As industry continues the transition from the information age to the knowledge age, the strategic utilization of existing information is emerging as a critical determining factor in the success or failure of organizations now and beyond. The information markets of the knowledge age will be defined by how rich and content specific the information needs to be, and also how quickly that information can be made available in a usable form. Whether your information goals rely on a generic common body of knowledge or up-to-the-minute and highly focused content streams, rethinking your organization’s information management capabilities will greatly improve your ability to make critical decisions for success.

As noted in the McKinsey Quarterly, “Every company is sitting on a vast storehouse of knowledge, but much of it is underused. The application of knowledge that is already in hand is the fastest and most direct way of using knowledge to influence the company’s bottom line.” In other words, information is fast becoming the most valuable commodity in the new global markets, and those organizations that can manage their knowledge resources will have the leading competitive edge.

Simply having an elaborate information technology system to gather and stockpile information is not enough. Innovative and creative information management is the next step in turning that information into valuable knowledge. Advances in information technology systems have increased the size and scope of information capability to the point where much of the information that is key for making critical strategic decisions is gone and buried long before it can be used effectively. In order for an organization to turn the vast amounts of information it has accumulated into valuable knowledge, the right information must be brought to the right place at the right time.

Knowledge is information that has both meaning and purpose. In order to have a stable footing in the knowledge age, organizations need to consider the purpose of the knowledge and how to strategically leverage their information technologies to generate knowledge needed for making the critical decisions necessary for a sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, strategic content management is the key to success in the future.

A strategic content management system by Virticle is the first step towards putting your organization in the fast lane while your competition sits idle in the congestion of the information super highway. WhyVirticle? It’s very simple. At the heart of Virticle’s content management system, is synergy. A popular misconception is that synergy is simply a blending and routing of information from multiple integrated sources into one general “functional” database. Virticle’s content management system, takes that function to the next step with a strategic balance between the scope of the knowledge market, knowledge market growth, and the processes of managing the distinct information segments as outlined in the Information Market Perceptual Map developed by Virticle.

The Information Market Perceptual Map illustrates the core concept of strategic content management. This perceptual map is determined by the customers’ information criteria of how information needs to be organized, where it needs to go, and when it needs to be accessible in a usable form. Based on the criteria of information precision and accessibility, it is easy to see the distinct information segments of each organization. The content management system that Virticle will design for you will enable you to strategically maximize your leveraging capabilities in each information segment, which will give your organization an unrivaled competitive edge.

Information Segment Perceptual Map

1. Promote Your Business Brand or Identity
You can let people know who you are, where you are and what you do 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. By making information about your business available to millions of people through your Web site, you will be promoting who you are. The internet is an information highway that has no geographical limit.

2. Provide Product and Service Information
The internet will enhance your product and service awareness by providing customers with up-to-date information. Information is a powerful marketing tool and providing information to your customers on how they can benefit from your products and services can benefit your business. Your customers can also know instantly if the product they want is in stock, or when it will be available.

3. Broaden Your Customer Base
Use the internet to expand your business to a great number of potential customers locally, regionally and nationally. If customers see your Web site address, they are more likely to look at your Web site to learn more about your business before making a decision.

Over half a billion people worldwide now have Internet access according to new research from Nielsen-Netratings. As of 2002 there were 165.75 million people online in the United States. That’s almost 60% of the population.

4. Improve Customer Service/Valuable Customer Feedback
Customers expect service and answers. You can provide them with answers to frequently asked questions, diagrams, specifications, product updates, user manuals and other services that can help support your customer’s demands. It also allows you to gather information about your customers by providing online surveys and the ability to personalize information based on their preferences.

5. Cost Effectiveness
Your Web site is a low-cost advertising media when compared to the cost of traditional advertising methods such as direct mail, newspapers, magazine ads, radio and television. Many customers can visit your Web site and continuously use it without a recurring expense.

What is Usability

The usability of a Web site forms the total interaction a user has with the site. This includes everything from the page elements, page layout, and the navigation models through a Web site.

Let’s take for example, shopping in a department store. If you become lost or can’t find help in the store, you will tend to move on to the next store or to a store in which you feel comfortable shopping. These are the same feelings that users will experience with a Web site.

In a survey by Boston Consulting Group it was shown that 65% of online shoppers abandon their filled shopping basket without purchasing. While Yankee Group reports that 77% of US Internet users abandon their online shopping carts before executing their transactions.

Why Focus on Usability

In the online scenario, if it is difficult for the user to navigate, make a transaction, find the information they need, or the site has non-standard and inconsistent navigation models, they will abandon the site. The user will judge a Web site’s usefulness in a matter of seconds. Efficiency is everything when it comes to the user.

Many organizations’ Web sites suffer from taking an open-ended approach to design and development. Developers also fail to consider goals that focus on the organization’s business functions. If they do not consider the users’ needs and the organization’s ultimate goals, users will not have a positive experience on the Web site and it will be impossible for an organization to measure its success.

According to a report from Forrester Research Inc., design changes geared towards usability do better than pay for themselves; they boost revenue, cut customer service costs, and make the site itself more efficient.

Achieving the Usability Goal

There are two types of design for usability, User-driven and User-centric. Each design focuses on organizing the site architecture in a way that leads your users directly to the sections of content that interest them.

Achieving this usability goal for a Web site is often a compromise between technology versus the technological level of your intended audience and not the audience itself. For example, your target audience may have a slow Internet connection or a low-end browser with no plug-ins, which will lead to long download times and a non-displayable design if a site is heavy in graphics. Or they could have a fast Internet connection and a high-end browser with plug-ins, which would allow for more innovative design interfaces and heavy graphics.

Given these considerations, it is important to determine your target audience and develop an interface that accommodates your users’ needs. The entire user interface should consider all aspects of user interaction, and is only one piece of the puzzle to achieving this usability goal.

The usability of your site can be the difference between the success and failure with your users. With careful planning and application, achieving an aesthetically appealing interface can greatly improve the usefulness of your Web site and ensure its success.

Remember people don’t tend to notice the implementation of usability concepts, only the lack of them.