By Corey Vilhauer CHAPTER 10Once we’ve determined all of the editorial audiences, it’s up to us to make
sure each is represented, both within any strategic content plan and as a
part of the overall website discussion. We know, we know: committees are
hard to work with. But dealing with committees is easier than scrambling to
make changes for departments or stakeholders who stick their nose into the
project at far too late a stage. Mike Monteiro, author of Design is a Job^9 , talks
about the necessity of grabbing the right mix of people:
Going into a project, you need to know who on the client side provides input,
who gives feedback, and who approves. You may have a better idea of who
these people should be than your client. ... As important as it is to have a small
feedback group reviewing design decisions, it’s even more important that it’s
the right group.Each of your editorial groups plays a huge part in determining edito-
rial workflow and project sustainability. By figuring out what makes each
group tick, we can present solutions that fit the project’s expectations.
auditing the existing Process
With our audiences — both external and editorial — in mind, it’s time to
figure out what we have to work with. This is an exercise in resource allo-
cation, but it is also a major trial in patience.
We’re already used to diving into a project armed with a spreadsheet
and several hours of droning music, ready to inventory every last PDF and
policy page. We do this to gain a sense of where we are. What areas of the
website are under-represented? What content is sitting idle and mucking
up search results? Why do we still link to the program for the 2002 Annual
Christmas Program?
The goal of this inventory is to:
9 Monteiro, Mike “Design Is A Job”, http://smashed.by/alap-job