The session with Jane Ruffino explored the often overlooked yet crucial role of content in technology and design. Jane, a content strategist, discussed how content acts as a foundational infrastructure in digital products and services, likening it to the integral but usually invisible components of physical infrastructure. She shared her experiences in various projects, highlighting the importance of integrating content design from the onset rather than treating it as an afterthought. Jane also touched on the challenges of advocating for the value of content in tech environments and the importance of building alliances and educating colleagues about the vital role of content.

Content as Infrastructure

• Content is a foundational element in products and services, akin to infrastructure in its essential yet often invisible role.
• Jane shared a project experience where content design was initially sidelined but later recognized as critical in structuring user interactions and decision paths.
• The project highlighted the importance of considering content early in the design process and integrating it with other aspects of product development.

Value of Content in Tech Environments

• Convincing others of the importance of content is challenging; success often lies in working with those who already acknowledge its value.
• Jane emphasized the importance of making informed decisions about content and helping others understand these choices.
• She noted similarities between the challenges faced by content strategists and engineers, suggesting potential alliances.

Educating on Technical Concepts

• Jane's approach to teaching complex subjects involves meeting people where they are and focusing on their goals rather than overwhelming them with jargon.
• She shared her experience teaching archaeology to school kids, using relatable scenarios to make the subject engaging and accessible.

Advocacy for Content

• Advocacy in content strategy is about forming alliances and understanding the type of gap (awareness, knowledge, value) you're trying to close.
• Measuring the impact of advocacy and content work can be difficult; success often lies in prevention of problems rather than easily quantifiable metrics.

Notable Quotes

• "Content is not an afterthought; it's the structure we build everything else around."
• "In content design, success is often about making informed decisions and helping others see the value in those choices."
• "Teaching is about helping people see the world through a new lens, not just imparting knowledge."
• "Advocacy for content isn't just about promoting its importance; it's about forming strategic alliances and being recognized for your expertise."

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!