Shows
The Web Project GuideEpisode 24: Maintain and Improve (w/ David Hobbs)Corey and Deane discuss the people and rules that help run a website after launch. Then, David Hobbs, author of Website Product Management: Keeping Focused During Change, joins to talk about transferring a site from a project to a product — what that means to keep the site going after launch, where it most often fails, and how to streamline requests and set reasonable expectations for the future of the site. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and co...2023-10-1734 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 23: Plan for Post-Launch Operations (w/ Meghan Casey)Corey and Deane talk about the idea of a web operations framework. Then, Meghan Casey, content strategist and author of The Content Strategy Toolkit: Methods, Guidelines, and Templates for Getting Content Right, joins to talk about content governance and ongoing maintenance — how humans are nearly always the problem (but not the humans you might think), the things you can do to plan for post-launch content, and how to deromanticize the bit launch in favor of content maintenance. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm...2023-09-2040 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 22: Test and Launch the Site (w/ Bob Davidson)Corey and Deane talk about the concept of the “Nails List.” Then, Bob Davidson, Director of Development at Blend Interactive, joins to talk about how to get your site ready for launch, what makes a good QA practitioner, the role of quality assurance and testing in the development process, and how to prep the site so it doesn’t fall over when exposed to the real world. We also spend a lot of time talking up Jenna Bonn, Blend’s QA Practice Manager. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web str...2023-08-1634 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 21: Migrate and Populate the Content (w/ Carrie Hane)Corey and Deane discuss an old migration project. Then, Carrie Hane, Principal Digital Strategist at Sanity and co-author of Designing Connected Content, joins to talk about preparing content for site migration — how good content modeling helps set up a site for future success, the psychological side of migrations, and a few horror stories from Carrie and Deane. Carrie graciously insists this is not the most depressing episode yet. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and co...2023-07-1838 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 20: Implement the Back-End Functionality (w/ David Knipe)Corey and Deane discuss a high-level philosophy of back-end development. Then, David Knipe, Vice President of Product at Optimizely, joins to discuss back-end development — how developers and project stakeholders work together to make decisions, the difference (and balance) between technical perfection and audience needs, and the reasons why AI will help, but not take over, back-end development. Deane also equates developers to lumberjacks. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and content problems, from content strategy and...2023-06-2036 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 19: Implement the Design (w/ Ethan Marcotte)Corey and Deane talk about how front-end development has evolved past the early days, when it was largely seen as a simple layer on top of more complex back-end development, into something that’s as complicated and important as ever. Then, Ethan Marcotte, author of Responsive Web Design and Partner at Autogram, joins to discuss front-end development and how the world has impacted how front-end design is treated and approached, from the sheer number of devices each design must account for to the impact of those living with permanent and temporary disabilities. We also joke about whether Dea...2023-05-1643 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 18: Select an Implementation Partner (w/ Tony Byrne)Corey and Deane discuss what clients should look for when selecting an implementation partner. Then, Tony Byrne, co-author of The Right Way to Select Technology and President of Real Story Group, joins to talk through the implementation partner selection process, including common mistakes, the value of domain knowledge, and how most projects should focus on technology first. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and content problems, from content strategy and design to CMS implementation and s...2023-04-1340 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 17: Plan for Hosting (w/ Elias Lundmark)Corey asks Deane a brutally honest question: as non-developers, why should we care about hosting at all? Then, Elias Lundmark, product manager for cloud hosting at Optimizely, joins us to talk about website hosting in common terms — cloud versus on-premises, the reality (and politics) of “five 9s,” and the things you need to understand before choosing a hosting provider or vendor offering. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and content problems, from content strategy and design...2023-03-1535 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 16: Select a Content Management System (w/ Cathy McKnight)Corey and Deane talk about a Donald Rumsfeld quote, and about the concept of “unknown unknowns.” Then, Cathy McKnight, Chief Problem Solver and lead analyst for The Content Advisory, joins us to talk about selecting a content management system — the process for choosing a system, how a CMS selection analyst can help keep vendors honest, and what to do if you’re selecting on your own. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and content problems, from cont...2023-02-2137 minThe Web Project GuideEpisode 15: Determine System Requirements (w/ Joe Kepley)Corey and Deane discuss the three parts of selecting a CMS: requirements, tool, and development team. Then, Joe Kepley, chief technical officer at Blend Interactive, joins us to discuss the world of translating design and IA into code within a content management system — including balancing groundbreaking design with realistic engineering — and the need to tie high-level project goals into the real nuts and bolts of code. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and content problems, from...2023-01-1741 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 14: Know Your Integrations (w/ Greg Dunlap)Corey and Deane discuss the four major parts of a content model — pages, blocks, aggregations, and integrations. Then, Greg Dunlap, Director of Strategy at Lullabot, joins us to define a web integration, discuss the finer details of development risks and runtime risks — as well as real-time vs scheduled data — and praise the efficiency of using Google Docs as a workflow tool. Corey and Greg give Deane a music lesson, too. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and c...2022-12-1446 min
Content Strategy InsightsCorey Vilhauer and Deane Barker: The Web Project GuideAs the field of content strategy matures and advances, one thing remains the same: the ubiquity and importance of building websites. Few practitioners are more versed in this craft than Corey Vilhauer and Deane Barker. Then they worked together at Blend Interactive, Corey and Deane wrote The Web Project Guide, a comprehensive book that can help anyone manage the process of creating and building a new or updated website. https://ellessmedia.com/csi/corey-deane/2022-11-3037 min
Content Strategy InsightsCorey Vilhauer and Deane Barker: The Web Project Guide – Episode 129As the field of content strategy matures and advances, one thing remains the same: the ubiquity and importance of building websites.
Few practitioners are more versed in this craft than Corey Vilhauer and Deane Barker.
Corey Vilhauer
Deane Barker
When they worked together at Blend Interactive, Corey and Deane wrote The Web Project Guide, a comprehensive book that can help anyone manage the process of creating and building a new or updated website.
We talked about:
the birth of their book, The Web Project Guide, in the parking lot of a Cheesecake Factory in Omaha, Nebraska, and its development in...2022-11-3000 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 13: Develop the Graphic and Interface Design (w/ Sam Otis)Corey asks Deane about his ideal web design, and Deane talks about how CSS ruined the web. (He’s kidding, mostly.) Then, Sam Otis, lead designer at Blend Interactive and designer of The Web Project Guide, joins us to talk about his history in design — from Flash to responsive web design, what young designers need to know about the web, and what he wishes clients would stop doing. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and conte...2022-11-1631 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 12: Write for People and Machines (w/ Sarah Winters)Corey and Deane talk briefly about how hard it is to run a conference. Then, Sarah Winters, founder of Content Design London and author of Content Design, joins to discuss the difference between content design and content strategy, writing and designing for accessibility, and the work it takes to turn a big ship toward lasting content change. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and content problems, from content strategy and design to CMS implementation and s...2022-10-1340 min
Agile Digital TransformationCorey Vilhauer & Deane Barker - The Web Project GuideCorey Vilhauer is the Director of Strategy at Blend Interactive, and Deane Barker is the Senior Director of Content Management Strategy at Optimizely. They are authors of The Web Project Guide and hosts of a podcast that dives deeper into specific aspects of the web project process.In this episode, we discuss the multifaceted nature of a web project. Corey and Deane first tell us the origins of their book and their podcast, after which we tackle some of the key factors impacting the web project process, from the overall complexity of the web, the importance of...2022-09-2942 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 11: Model Your Content (w/ Jeff Eaton)Corey and Deane chat about the first time they realized they really liked content modeling, and how modeling is the hidden language of content. Then, Jeff Eaton, partner at Autogram, joins to define content modeling, the concept of content reuse (and its many issues), and the balance between philosophical modeling and actually doing the work in spreadsheets. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and content problems, from content strategy and design to CMS implementation and s...2022-09-1549 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 10: Organize Your Content (w/ Lisa Maria Marquis)Corey and Deane chat about Information Architecture for the World Wide Web — ”The Polar Bear Book” — and then our experiences with information organization in real life. Then, Lisa Maria Marquis, author of Everyday Information Architecture and You Should Write a Book, joins to discuss how to frame information architecture for those who aren’t web people, the hidden biases in organizing content, and a bit about why you should write your own book. (We also take a critical look at Lisa Maria’s bookshelf.) The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a...2022-08-1636 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 9: Develop a Strategy for Your Content (w/ Kristina Halvorson)Corey and Deane talk a little about that time Kristina Halvorson (founder of Brain Traffic, co-author of Content Strategy for the Web, and executive producer of Confab and Button) visited Sioux Falls. Then, Kristina chats with us about content strategy — defining content strategy vs. content design, what tasks are often overlooked, and some basics on spinning up an internal web content team — including a bit of conference talk about the upcoming Button Conference. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams...2022-07-1940 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 8: Gather Insight From Your Metrics (w/ Jon Crowley)Corey and Deane talk about the first time they tracked analytics on their blogs in the early 2000s. Then, Jon Crowley, Senior Vice President of Strategy at Diamond Marketing Group, talks to us about the balance between data and insights — how to focus on questions rather than raw numbers, how to look for answers rather than “trying to be correct,” and a when we can take data at face value. (He also gives us a tour of his shoe collection.) The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and develop...2022-06-1539 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 7: Know Your Content (w/ Paula Ladenburg Land)Corey and Deane talk about Blend CEO Karla Santi’s recent selection as Small Business Person of the Year for South Dakota. Then, Paula Ladenburg Land, author of The Content Inventory and Audit Handbook and principal at Strategic Content LLC, joins the podcast to talk about content inventories and content audits, including what separates the two, when and how to worry about auditing, and her first ever content inventory, which arrived as a spreadsheet on one-and-a-half inches of printed paper. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, de...2022-05-1734 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 6: Identify Outcomes and Audiences (w/ C. David Gammel)Corey and Deane talk about understanding the audiences of the The Web Project Guide book, and the concept of predicate knowledge. Then, C. David Gammel, author of Online and On Mission, joins the podcast to talk about how to prioritize outcomes when stakeholders all have their own interests, understanding the expectations of those who use your website, and how to best introduce domain knowledge. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web and content problems, from content strategy and...2022-04-1441 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 5: Identify Your Audiences (w/ Erika Hall)Corey and Deane talk about Bleachers, music producers, and how understanding your audience increases sales (and helps create a website that fulfills the users’ expectations). Then, Erika Hall, author of Just Enough Research, joins the podcast to talk about research and interviewing the people who will visit your site — how to frame your interviews, how to incentivize your interviewees, and the difference between researching assumptions versus learning about user behaviors. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to guiding teams through complicated web...2022-03-1551 min
The Web Project GuideEpisode 4: Create a Project Plan (w/ Brett Harned)Corey and Deane talk about how project plans rarely stay intact upon first contact with real life, all while wondering why anyone would really want the thankless job of being a project manager in the first place. Then, Brett Harned, author of Project Management for Humans, joins the podcast to talk about project planning — how to plan for a variance of skills within a standard project plan, creating better retrospectives, and how to help become better clients and teams. And, Brett talks to us about his record collection. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) podcast is sponsored by...2022-02-1536 minThe Web Project GuideEpisode 3: Form Your Project Team (w/ Patrice Embry)Corey and Deane talk about the roles missing from most new project teams — namely, the idea of a user and product advocate — while also discussing why early discovery and web strategy work is often handled with very little project management. Then, Patrice Embry joins the podcast to talk about forming a project team. We discuss how to make sure the right people are involved from the start, how to recognize when certain skill sets are missing, and how to ensure inclusivity and representation. And, of course, we talk about sports metaphors. The Web Project Guide (webpro...2022-01-1837 minThe Web Project GuideEpisode 2: Set Your Expectations (w/ Karen McGrane)Corey and Deane talk about managing expectations in the early moments of a new web project — from discussing how to balance "fast, cheap, and good," how to flex and manage early timelines, and making hard decisions about features. Then, Karen McGrane of Autogram joins the podcast to discuss our role as corporate counselors, how to counteract overpromising from the sales team, and what do to if the person setting too-big expectations is ... your boss. (Also: Karen weighs in on the best mockumentary.) The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web st...2021-12-1540 minThe Web Project GuideEpisode 1: Know the Scope of the Project (w/ Bill DeRouchey)In this first episode of The Web Project Guide, Corey and Deane discuss the opening beats of a project: what motivates a new project (the “initial spark”), the risks of onboarding stakeholders too late in the initial phases, and where the term “yak shaving” comes from. Then, we chat with Bill DeRouchey, former lead product designer for Zendesk, to discuss his history with vetting and researching a new project during the opening salvo, territorialism, and Mike Watt. The Web Project Guide (webproject.guide) is sponsored by Blend Interactive, a web strategy, design, and development firm dedicated to making g...2021-11-2228 min