Agile content lightning talks: what we learnt

This evening we attended the excellent Agile Content Lightning Talks meetup, featuring the Government Digital Service.

 Held at The Bookroom, Shoreditch, the premise is pretty simple: Eleven speakers each get five minutes and 20 slides (15 seconds per slide) to talk passionately about their take on agile content. And it was fast! But the key results definitely resonated:

11 lightning talks...11 lightning takeaways!

1. User research is all about people outside of the digital 'making' sphere engaging with content... and believing in it
2. Content represents who we are, and as creators we need to shape context by getting that content into the hands of people who 'get' us... and this means connecting with influencers. And building relationships
3. Content needs to solve issues. It has to have value - even if that content is sometimes divisive
4. A side of fried COPE: Create Once Publish Everywhere - giving the content editor the right tools to take control. In these days of omnichannel experiences, they need to ensure the users needs are always at the heart of everything they do - and not leave it to the whim of others
5. We need to get creative: how about looking at content and design through the lens of an architect? How do they create? We can learn from their 'harmonising' principles in ensuring that designers, developers and content creators share the whole vision from the start
6. User data is the voice of the audience and we need to make this work by focusing on user needs, building on this knowledge to create content that is useful
7. Much like a band playing to an empty room, we can't build a site and not know who our audience is. So ask this: are you happy with the 'music' you're creating? Does the composition work? And are people even listening!?
8. Become Sherlock: analytics provide clues about what content users want and respond to. Get forensic and drill down. Learn their behaviour again and adapt content to what they want
9. Pain is the difference between what the user has to do to get to delight... and no one wants pain. So don't make the experience painful for your users!
10. Companies often think about products. But people don't. They think about benefits and what something can do for them, which is why we need to turn things around and think this way too. That way, new product's will in turn be created. (Oh, and don't just rely on analytics for this)
11. Get it right from within: Never underestimate the power of people standing up and telling each other what they're working on. Everyday. This simple act of human interaction is priceless.


One key message...

What's clear is that the user has to be at the heart of everything we do as content creators. We'll certainly be taking some of these back to the team - and looking at ways to further the content conversation within Deeson Online.

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