Content engineers.
With a passion for user experience design. That’s us.
We deal with (design) issues around the use of content in digital environments. Content creation, modeling, management, conversion and use are all areas involving this specialty.
Fonto Editor
Our love for high-quality content made us develop a super intuitive web-based XML editor: Fonto.
Structured content creation
We tend to focus on the ‘structured content creation process’. Though we touch on content management, conversion and publishing all the time.
Bridging the gap
We bridge the gap between groups involved in the production of content e.g. editorial staff and marketing, and more technologically oriented departments such as software development.
XML technologies
Typically, content engineering involves extensive use of embedded, XML technologies, XML being the most widespread language for representing structured content.
The current state of Content
Today, most content is unstructured: just words poured onto a page. To signify where one part ends and another begins, writers use formatting, like upping a font size to be a headline or putting an author’s name in italics. This works fine if your content is only going to be used on a single page and viewed on a desktop monitor, but that’s about it. The world needs intelligent content.
What are the characteristics of Intelligent Content?
MODULAR
To be intelligent, content must be modular. Modular content is designed for reuse. Instead of creating documents one at a time, we create discrete components of content (modules) and assemble them into documents and other content products.
STRUCTURED
To be intelligent, content must be structured. Structured content is designed to be both human and machine-readable. With structure, we can automate content delivery and manipulate content in a variety of ways. Without structure, it is almost impossible to automate content delivery.
REUSABLE
To be intelligent, content must be reusable. Content reuse is the practice of reusing existing modular content components to develop new content products. Reusable content reduces the time required to create, manage, and publish content products and reduces translation costs significantly.
FORMAT FREE
To be intelligent, content must be format free. Format-free content does not include presentation information, such as instructions about fonts, column widths, or text placement. Because intelligent content is separate from its style and formatting instructions, we can tell computers to apply the appropriate look and feel for the content product being created.
SEMANTICALLY RICH
To be intelligent, content must be semantically rich. Semantically rich content is content to which we have added extra, machine-readable information that describes what the content is, what it’s about, and more. We call this added information metadata. Computers use metadata to understand and process content on our behalf.
Who we are
TL;DR: We are experts in the art of intelligent content
Content engineers
Content engineering is a term applied to an engineering speciality dealing with the issues around the use of content in computer-facilitated environments. Content production, content management, content modelling, content conversion, and content use and repurposing are all areas involving this speciality.
XML experts
Typically, content engineering involves extensive use of embedded, XML technologies, XML being the most widespread language for representing structured content. Content management systems are often key technology used in this practice though frequently content engineering fills the gap where no formal CMS has been put into place.
Interaction designers
Interaction design is specifically a discipline which examines the interaction (via an interface) between a system and its user. It may also incorporate design focused on how information should be presented within such a system to enable the user to best understand that information though this is often considered to be the separate discipline of “information design” too.
Keeping a low profile
It is not a speciality with wide industry recognition and is often performed on an ad hoc basis by members of software development or content production staff, but is beginning to be recognized as a necessary function in any complex content-centric project involving both content production as well as software system development.
Bridging the gap
Content engineering tends to bridge the gap between groups involved in the production of content (Publishing and Editorial staff, Marketing, Sales, HR) and more technologically oriented departments such as Software Development, or IT that put this content to use in web or other software-based environments, and requires an understanding of the issues and processes of both sides.
Believers
In intelligent content:
Modular
Structured
Reusable
Format free
Semantically rich
Hands-on support
Neil Thomas, Comply365Our demanding environment requires us to be responsive and nimble. We look for partners who are like us and can help us achieve our goals. The Liones team has been a significant part of our journey and contribute to our success. Whether it’s helping us implement existing solutions or working with us to develop new highly innovative solutions that will be valuable for our business, Liones continues to be a valuable extension to our team.
Edoardo Morso, STCCThe Liones team has been instrumental in our success. From the earliest design stages to the post-launch improvement releases, the team is extremely responsive and committed. It is clear that their unique mix of in-depth experience of dealing with legally-intense content combined with and a modern ‘UX first’ approach that is essential to build a web-solution, is really working.”
Yingxin Jiang, Sofwire.comThe team provided us with invaluable, hands-on support. One of their team flew to London initially to guide us through the setup in detail. After that, they continued to be really responsive in helping us add complex customisations. More recently, they cleared their schedule again to assist us in migrating to the React-based version of Fonto. Throughout, they’ve been friendly and helpful, and a pleasure to work with.
Harrie van Luxemburg, Wolters KluwerOur authors have been involved every step of the way, therefore we weren’t surprised at their enthusiasm over the result but are nonetheless proud.
Nathan Fast, Comply365The Liones team knows their product, technology, and their industry inside and out. They are responsive, well-organized, and tackle difficult problems with relative ease.
Working for companies and governments in
Edinburgh
London
London
London
Worchester
Scottish Parliament
BBC
Pearson
Mekon
DeltaXML
San Jose
New York
Washington
Chicago
Palo Alto
Dallas
ARRIS
RILM
Orbis, Inc.
Comply365
VMware
Texas Instruments
Rome
STCC
www.stcc.it
Turkey
Belgium
Norway
the Netherlands
the Netherlands
Antalya
Antwerpen
Oslo
Utrecht
The Hague
SunExpress
Van IN
Standards Norway
Infinitas
International Baccalaureate®
