The State Department is using a number of technology tools in its campaigns to improve its messaging to citizens around the world, but is mindful to take a human-centered approach to keep messages concise.
Acting Under Secretary of State for International Public Affairs Kelly Porter explained the department's “people-centered” approach to adopting new messaging technologies during the Adobe Gov Forum Experience Tour hosted by GovExec on June 25.
“We've experimented with and adopted technologies that have revolutionized how we run that process,” Porter said in explaining his approach to improving messaging, “but we've found that technology can't be the baseline for how we think. We've learned some lessons along the way.”
One of the lessons, she said, is to focus on being “data-driven, not data-driven.”
“When thinking about how to get content into the hands of our audience, we started with data on the websites where our audience finds us,” Porter said.
“But we didn't stop at the data,” she said. “We connected it to the State Department's mission to protect and promote U.S. security, prosperity, and democratic values, and to shape an international environment in which all Americans can thrive.”
Other lessons learned include unifying the brand image so the agency has a unified voice across all social media platforms and ensuring messaging is tailored to local audiences.
“We trust our spokespeople around the world, whether it's a podium in Washington, D.C., an embassy in Abuja or a consulate in Belfast, to take our content and tailor it to their local audience,” Porter said. “That's why we have more than 1,400 digital accounts around the world.”
Porter stressed that the agency's technology-driven work must be human-centred from start to finish.
“Being human-centered isn't just about how we design our platforms or how we create our digital content,” she said. “We know that being human-centered applies to every step.”
