Adaptive Content, Context, and Controversy

By 2015, “adaptive content” had become a buzzword. To some it is a complex, long-term initiative to structure content for flexible reuse and dynamic targeting. To others it is a way to make sure everyone, everywhere, sees exactly what they want, as if by magic. In this talk from the Design and Content Conference 2015, Karen McGrane, author of Content Strategy for Mobile, shares her perspective, and her reservations, on how adaptive content is being used.

She discusses how adaptive content supports targeting content to device type, and why that is rarely necessary. She also describes ways adaptive content can support tailoring content to context, and the ways that can go wrong. The aim is a clearer understanding of when adaptive content is actually needed and how to get the most value from it.