About
The Digital Roadmap Program
The Digital Roadmap Program (DRM) is AmerisourceBergen's process for both developing and managing websites across our network. The goal is to create a best-in-class online experience that portrays AmerisourceBergen as a global healthcare leader. We do this by establishing a centralized design library and using a CMS that centralizes design, technology and content components.
A shared Content Management System
The Sitecore CMS lets each business unit leverage the shared design system and common technology tools to achieve their business goals and marketing priorities. You can think of our CMS like an apartment building; each business unit has its own apartment, but there are shared services and features that everyone can access.
A shared Design System
The shared design system provides the building blocks that ensure visual consistency across the AmerisourceBergen network. Just like playing with Legos, each business unit can build their "house" to support specific business goals and user needs with unique content and imagery. With over 50 modules—each with multiple permutations regarding orientation, color and text styling—you have the tools to build and maintain sites easily and efficiently, while being aesthetically unified with, yet distinct from other business units.
Guiding principles to unite our content
The Digital Roadmap empowers marketers, designers, and developers to create the best possible user experience for our customers. Whether you’re updating a module or building a brand-new site, these guidelines to help inform everything from your copy choices to visual design treatments.
Focused
Every item on the page should have a clear purpose, and every page should have a unique purpose.
Do
- Start by asking “why” before creating any new module or page.
- Keep content concise and purposeful; think bite-sized “chunks” over long paragraphs.
- Keep content concise and purposeful; think bite-sized “chunks” over long paragraphs.
Don't
- Add unnecessary words, noise, or adornment.
- Fill pages with information that doesn’t help users complete a task.
Human
Speak to the user in a relatable way. Avoid industry jargon or branded terms in favor of concepts that are easily described in plain English.
Don't
- Bog the site down with highbrow, long-winded vocabulary.
- Use “native knowledge” or “inside baseball” terms when writing copy.
Do
- Strive for an eighth-grade (or lower) reading level.
- Emphasize concrete solutions over lofty promises.
- Use the simplest possible word for your needs (e.g. “use” instead of “utilize”).
Connected
Help customers find answers to their questions quickly, no matter where they are.
Do
- Prioritize important content from top to bottom of the module and the page.
- Use cross-linking and cross-promotion to help customers get to the page they seek as quickly as possible.
- Create clear calls-to-action that encourage users to take the next step.
Don't
- Send the user on a wild goose chase to hunt down necessary information.
- Link to “dead-end” pages that don’t end in a call-to-action.
Approachable
Think friendly and humble, not distant or condescending. Strive to be understandable and useful for a wide range of users.
Do
- Choose imagery that captures moments in time and everyday events.
- Use clear, tangible metaphors in graphics and written content.
- Use the first-person ("we") when talking about ourselves.
- Follow guidelines to make content accessible for people with disabilities
Don't
- Use aspirational or patronizing overtones or condescend to visitors.
- Use overly formal language; contractions (e.g. "can't" and "won't" are fine within reason).
- Forget to connect content and imagery to the real people affected by our work.
Trustworthy
Create credibility and trust with our users by being straightforward, consistent, and reliable.
Do
- Ensure that our sites provide clear answers to customer questions and needs.
- Adhere to our design system's purposeful guidelines around color and typography to ensure a consistent experience.
- Provide authentic sources for data and testimonials.
Don't
- Focus only on the messages we want to convey at the expense of providing information that users are seeking.
- Overpromise, oversell, or use hyperbole when writing.