Understanding complexity is understanding content and its function. This talk is about content driven design in prototyping. The point of content driven design is to simulate everything users can do with data in highly interactive prototypes.

1. Coping with Complexity
Memi Beltrame

2. Memi Beltrame
I make things fun
and easy to use.

3. http://protostrap.ch

4. This is us

5. Coping with complexity

6. Complexity

7. Technology’s answer
Responsive Design
Mobile First
Multi-Device Ready

8. Technology’s answer
Focus on delivery

9. Rules for coping

10. Assess everything
• Content (Inventories, Content Object Models)
• Assets
(Products, Services, Forms, Everything
Downloadable)
• Internal view (Stakeholder research)
• Tasks: what have users be able to achieve?

11. Insist on
real Content

12. Dimensions of Content-
related complexity
• The amount of content to be displayed
• The content’s structure
• The process of how the content is created & edited
• Searching & filtering content
• How content changes over time

13. Iterate
It will improve
your product, as well as you

14. Usecase 1
Foreign exchange Trading

15. TraderLife

16. TraderLife

18. Frontend
Backend
Figure out what parts of the system you
can wilfully ignore to reduce complexity

20. Let’s spend
GBP 15’000’000

21. Answer a Request for Quote

22. Filter a list with a lot of records

23. Usecase 2
Conference Administration

24. SpotMe

26. First Morning, before coffee.

27. Where do we start?

28. Content inventory and
oBject Model

29. scenarios
Assess the scope

30. THe excel Nightmare
5000 rows with 80 fields

31. THe excel Nightmare
• No single point of entry
• No designated person
• No content strategy
• No established workflows
• No reason to change

32. Excel is not only the standard way,
It is the only way
how non-Techies handle content.

33. Filter a List with a lot of records

34. Lists with a lot of records AND Parameters
Parameter
Operator Value

35. Searchable
Dropdowns

36. Add multiple parameters
Lists with a lot of records AND Parameters

37. Add filter logic
Lists with a lot of records AND Parameters

38. Add filter logic, version 1
Lists with a lot of records AND Parameters

39. Add filter logic
Lists with a lot of records AND Parameters

40. Lists with a lot of records AND Parameters

41. Bulk Editing Content
Find all
- Spanish speaking participants
- staying at the Hotel Belvedere
Assign them
- an emergency contact
- an emergency number.

42. Bulk Editing Content
Process:
- Select entries to change
- Select the parameters that have to be
changed
- Define which changes have to take place.
- Make changes

43. Bulk Editing Content
Search Select Make changes

44. Bulk Editing Content
Searchable multiselects

45. Bulk Editing Content

46. Assigning groups

47. Assigning groups

48. Assigning groups

49. Importing Content

50. Handling Translations

51. Merging content from
different environments

52. Usecase 3
Classifieds & Auctions

53. How can you make
meaningful & relevant
suggestions?

54. Test 1
Random stuff

55. Test 2
User groups

56. Test 3
Configuration

58. Takeaways
• Experiment with extremes
• It’s better to use no suggestions at all
than random ones
• Users often can’t see themselves in a
group "where are the normal people?"
• Use past visit data to make suggestions
in a smart way: spot patterns vs one off
searches

60. How do people buy cars?

61. Phase I Phase II Phase III
Discovering Learning Hunting
Question • What do I need?
• What is the offer?
• What matches my needs?
• What is a good offer?
• What do I have to expect?
• Is this a good offer?
Activities • Research
• First Search
• Discovery
• Comparing
• Collecting
• Test Driving (Does this model match?)
• Playing Around
• Observing
• Test Driving (Does this car match?)
• Deciding
Knowledge Basic Needs • Exclusion Criteria
• Range Spektrum
• Awareness of Criteria
• Knowing exact needs
• Clarity
• Ability to make a decision to buy
Search
Parameters
• Configuration of Basic Needs
• Clear, „Hard“ Facts
• Exclusion of Noise
• Refining Basic Needs
• Playing Around: Finding offers at the
edges
• Challenging Criterias
• Small Configurations (What is a
must, what is a nice to have?)
Elements • Search
• Similarity (Dunstkreis)
• Inspiration
• Comparing
• Collecting
• Reducing
Focus
• Search for Dealers
• Car Reviews
• Location
• Notifications / Search Agent
• Contacting the Seller
• Buying Support (Checklists)
• Sharing with Peers, Family, Experts
• Location
Touchpoints • Different plattforms (Autoscout, Comparis,
…)
• Online: Reviews (TCS)
• Offline: Car Dealer, Friends
• Plattform
• Dealer
• Search Agent Mails
• Plattform
• Dealer
Buying Phases

62. Thank you!
I’m @bratwurstkomet on Twitter
Prototypes made with Protostrap
http://protostrap.ch