WYMIWYG ( or "The Flexibility Trap" as alternative)

Why is editing a website still so hard? Decades into the CMS era, simple content changes still regularly require training, tickets, or developer support. The problem often has less to do with the platform itself, and more to do with the content model behind it.

This session walks through common modelling patterns, from highly flexible page builders to fully semantic structures, and shows how each approach shapes the daily reality of the people working inside the system. You will see why frontend components should not dictate content structures, why many CMS fields are only ever changed once, and how the pursuit of flexibility often turns into a flexibility trap: systems that promise freedom, but create complexity, inconsistency, and dependence on developers.

The session also explores what changes when organisations start treating design systems and content models as long-term infrastructure rather than project deliverables. Through real examples and practical modelling scenarios, you will see how stronger structures can improve authoring, governance, reuse, and adaptability across channels.

You will leave with a clearer way to evaluate modelling decisions, a practical lens for spotting the flexibility trap early, and a set of principles you can apply immediately in your own projects.