Download PPT

Session #8
Advanced
Technical
Writing
2005
For P2, you will…
1. Analyze the content strategy of a real
organization - the MSU library
2. Investigate the needs of content users and
authors
3. Study the content resources & processes
currently in place
4. Design a new information model for the
organization
5. Present findings in the form of a report
highlighting the current and recommended
future content strategy
A broader view of content…
If content is all of the things we say it
is…interactive, granular, etc. Then you can’t
adequately assess a site’s content strategy
based solely on what shows up in your
browser…
For this project, we’ll pursue three
modes of analysis to get at all the
various aspects of content…
Three views of content…
Emphasizes the
point of view of
A Focus on
Sees the site as
Genre and
features
a text; or a
collection of texts
Structure &
Delivery
objects & actions;
social space
the designers &
developers
Production
Models &
Workflows
a workplace
the admins and
“authors”
the reader/user
Three views of content, 2
A Focus on
You’ll analyze/design
You’ll ask…
Genre and
features
Content Units &
Information types
What info do
users need? In
what forms?
Structure &
Delivery
Objects, views,
and relationships
What does the org.
need in its info
model?
Production
Models &
Workflows
Content Authoring & How is content
Maintenance
created & moved?
Three views of content…
To improve…
You’ll consider something like…
Genre and
features
How the information, itself, can be
made more effective for users
Structure &
Delivery
How the org. can standardize,
reuse, and display content more
effectively
Production
Models &
Workflows
How the org. can streamline
production and management without
sacrificing user-centered goals
Rockley is your guide…
When you
focus on…
Consult Rockley, et. al.
Genre and
features
Ch. 6 Performing a Content Audit
Structure &
Delivery
Production
Models &
Workflows
Ch. 10 Designing dynamic content
Ch. 8 Information Modeling
Ch. 9 Designing Metadata
Ch. 5 Analyzing the Content Lifecycle
Ch. 7 Envisioning Your Unified Content
Lifecycle
Ch. 11 Designing Workflow
…more…
1. We’ll have three teams, each adopting one
of our three investigative foci
2. We’ll follow the Rockley text closely,
supplementing with conceptual
information and data gathering processes
where necessary
3. The final deliverable is a report. Half
focusing on the content strategy currently
in place, half on a recommendation for
how it should change.
4. This project can fit well with P3, which will
ask you to share knowledge about the
concepts we are working with here
Project 2 Basic Info, cont.
There will be three components:
1. A memo of understanding, sent by e-mail to
the library, laying out our combined
research plan - each team will contribute
2. An oral report, where you will describe the
methods you are employing to analyze the
site, and offer preliminary findings to
library staff. (March 20th)
3. A recommendation report, addressed to the
library staff (Last day of class).
Project 2 Basic Info, cont.
A few tips…
• Choose your team based on your
interests.
• Look ahead to project 3 and try to
develop ideas during your work on
project 2
Working with the library
•
The library will give us some issues to begin,
you (we) will propose the project scope and
focus
•
Half of this project is to document an existing
information model…the other half is to make
recommendations for improving it
•
I will act as an intermediary to get the project
teams organized; you’ll let me know how you
think we will proceed (submitting chunks for our
MOA) and I will pass the info along to the
library;
You’ll focus on one of these…
To improve…
You’ll consider something like…
Genre and
features
How the information, itself, can be
made more effective for users
Structure &
Delivery
How the org. can standardize,
reuse, and display content more
effectively
Production
Models &
Workflows
How the org. can streamline
production and management without
sacrificing user-centered goals
Their Ideas
• assessing browser add-ons
• assessing the current e-resources
page
• assessment of our ILL request pages
• usability analysis of the Encore
interface
• analysis of the LIR web interface for
the public sector documents
Project Ideas
•
Genres & Features - how can the search kickoff and
results pages provide better feedback to users
before, during, and after a search?
•
Structure & Delivery - library users come to the
library to “do research”…how can each page view
help each user to “do research” better?
•
Production models & workflows - how can more of
the user-support that goes on in the library in person
be captured, reflected or otherwise leveraged on the
web site?
Your Project Ideas?
The library has some ideas…problem areas really, but
they are really interested in your thoughts about what
would make good projects.
They have been very impressed, in the past, by our
students’ ability to identify things that need to be
investigated.
Think about your experiences as a library user. Have a
look at the library website…any ideas come to mind?
The last XML-ercise…
Rockley Question of the
Day…
What is an information model, according
to Rockely?
Next Time…
► Analyzing
Genres & Tasks (the user
perspective)
► Read Rockley Ch. 6; Derose et. al.
(pdf)