The problem

When I started, Rhiza’s SaaS-based data visualization software had been sold to large media groups (Cox, Comcast, BBC) — researchers could combine powerful datasets to uncover and visualize insights that helped sales teams plan, buy, and sell media.

But they didn’t.

The product was complex and there was no real training or documentation. To complicate things further, each customer had its own version of the product, with slightly unique functionality and different datasets. Sometimes, the product even had a different name.

The customers were frustrated. The company was frustrated, too: The tool was under rapid development and there was no way to convey the changes to existing users, or show how awesome it was to potential customers.

Time to triage.

The solution

Before I could create content to support use cases and goals, I needed a scalable strategy and information architecture. I also chose tools for structured, single-source authoring, content management, and rapid publishing.

Using the strategy and tooling, I then created and delivered a robust set of technical content:

• XHTML-based knowledge centers for each service & version, with topics, videos, and tutorials (see snippets below)

• Embedded assistance/online help to increase product usability

• Role-, service-, and skills-based training curriculum that blended modalities and used hands-on application of skills to solve relevant problems

For each monthly release, I assessed and iterated on the content based on customer and stakeholder feedback