user-generated content strategy
An example of visual information design and innovative taxonomy, designed to increase engagement and the presence of high-ROI user-generated content. Targeted UX strategy increased 1→many user communication 181%, 1→1 communication 22%, and drove active user-generated content up 134%.
I combined applied social network analysis and a game element familiar to MMORPG players, the never-ending quest, to develop the bottomless activity, bottomless connectivity strategy. Initially part of a larger roadmap strategy, the idea was to provide a constant stream of targeted content-producing activity and connectivity to increase user engagement and enrich the site. I created this context- and ROI-driven guide to help Classmates creatives and product managers apply this. (Proprietary information removed.)
Promoting a user-centered perspective via taxonomy
When I first came to Classmates, there was a lot of emphasis on increasing user-generated content, but not enough business discussion from the user's perspective. To remedy this, I introduced a new concept, user-generated experience (UGX), which I'd developed in earlier social media work (pre-Classmates). The taxonomy of user-generated experience included not only user-generated content (UGC), but user-generated activity (UGA). In order for stakeholders to understand UGA alongside UGC, they necessarily had to consider user behaviors and user perspectives. This inevitably led to a better understanding of user experience overall. (Eventually we began to actively convert UGA into visible UGC.)
Once this understanding was established, the next step was to apply social network analysis (SNA) and behavioral analysis, slicing UGC and UGA by the nature of the communication (e.g., 1 → 1, 1 → many, 1 → none; interpersonal vs. broadcast; degree of personal investment). This, combined with ROI (return on investment) research performed by one of our statisticians, drove much of our social media strategy. This guide is just one example of the resulting engagement tactics.
what, where, & when
User Experience Manager
United Online (Classmates.com, MemoryLane.com)
Seattle, Washington
2008-2011
keywords
Social network, social media, SNA (social network analysis), IA (information architecture), UX, Scrum (Agile), UX strategy, content strategy, usability, SEO (search engine optimization), user-centered design, taxonomy, C2C, B2C, Visio, Omniture SiteCatalyst, Google Analytics, Yahoo Web Analytics, data warehouse, web analytics, Rally, Pajek, Microsoft Office (especially PowerPoint, Excel), presentations, road map, competitive research.
