More and more publishers are putting out eBooks, mobile, smaller chunks of information.
89 percent of people in the U.S. access the Internet from their mobile phone.It's more than just reading. It's finding things. It's doing things. There are 5.3 billion people worldwide using mobile, and many are skipping the landlines.
So is it all about designing for a small screen?
With eBooks, page size, resolution, navigation is different. As with mobile. We have to re-think our content.
No more "re-thinking." Do it right from the beginning. It won't impact you when that next device arrives. And it will arrive.
Don't fall into the format trap. Handcrafting is unsustainable. Devices are proliferating just too fast. Functionality varies across devices. You just can;t keep up.
The solution is to design a format-free content strategy. That doesn't mean "eBooks first" or "mobile first." Think content first!
Develop structure-free content models. You also need a reuse strategy and a metadata strategy. Metadata is key for accessing and repurposing information and telling devices about your content.
Publishing eBooks is not easy. But you can't get it done, keep up with changes, by using a print-centric model.
- To future proof content:
- Determine the primary content.
- What content can be layered or scrolled?
- What content can be eliminated?
- What alternate content should be presented, and what structure will support this?
As long as you have structure, you're not tied to any format. It can go to multiple channels. It can be filtered, layered, it can be progressively revealed.
Identify structured writing guidelines. Come up with a reuse strategy.Come up with a good taxonomy and good metadata.
XML provides an industry standard for structured content. There are many implementations and structures, and it doesn't have to be in your face.
Look at ROI over the first 3 years. You're not going to see any in the first year, and if your company expects that, they are just wrong.
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