“Any organization that designs a system…will inevitably produce a design whose structure is a copy of the organization’s communication structure.” This old idea in computer science too often seems inevitable, as content management systems slow us down, rather than support us, and our products end up reflecting the status quo. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
We’ve seen how incremental CMS changes can put newsrooms and nonprofits alike on a path toward empowering folks, breaking down assumptions, and better representing communities. As we create products used by entire organizations, we have a unique opportunity to build systems that reinforce positive shifts. Through learning sessions with hundreds of staffers, we’ve seen a reversal of that old idea—going from digital transformation to real organizational change.
In this Alley Session, we’ll share tools that have helped publishers make these moves, and small product updates you can make now to fuel big change. We’ll talk with Erin Geismar, Managing Editor of Digital Production for New York Post, and Margaret Schneider, Director of Editorial Projects at Alley, to learn how product thinking and training sessions combine to bring a whole staff together. You’ll gain ideas for your own products—and find out why training and user testing are among your most powerful tools to ensure the success of a digital transformation.
