Hello, I'm Director Oyabuchi.
This time, I would like to talk about what I keep in mind as a director when working on a project that involves the introduction of a CMS, and what I think about how to make CMS easier to use and utilize, based on my experience as a creator.
A CMS (content management system) is a system that allows you to update and manage website content without specialized knowledge of HTML, CSS, etc., and the introduction of CMS has become common even in the projects that I handle.
I originally worked as a creator building CMSes, but I still see many sites that are not making full use of CMSes, which offer a wide range of functions and allow for creative use.
A CMS can be easy or difficult to use depending on how it is designed.
Previously, one of our clients, for whom we were providing blog site management services, made the following request:
"I want to package and operate a blog site that can be customized by an unspecified number of users."
In addition to the blog function that allows users to update "content" such as announcements and articles, they also wanted to have a function that would allow users to customize the "design" aspects such as headers and footers, background images, and text color.
Users can customize headers, footers, etc. by themselves based on a single template.
Normally, we would create custom-made templates and modules required to build a CMS in accordance with user requests, but this time we needed to come up with a CMS that would allow users to customize those parts later.
Although we needed to limit the extent of customization to some extent, it was quite difficult to decide on the specifications so that various customizations could be implemented without causing any problems on the site.
A major challenge in this project was assembling this internal structure in accordance with the client's wishes, but as production progressed, one thing became apparent that concerned us.
"Will this be usable by a large number of users?"
There was no problem with updating the blog as it was done in the form of general article posts, but the "customization" had to be done in a completely original way that was tailored to the content of the production.
Although I thought it would be fine if I created a manual, it was necessary to build a fairly complicated site, so I had to open different admin screens to change the header, the text color, images, etc., and the customization method was complicated.
Setting menu list. You have to open each screen and set HTML and CSS.
This is troublesome. There must be some users who have never used a CMS before. I'm worried that I might make a mistake and cause the site to display strangely.
While I was thinking about how I could solve the problem, I suddenly realized something very simple: "Can't I complete the settings menu on one screen?" Such a simple idea may be surprisingly important. After much trial and error, I was able to consolidate the settings screen into one screen by using "custom fields."
This is a combination of multiple setting screens. You can complete everything on one screen without having to go to each screen.
As a result, the risk of users making operational errors was reduced and there was no longer any need to repeatedly refer to the manual wondering, "Where do I set this...?" This was extremely well received by the operating client.
What we did was simple, consolidating the functions onto one screen, but this casual suggestion helped to reduce the burden on the administrator who had to support dozens of users, and it was a moment when I felt glad that I had made the suggestion.
CMS requires various constructions to suit different purposes, but sometimes it can become so tied to a specific purpose that the content created becomes complicated, ultimately making it difficult for users to use.
Because this is a CMS for updating websites, I try to create something that users can "use" rather than something that I can "make" so that it can be used for a long time.
モノサスアーカイブ