2025-09-08 –, Room B
Many website redesigns are driven by frustration with an underlying content management system (CMS). Most often, it’s not the CMS itself but its implementation and governance around content and patterns. If we want Wagtail CMS, and thus Django, to flourish, we must make building a website enjoyable over the long term. This talk explores best practices for modeling content and design systems in Wagtail CMS, enabling developers to create content management experiences that editors love.
When a website redesign is on the horizon, frustrations with the existing content management system (CMS) are often a major driver. Yet in many cases, the root problem isn't the CMS itself; it's how it was implemented.
Wagtail CMS offers powerful tools for building rich, flexible content-driven websites, but without careful planning and thoughtful design, even the best technology can lead to editor frustration.
In this talk, we'll explore strategies and best practices for modeling content and design systems in Wagtail CMS that prioritize the needs of editors and content teams. You'll learn how to structure StreamFields, Pages, and Design Systems to create intuitive, flexible, and scalable editing experiences. We'll cover tips for creating governance and patterns that evolve with a site over time, so your Wagtail builds not only launch successfully but also thrive for years to come.
Whether you're a Django developer new to Wagtail or an experienced Wagtail user looking to level up your implementation skills, this session will leave you with practical techniques for building CMS experiences that editors love and that support Wagtail and Django’s continued success.
Michael has been designing and building content-managed websites for nearly 20 years. He enjoys creating delightfully compelling user experiences to solve big problems. He is the Director of Strategy at Lincoln Loop, where he helps clients turn ideas into fully functional web-based products.