Content Strategy Insights

To conduct a good research-focused interview, you need to cultivate a professional interviewing mindset. Steve Portigal has been doing this for years, and he has written a book to help other researchers and designers conduct better interviews. Now in its second edition, Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights, covers interviewing techniques, of course, but also research best practices, how to document your work, and how to make sense of your discoveries. https://ellessmedia.com/csi/steve-portigal/

Michael Reid is a consultant who helps organizations with their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. A linquist by training, he is extremely attuned to the role of language in his work, which led to his explorations of the privilege given to English-language speakers in our modern, hyper-connected world. His discoveries can help content professionals of all kinds identify and address the dynamics and biases that arise from the pivotal role that the English language plays in modern digital business. https://ellessmedia.com/csi/michael-reid/

The podcast discusses challenges in implementing headless CMSs and decoupled architectures, emphasizing the importance of human-centered approaches. The guest's social work background offers insights into fostering collaboration. It explores the concept of federation to overcome organizational silos and highlights the significance of user-centric design in tool development.

The emergence of modular web architectures and complex digital experiences has created a need for new content-management practices and for new enterprise tools. One of the most pressing new needs is the ability to orchestrate the assembly of content elements, which may come from a variety of sources and be used in a variety of distribution channels. Sana Remekie started her company, Conscia, to help large enterprises deal with these new challenges. https://ellessmedia.com/csi/sana-remekie/

Katariina Kari, an Engineer at IKEA, discusses the use of ontologies and knowledge graphs to drive applications and streamline processes. She explores the benefits of using ontology and knowledge graphs like RDF, emphasizing their role in sharing human knowledge. Kari also emphasizes the importance of human involvement in building AI and grounding technology in humanities and social sciences.

Jenny Scribani discusses a messaging framework for maintaining brand consistency across diverse content practices. She highlights the importance of decoupling messaging from technical architecture, exploring content structuring and multi-dimensional frameworks. The benefits of using a messaging framework in content creation, collaboration with various teams, and streamlining information management are emphasized.

Ann Rockley first took the title of "content strategist" in 1989. Over the next 30 years she pioneered content management, intelligent content, and many other practices we now take for granted. Until recently few knew that she accomplished all of that while managing health challenges that would have sidelined most people. Ann now focuses on health coaching and career mentoring, two intertwined practices that help her clients, most of whom are content professionals, manage their health and wellness and thrive at work. https://ellessmedia.com/csi/ann-rockley/

Content leaders are beginning to ascend the corporate org chart. Alli Mooney is VP of Content Design at MasterCard, where she leads a large team of content designers and guides big organization-change initiatives. Like many content professionals, she began her career in publishing and journalism, but her path also included a stint in trend reporting, which lead to a variety of leadership roles at Google. https://ellessmedia.com/csi/alli-mooney/

Ginny Redish, pioneer in content strategy and UX design, discusses the origins of modern documentation and plain language, task orientation and user orientation in UX design, understanding the web as a place for conversations, simplifying content for conversation, and the evolution of usability testing and content design.

Elizabeth McGuane, content designer and author of Design by Definition, discusses the importance of linguistic, rhetorical, and grammatical elements in content design. They talk about the migration of content folks into UX management, the value of variety in design, catching ideas, the concept of narrative check, and their mission to democratize content strategy.