Content Development
Websites, articles, posts, entries, games, applications, interactive screens… the options for communicating and promoting an organisation or a project are innumerable. However, how do we select, design and deliver ‘what’ and ‘how’? In other words, what is the “Content Development” process?
As Peripatos we undertook content development, and more specifically the UX writing for two cultural organisations’ websites: the National Museum of Contemporary Art – EMST (2020) and the Canellopoulos Museum (2021). Furthermore, we recently completed the content development of a series of digital applications for Uni Systems regarding the project they implemented for the Music Library “Lilian Voudouri” – MLLV, of the Friends of Music Society (2023). In more detail,
- bilingual mobile application “The Path of the Composers”, for children and adults, with the aim of promoting important Greek composers and their archives through an interactive audio tour inside the MLLV’s premises;
- interactive applications on touch screens within MLLV: “Vinyl – A story in turns”, where the history of the evolution of vinyl records is presented, through the rich collection of MLLV; and “The Museum of Archives”, a digital experience, dedicated to the Greek art music of the 20th century.
Based on the principles of Service Design, utilising tools such as user journey and persona, and in the context of UX writing, every time we were called upon to develop content for an organisation we followed a set of steps:
Team: developing content for digital media – based on specific information, such as a cultural collection or the work of a cultural organisation, requires the involvement of appropriate professionals to ensure that whatever is decided is feasible and within the available resources (budget and schedule).
Research: of the organisation itself, and of the target audience, as well as of the best practices used by other relevant bodies.
Analysis: usually we collect a lot of data, but this does not mean that they are all relevant or provide any value to the organisation or our target group.
Objective: defining the objective that the organisation wishes to achieve through the content we are developing.
Strategy: after the completion of the above steps and before moving on to the next ones, we need to clearly articulate the strategy. This should include: the language we will use, the messages we want to deliver, the topics we will cover, the format all this content will take, the channels and the evaluation / performance indicators (KPIs) we will use.
Production: we always start from the body – the basic text, which, though, we ought to enrich with images, graphics and other audiovisual material.
Editing – Optimisation: usually conducted in-house, but it is highly recommended – if you have the right resources – to also distribute the material to a small group of people, who are not part of the creation/production team, so as to be evaluated. In any case, the content should be edited and corrected accordingly for typographical and other typical errors, but mostly to ensure that at every stage the content aligns and serves your objectives and strategy.
Publishing – Promotion: certainly the available content is infinite, but how will the appropriate content “reaches” its audience? Depending on the format of the content, there are the corresponding promotion and communication channels. If your research and objectives are correct, then there is nothing left but to follow these steps faithfully.
Evaluation – Evolution: the content development process does not end when it is published. From this point on, it is recommended to evaluate the content itself and the interaction of the audience. The goal is to ensure its evolution, and thus its sustainability, whether it is dynamic (constantly changing-evolving) or static content. In the first case, “dynamic”, because the content itself changes, and in the second, “static”, because while the content itself does not change, everything around it will (audience preferences, objectives, goals, etc.).
Concluding, content development for digital applications of cultural institutions and collections requires the harmonious conjunction of service design and UX writing, with the aim of creating experiences that are both useful and attractive. At Peripatos, we combine our expertise in the management and promotion of cultural heritage with our experience in content development, thus ensuring a full understanding of the needs of both the cultural organisation and the various target audiences. By mapping the experience through service design and carefully crafting content through UX writing, we achieve a clear and welcoming discourse that encourages understanding of cultural information.