designers and developers will have to talk.


#blameKaren

• Content Strategists can’t ignore how things are built.

• RWD itself doesn’t really answer the underlying question.

• We’ll have to talk. Developers, Designers, and Content Strategists.


#blameSaraWB

• Adaptive content? That’s a whole ‘nother layer

• Content strategists, designers, and developers will not only have to talk but actually agree on goals and approaches


Engineers are People TooSIX WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU:

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.

2. Smile.

3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.

6. Make the other person feel important—and do it sincerely.


Sincere Interest


Interest in the Platform• How is structured content managed? Can new

content types be created / extended? How?

• What’s the editor experience like, and how can it be customized?

• How are templates / themes created and edited?

• What is the team excited about on this platform, and what are their concerns?


Common GroundShared Problems:

• Lack of budget (time)

• Weak/unclear strategy

• Pointy-haired bosses

• Shiny object syndrome

• Scope creep

• Migrate everything


http://www.superstitiousthoughts.com/news/?


1. Eliminate all privacy.

2. Force push your own changes, without code review.

3. Interrupt people regularly for status updates.

4. Rush out software in 3 wks that needs 3 months

5. Hire a “Sr. Architect” but make architectural decisions before they show up

6. Change issue tracking software and means of communication regularly.

7. When hiring, find people that have at least a two hour drive, [then] disallow working from home.

8. One day, without notice, demand that everyone report to work an hour and a half earlier, starting the next day.

9. Make sure everything is on fire all the time.

10. Deny your team decent hardware.

http://rustyrazorblade.com/2014/09/21-ways-to-minimize-employee-retention/

http://rustyrazorblade.com/2014/09/21-ways-to-minimize-employee-retention/


http://cheezburger.com/4223955712http://cheezburger.com/4047223552

http://imgur.com/k3qeC#.TmF8K5SyKGE.tumblr

http://loremipsumfails.tumblr.com/post/17153602389/gojugo-one-more-reason-not-to-respect-jose


Common GroundShared Problems:

• Lack of budget (time)

• Weak/unclear strategy

• Pointy-haired bosses

• Shiny object syndrome

• Scope creep

• Migrate everything

Shared Goals:

• Project success

• Clear goals, set early

• Long-term stability

• Ongoing usage

• Mastery and flow

• Focus on impact


Content Models vs

Data Models


http://www.sarawb.com/2011/06/30/content-first/


http://tutorial.shiksha360.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Database_Model_DiagramTitle.png


“Content is made of data in the same way music is made of notes”

- me

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Autograph-Manuscript-BWV614.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Autograph-Manuscript-BWV614.jpg


Making it Real• No design without content - ban lorem ipsum

• No implementation of a CMS without understanding the “C” - structured content

• Content strategy throughout the project lifecycle, including into maintenance & optimization

• We’re here to help - to ensure that what gets built gets used, populated, and thrives


Enlisting Help• Avoid asking “Can the system do X?”

• Instead, explore goals and desired features:

• What’s the best way we could accomplish X?

• What is it that makes doing X difficult on our platform?

• What could we do to achieve the same goal that would be more in line with our architecture?


What’s in it for me?• Content audits help developers uncover

requirements gaps

• Content strategy provides leverage to push back on out of scope or irrational requests

• Mediating / translating between users and developers (“I speak human and engineer”)

• Nothing is more frustrating to developers than building & refining features that no one uses


Q & A

John Eckman [email protected]

10up.com @jeckman

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.10up.com/

engineering influence: talking to developers about content

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