Karen McGraneJeff Eaton

Baby Got Backend:Content administrators are users too

Hi, I’m Jeff Eatonfrom Lullabot

@eaton

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Hi, I’m Karen McGrane from Bond Art + Science

@karenmcgrane

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WE FOCUS ON MAKING DRUPAL EASIER FOR SITE BUILDERS.

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BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO USE DRUPAL EVERY DAY?

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CONTENT ADMINISTRATORS ARE MORE IMPORTANT TO THE LONGTERM SUCCESS OF THE SITE.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/sherlock77/25369435/

BETTER INTERFACE WIDGETSDON’T EQUAL USABILITY

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BETTER WORKFLOWEQUALS USABILITY

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DRUPAL PRESENTS A DATA MODEL, NOT A TASK MODEL

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BUT YOU HAVE THE TOOLS TO CHANGE THE ADMIN WORKFLOW ON YOUR SITE

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HOW TO DO IT

HOW TO DO IT1.Listen to the content administrators.

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IF YOUR CONTENT CREATORS DON’T HAVE A VOICE, YOU’RE THROWING MONEY AWAY.

1. Listen to the content administrators.

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ANALYZE TASK COMPLETION LIKE IT’S AN ECOMMERCE SHOPPING CART.

1. Listen to the content administrators.

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GET THEM TO ROLEPLAY AND DOCUMENT BOTH ONLINE AND OFFLINE WORKFLOWS.

1. Listen to the content administrators.

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HOW TO DO IT1.Listen to the content administrators.2.Don’t just understand the data, understand

what they’re doing with it.

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CONTENT CREATORS INVENT ALL KINDS OF WORKAROUNDS.

2.Don’t just understand the data, understand what they’re doing with it.

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UNDERSTANDING HOW FIELDS ARE USED WILL SAVE COUNTLESS HOURS CLEANING UP MESSES.

2.Don’t just understand the data, understand what they’re doing with it.

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EVEN NEW SITES EVOLVE QUICKLY.

2.Don’t just understand the data, understand what they’re doing with it.

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HOW TO DO IT1.Listen to the content administrators.2.Don’t just understand the data, understand

what they’re doing with it.3.Keep asking “why?” and iterate, iterate, iterate.

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THINK LIKE THE BUSINESS. WHY DO THEY NEED TO DO A CERTAIN TASK?

3.Keep asking “why?” and iterate, iterate, iterate

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DON’T JUST REPLICATE EXISTING MENTAL MODELS.

3.Keep asking “why?” and iterate, iterate, iterate

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FAST-AND-CRAPPY TURNS TO POLISHED-AND-GOOD WITH THE RIGHT FEEDBACK.

3.Keep asking “why?” and iterate, iterate, iterate

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HOW TO DO IT1.Listen to the content administrators.2.Don’t just understand the data, understand

what they’re doing with it.3.Keep asking “why?” and iterate, iterate, iterate. 4.Optimize the workflow, not individual screens.

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REAL CONTENT PRODUCTION IS A PROCESS, NOT A SINGLE SCREEN.

4.Optimize the workflow, not individual screens.

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METADATA MAKES FLEXIBLE SITES BUT COMPLEX WORKFLOWS.

4.Optimize the workflow, not individual screens.

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IT’S OKAY TO CREATE DIFFERENT WORKFLOWS FOR DIFFERENT BEHAVIORS.

4.Optimize the workflow, not individual screens.

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BULK TOOLS.EASY TURNS HARD WHEN YOU HAVE TO REPEAT IT 10,000 TIMES.

4.Optimize the workflow, not individual screens.

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HOW TO DO IT1.Listen to the content administrators.2.Don’t just understand the data, understand

what they’re doing with it.3.Keep asking “why?” and iterate, iterate, iterate. 4.Optimize the workflow, not individual screens.5.Use repeating concepts, not just UI elements.

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PROPER CATEGORIZATION AND CONSISTENT LABELING GO A LONG WAY.

5.Use repeating concepts, not just UI elements.

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USE SIMILAR VISUAL CUES FOR WORKFLOWS ACROSS THE SITE.

5.Use repeating concepts, not just UI elements.

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PLACE SIMILAR FIELDS IN A CONSISTENT PLACE ACROSS ALL SCREENS.

5.Use repeating concepts, not just UI elements.

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NIRVANA!

…ALMOST.

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THE BETTER IT FITS ONE TEAM,THE HARDER IT IS TO REUSE.

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“There’s a big difference between the ‘site’ and ‘shop’ mentalities.

Devs who work on a site for a long time always make some code that no one else can use.

Shops and the community usually want stuff that can be reused over and over.

—Blake Hall

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ACCEPT THAT MANY GOOD ANSWERS WILL BE UNIQUE.

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HOW TO DO IT1.Listen to the content administrators.2.Don’t just understand the data, understand

what they’re doing with it.3.Keep asking “why?” and iterate, iterate, iterate. 4.Optimize the workflow, not individual screens.5.Use repeating concepts, not just UI elements.6.Accept that many good answers will be unique.

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Thanks!@eaton & @karenmcgrane

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