Editor training

Empowerment of your editors for autonomy and future success.

Drupal editor training overview

Aim

Ensure the best chances of success for the editorial team by giving them training in the basics as well as advanced concepts.

Approach

Customised editor training can provide the foundations and practical knowhow to get the most from the CMS which has just been delivered.

Outcome

An editorial team who understand the basics of user and content management and knows how the use components and other features to get the most from the CMS.

Drupal editor training

You’ve got a new car but how do you drive this thing? Our editor training sets you up for success.

The delivery of a new website can be considered the first step in the future journey for your editors as they begin to use the system. There is a lot to take in, especially for users new to Drupal and some of its patterns. To ensure the best chances of success it is important that they are trained on the system so that they are adept at using it and getting the most from it.

Editor focused

Firstly it must be stated that Morpht designs websites with editors in mind. We take a number of steps to ensure that they have the tools they need whilst providing a number of guardrails to ensure they don't go off the tracks. Some of the features we build in are as follows:

Roles, permissions and access: User gain access to only the features they need.

Workflow: Roles and content transitions are defined to ensure that editors and approvers are able to work together to safely release content.

Structured data: Content types are defined with structure in mind so that editors can enter content in a simple and straightforward manner. We avoid presentational concerns and make sure that editors can enter data in its purest form, allowing it to be reused and styled as needed.

Component driven design: Components are designs and built with users and editors in mind. Components are able to encapsulate functionality and presentation so that editors can remain focussed on the data and content at hand.

Design system integration: When using design systems, which define style and structure, we expose that to editors in a way where selecting options is easy. Editors should have access to power and flexibility without having to make design decisions.

Freedom when needed: We have implemented the Modifiers module to allow editors some artistic freedom to add backgrounds and other effects without detracting from the content which is primary.

Editor training

With the above in mind, editor training can be structured to suit the needs of your team. Generally we would recommend a train the trainer approach where key members of your team can be trained up and then share the knowledge amongst the rest of the team or new team members.

Training will typically include:

  • User login and account maintenance.
  • User management
  • Content management
  • Content workflow
  • Components
  • WYSIWYG
  • Media
  • Blocks
  • Taxonomies

We recommend that training be conducted over a couple of sessions so that editors con be introduced to the system and then be introduced to the more advanced features. A follow up session for questions and answers is also very helpful.

Insights

Ian presents at Drupal South 2019
Article

We can drastically improve the editor experience by treating the editor as a first class user of a Drupal site. This presentation will give practical tips on a GovCMS8 site to make the editor experience more accessible and powerful.