On this page:
- Meet Day 2 speakers and panelists
- Career journeys, advice, and industry evolution
- What's the most unexpected twist in your career path that led you to where you are today?
- What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone just starting in content?
- What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?
- How has the field of content design evolved since you started your career? What are some of the most notable changes you've observed?
- Content Design bookshelf
- Balancing creativity and professional growth
- Navigating challenges in Content Design
- What's a common misconception about your job that you'd like to clear up?
- What's your go-to method for dealing with work-related stress?
- How do you approach receiving and implementing feedback on your work, especially when it's critical?
- Can you share an experience where a project didn't go as planned? What did you learn from it?
- Collaboration and impact in Content Design
- How do you foster effective collaboration between different disciplines in your projects?
- What strategies have you found effective for advocating for the value of your work within your organisation?
- How do you measure and communicate the impact of your work to stakeholders and leadership?
- How has your perspective on team collaboration changed as you've progressed in your career?
- How has remote work impacted your work process and collaboration, and what strategies have you found effective for remote teamwork?
- Can you share an example of when you had to balance user needs with business goals in a project? How did you approach this?
- Looking to the future of Content Design
- Resources: Events, podcasts, blogs, and more
- Growing In Content 2024: Day 2
As we continue our exploration of Content Design through the eyes of industry experts, we turn our attention to the advanced strategies and nuanced approaches that define the field. In this second installment of our three-part series leading up to Growing In Content 2024, we delve into the insights of our Day 2 speakers and panelists. These seasoned professionals offer a deeper look into the evolving landscape of Content Design, sharing their experiences, challenges, and solutions that shape their work.
Editor's Note:
This article is Part 2 of our 3-part series featuring speakers from Growing In Content 2024. Read our Q&A with Day 1 speakers. Stay tuned for insights from Day 3 speakers in the coming weeks. Don't miss out on these valuable perspectives – sign up for our newsletter to get notified when the next installments are published, and to receive updates about the conference.
Meet Day 2 speakers and panelists
Day 2 of our conference dives deeper into advanced strategies for Content Design, including:
- Content governance demystified
- Content Design as a product roadmap
- Trauma-informed Content Design
- Psychology in Content Design
- Inclusive Content Design guides
- Beyond translation: UX content localization
- Maximizing impact with release notes
- Panel: Content leaders as change agents
For the full program and to register for this day of advanced learning, visit our program page.
Growing In Content 2024 – August 19th, 21st & 23rd
Join us for three days packed with insights, networking, and inspiration. Get started with a free day of learning and networking, then dive deeper with two days of expert sessions and valuable connections.
Register now to attend!
Career journeys, advice, and industry evolution
Content Design careers often take unexpected turns. In this section, our Day 2 speakers share their unique paths, offer advice to those entering the field, and reflect on how Content Design has transformed over the years. Their stories highlight the adaptability and continuous learning required in this dynamic profession.
Question #1
What's the most unexpected twist in your career path that led you to where you are today?
The most unexpected twist in my career path was transitioning from a multi-faceted content writer covering various topics for several clients, to being a UX specialist for major brands like Amazon's Alexa, Snapchat, TikTok, Verizon, etc. Initially, I enjoyed the diversity of writing about different subjects, but I realized that my true passion lay in enhancing user experiences through strategic content. This led me to specialize in UX design as well, where I could apply my writing and design skills in a more impactful way. Among other things, I found myself shaping the voice and personality of widely-used virtual assistants, which was both challenging and rewarding because writing conversationally has its tricks. This shift allowed me to make a significant impact on how users interact with technology and opened doors to my now expertise in AI as well.
Early in my career I thought I was going to be a copywriter, working on huge ad campaigns for the largest companies. While working at a major car brand, I worked on some billboard-style ads, but I spent most of my time writing copy for coupons and rebates. Eventually, I realized I was essentially content designing for our growth team. I was creating tailored user experiences to help customers envision themselves in our product. I took a few UX courses and launched my new tech career. Since then, I’ve worked with major tech companies like Microsoft, Instacart, and Wealthfront.
My university education was focused on literature and creative writing, and then I got involved in journalism before pivoting to tech startups and product companies about 15 years ago. I've found that everything I learned studying creative writing, like the power of concentrated language and a focus on minute particulars, has been extremely valuable in professional writing and design, from marketing to technical documentation and microcopy, and has also given me the communication and story-telling skillset that is valuable in any company. At the same time, the empathy I've learned by reading literature has served me very well as a leader.
After graduate school, my career goal was to teach junior college. Which I did for two years...and hated every second of it. I cried every day after class, and finally made the courageous decision to quit teaching and find something new. Unsure of what to do, I started a running and fitness blog (hey, it was 2008) mostly out of boredom...but it became the basis of my portfolio and led to eventual paid work in writing. Literally didn't expect that.
It wasn't really a twist in my career, but more a twist in my life. When I was 21, I accidentally came out to my parents. Things were tough back then. Luckily, a kind friend and his family helped me move to Bristol, in the South-West of the UK. I learnt a lot about myself, how uncertain life can be and that things do get better. That sudden change gave me a different perspective on the world and why it's important to have empathy.
As a fashion graduate my dream job was to work in magazines. I eventually made it to one of the largest (at that time) magazine publishing companies in the UK. However, almost a couple years in and after asking HR advice about a potential harassment complaint (not racial), I was conveniently (for them) made redundant just a couple months later.
That year set me on the path to self-employed work as a marketeer. The digital boom then led me away from traditional marketing to the exciting new world of online content.
Starting my own consulting company helped me develop resilience and storytelling. I’m forever indebted to the people who helped me along the way with coaching and career direction (looking at you, Melanie Seibert) during those early years.
Finding my mentor, a real mentor caring for your career and looking forward to seeing you grow was a real twist in my career. It drives my passion for content forward, and keeps me curious. I highly recommend anyone building a career to have a mentor that truly cares, it makes a difference.
I was, believe it or not, a software engineer and also a cognitive developer, before GenAI became a big thing, and worked on some pretty cool implementations of early solutions in the conversational AI field, that ultimately led me towards content.
In 2012, I was an editor with a lot of digital content experience under my belt. Someone approached me to be a writer for their app. My reaction was, “What does an app need a writer for?” Oh, the irony!! That job changed my life.
Meeting my spouse, who introduced me to UX and thought I might like it. If we'd not met, I'm certain I'd never have considered it.
Question #2
What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone just starting in content?
A lot of people new to content design, come from disciplines that are not design-led. I started in marketing. As a result, they haven't explored what it means to be a designer, and how they want to practice.
The best thing I ever did was to step back, listen, and learn from other designers about their practice and the inherent responsibility we have to people when we design products and services for them.
As designers, we often spend a lot of time focusing on ""Design."" However, do not give ourselves the time and space to understand the potential impact of our work.
Go out, explore, and discover who you are and who you want to be. This will make you a better designer and advocate for the people you practice design for.
To someone just starting in content I'd say to always put themselves in the customer's shoes. Focus on the user experience and see if you'd like it the way you're presenting it. Whether you're writing blog posts, social media content, or UX copy, always keep the end-user in mind. Understand their needs, pain points, and what they value. This user-centric approach will not only make your content more engaging and effective but will also set you apart in the field. Additionally, be open to learning and evolving. The content landscape is always changing, so being adaptable and continuously improving your skills will help you stay relevant and successful.
Find mentors that genuinely care and love to mentor others. Choosing the right mentor doesn't always go well though. I once stepped away from a business mentor and was told that they would get so big that I'd be too intimidated to reach out to them again. She was right, I never reached out again but not for the reason she thought...
Get a good sense of their values before committing to anything and set clear expectations from the start. What is your specific goal? How long will the arrangement last (6 weeks, 3 months)? Is it paid, unpaid etc. Show that you value their time.
As someone that works as a solo content professional I didn't get the benefit of mentoring and training naturally offered in employed roles. I simply reached out directly to content leaders that inspired me. I was lucky enough to have been mentored by a few of the best in the industry.
Thank you Hilary Marsh, Hinrich von Haaren and Lisa Welchman. All amazing in what they do, generous and kind.
Learn to live with the discomfort of sharing your work and getting feedback on it from people in all directions — those with significantly more experience and expertise, and those with significantly less. Good work comes from working alone; great work comes from working together.
Don't be afraid to bring your authentic voice and innovative ideas to the world, we all love fun, novel and diverse perspectives, especially when we are inundated with content from all channels and mediums. Make your voice count!
You probably won’t be given all the opportunities you want right away — but you can create some for yourself. If you’re in marketing but want to work in UX, find a website user flow to help with. Or if you’re in UX and want to write long-form content, offer to blog about a feature you worked on. You can build out your portfolio that way.
Stay curious. Beyond asking questions, a tenet of good content design, be curious about what’s going on around you. Get comfortable being outside your comfort zone, and offer to work on new projects and with new teams. It’s a great way to develop your skills and find your niche. It also helps you build relationships and garner goodwill.
Be curious and ask question - This is a vast discipline that mixes design with psychology, research method, language among many, and there is a lot to learn. Don't hesitate to ask questions to keep learning and form your own opinion. This is how you can grow as a content designer.
Learn to speak the language of business and find ways to show how your content drives business goals. Content people are linguistic and visual people first and foremost, but it really pays off to learn how to work with data, so you can validate your approach and measure your impact.
I know the market's not great right now, but don't give up. I think it's possible to transition into content design from other roles, and ways to hone your skills in a job that may not have a content title. The world needs your passion and expertise.
Focus on what’s within your locus of control and make peace with what isn’t.
Question #3
What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?
The best advice I’ve ever gotten is to "stay curious." The content design field is always evolving, so staying updated with the latest tools, trends, and best practices is crucial. This advice has helped me stay passionate about the field and continuously improve my skills.
Work smarter, not harder. It’s so simple in theory, so hard in execution. I’ve always found success through being a deeply disciplined person, but at a certain point, you start accelerating in your career by not doing things. Not taking on low-priority work. Not solving someone else’s emergency just because you can. Creating boundaries around your team so they’re working on the most high-impact things. Working smarter often involves stopping momentarily and thinking about what’s truly the best way to operate; that time paused for strategy is often worth far more than time spent doing business as usual.
"Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness – all of them due to the offenders’ ignorance of what is good or evil. But for my part I have long perceived the nature of good and its nobility, the nature of evil and its meanness, and also the nature of the culprit himself, who is my brother (not in the physical sense, but as a fellow creature similarly endowed with reason and a share of the divine); therefore none of those things can injure me, for nobody can implicate me in what is degrading. Neither can I be angry with my brother or fall foul of him; for he and I were born to work together, like a man’s two hands, feet or eyelids, or the upper and lower rows of his teeth. To obstruct each other is against Nature’s law – and what is irritation or aversion but a form of obstruction."
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
The best advice I've ever received, and still pass on, is to "trust the process." If you understand how design works and your role as a learner from those you're designing for-the process will guide you. And it has never let me down.
Always be adaptable and open to learning. In the fast-paced world of content design, technologies and best practices are constantly evolving. Being willing to learn new skills, embrace new tools, and adapt to changing trends has been crucial to my growth and success.
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
- Viktor Frankl
Make your portfolio your own. There's going to be tons of brilliant work out there so don't be generic. Your work won't resonate with all the people and all the places, but those that do will be your people and your places.
I've got two: Don’t be too good at a job you don’t want. It's not your job to absorb the pain of your company's poor choices.
Always say yes to opportunities that come my way. You just never know where it will lead.
Question #4
How has the field of content design evolved since you started your career? What are some of the most notable changes you've observed?
The field of content design has evolved significantly since I started my career. One of the most notable changes is the shift towards a user-centric approach. Early in my career, content creation often focused on delivering information or promoting products. Today, there is a much stronger emphasis on understanding user needs, behaviors, and pain points to create content that truly resonates and enhances the user experience.
Another major change is the integration of advanced technologies like AI and machine learning. These technologies have enabled more personalized and context-aware content, which has greatly improved the relevance and effectiveness of user interactions. Working on projects like Amazon's Alexa and Verizon Assistant has shown me firsthand how these advancements can shape more intuitive and responsive digital assistants.
The rise of various digital platforms and devices has also influenced content design. Content now needs to be adaptable across multiple touchpoints, from smartphones and tablets to smart home devices. This has pushed content designers to think more holistically and strategically about how to deliver consistent and seamless experiences across all channels. And I think that's a good thing.
I've seen organizations, big and small start to take note of the importance of content in keeping your customer happy and getting a competitive edge, we are all enthralled by stories and content tells them in so many fantastic ways. We don't choose products for features or specs, we choose them for benefits and value, and content helps translate that to the world when done well. I think before a lot of fields and companies didn't recognize content specialists and skills as an individual role family, now that's changing massively!
Content Design has really evolved and matured over the past two decades and I think people who used to be UX Writers have broadened their skillsets and come to think beyond microcopy to play a greater role in designing User Experience. The tooling has gotten better, which has greatly increased collaboration and efficiency, as well as our ability to measure our impact. But without a doubt, AI will be the biggest change-maker of the foreseeable future. My team has found ways to increase our productivity and creativity with AI, and I think the value of AI in content will continue to multiply in the coming years.
I'm old enough to remember life before the internet. When I started in content, we used print to reach people. But then the internet came along and changed everything.
It's important to remember that finding, doing, or getting things online was not as easy as it is today. Also, people didn't use phrases like "content strategy" or "content design."
That doesn't mean people weren't creating user-centric experiences. They were. It's just that the words and the formats they used were different back then.
I started my career before the iPhone existed, so there’s that! Since then, our changing titles have reflected our shifting focus and value — first we were “copywriters,” coming up with the words; then “content strategists,” thinking through audience and goals and voice; and then “content designers,” seen as equal counterparts to product designers. Now, I’m sensing a shift back to “writers” as we re-articulate the value we bring. At Duolingo, we’ve recently made the move from “content design” to “product writing” to clarify our role and value, and it’s been a very positive change.
The irruption of AI is certainly one of the most notable changes. With it, content designers will move even closer to a role of guideline in producing good content - by teaching AI, designers, or other roles - rather than creating good content themselves. Another notable change is perhaps the emergence of more and more content design community across the world, showing the growth of the discipline, how more democratized and globalized it is.
Content design is now more comfortable with itself. There's less talk about how to demonstrate value to teams, and more conversation around just creating value and our craft at large. While there will always be advocacy work to do, I love how this has allowed content designers at all levels to focus on creative problem solving for users out in the world.
I feel like there are more folks wanting to get into content, which is really exciting. More people know what we do and want to be a part of it. When I started, it was rare to meet other content designers at the beginning of their careers.
Content is design. When I started in content design, I was mostly writing copy. Now, content designers are specialists in information architecture, product strategy, taxonomy, generative AI, inclusive design and accessibility (like me), and so much more.
There’s an uptick in content design managers moving into product design leadership, which seldom happened when I started out.
Content Design bookshelf
Our experts each suggested books that have been instrumental in their Content Design journey. This collective wisdom has resulted in a diverse reading list that covers everything from foundational concepts to cutting-edge strategies. Whether you're just starting out or looking to deepen your expertise, you're sure to find something valuable in this collection of recommended reads.
The Design Of Everyday ThingsEven the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this ingenious -- even liberating -- book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to arbitrary relationships between controls and functions, coupled with a lack of feedback or other assistance and unreasonable demands on memorization.
How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention EconomyIn a world where addictive technology is designed to buy and sell our attention, and our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity, it can seem impossible to escape. But in this inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, artist and critic Jenny Odell shows us how we can still win back our lives.
What to Do When it's Your Turn: (And it's Always Your Turn)Seth says about the book: "It's in full color throughout. It feels more like a high-end magazine than a book, and I think even people who hesitate to buy and read books will be engaged by this one. The format is new for me and as far as I know, no author has written a book quite this way. My hope, if we are able to reach a lot of people, is that I'll be able to do other books like this, and even better, so will you and other people with ideas to share. It explores, as directly as I can, the dance we all have to do with our fears, the tension we all must embrace in order to do work that we care about."
All About Love: New VisionsA New York Times bestseller and enduring classic, All About Love is the acclaimed first volume in feminist icon bell hooks' "Love Song to the Nation" trilogy. All About Love reveals what causes a polarized society, and how to heal the divisions that cause suffering. Here is the truth about love, and inspiration to help us instill caring, compassion, and strength in our homes, schools, and workplaces.
Design for Safety“How will our product hurt people?” As web workers, we don’t often ask this question—but we should. Too often, we design for idealized circumstances, even though our users bring a range of complicated personal dynamics to every interaction. When we fail to explicitly design for vulnerable users, we unintentionally prioritize their abusers.
Design Is a Job: The Necessary Second EditionCo-founder of Mule Design and raconteur Mike Monteiro wants to help you do your job better. From contracts to selling design, from working with clients to working with each other, this brief book is packed with knowledge you can’t afford not to know.
Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic TechBuying groceries, tracking our health, finding a date: whatever we want to do, odds are that we can now do it online. But few of us realize just how many oversights, biases, and downright ethical nightmares are baked inside the tech products we use every day. It’s time we change that.
The Joy of Work: The No.1 Sunday Times Business Bestseller – 30 Ways to Fix Your Work Culture and Fall in Love with Your Job AgainIn the course of a career that has taken him from some of the world's biggest media companies to Twitter, via Google and YouTube, Bruce Daisley has become fascinated by what makes great companies tick. And in his hugely popular podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat, he has dug right into the DNA of work, talking to leading experts about how we can make our jobs more fulfilling, more productive – and much more enjoyable.
Loved: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products (Silicon Valley Product Group)Most tech companies get marketing wrong because they don't know how to do product marketing right. The next in the bestselling SVPG series, LOVED shows what leaders like Apple, Netflix, Microsoft, and Salesforce do well and how to apply it to transform product marketing at your company.
Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity (Learning in Doing: Social, Cognitive and Computational Perspectives)Learning is becoming an urgent topic. Nations worry about the learning of their citizens, companies about the learning of their workers, schools about the learning of their students. But it is not always easy to think about how to foster learning in innovative ways. This book presents a framework for doing that, with a social theory of learning that is ground-breaking yet accessible, with profound implications not only for research, but also for all those who have to foster learning as part of their responsibilites at work, at home, at school.
Content DesignBetween 2010 and 2014, Sarah Richards and her team at the United Kingdom’s Government Digital Service did what many thought impossible: they took over 400 separate government websites and transformed them into a single site designed to effectively serve its users. In doing so, they defined a new discipline: content design.
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They ExpectToday, every business can choose to be a hospitality business—and we can all transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences. Featuring sparkling stories of his journey through restaurants, with the industry’s most famous players like Daniel Boulud and Danny Meyer, Guidara urges us all to find the magic in what we do—for ourselves, the people we work with, and the people we serve.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy AnswersBen Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley’s most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup - practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular ben’s blog.
Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AISomething new entered our world in November 2022 — the first general purpose AI that could pass for a human and do the kinds of creative, innovative work that only humans could do previously. Wharton professor Ethan Mollick immediately understood what ChatGPT meant: after millions of years on our own, humans had developed a kind of co-intelligence that could augment, or even replace, human thinking. Through his writing, speaking, and teaching, Mollick has become one of the most prominent and provocative explainers of AI, focusing on the practical aspects of how these new tools for thought can transform our world.
Content Transformation: Planning, strategy, culture changeThis book is a practical guide to content transformation. It lays out the process to get from an overcrowded website, app or service to something people can use and enjoy. Hinrich von Haaren has worked on transformation projects in the public and private sector. Here, he shares his experiences and those of the incredible teams he has worked with. Whether you are a lone content person or small content team, this book is for you. It can help you turn a whole organisation to a better way of working, or get an established team started on a new project.
Content Strategy for the WebBetter content means better business. Your content is a mess: the website redesigns didn’t help, and the new CMS just made things worse. Or, maybe your content is full of potential: you know new revenue and cost-savings opportunities exist, but you’re not sure where to start. How can you realize the value of content while planning for its long-term success?
Designing Connected Content: Plan and Model Digital Products for Today and TomorrowWith digital content published across more channels than ever before, how can you make yours easy to find, use, and share? Is your content ready for the next wave of content platforms and devices? In Designing Connected Content, Mike Atherton and Carrie Hane share an end-to-end process for building a structured content framework. They show you how to research and model your subject area based on a shared understanding of the important concepts, and how to plan and design interfaces for mobile, desktop, voice, and beyond. You will learn to reuse and remix your valuable content assets to meet the needs of today and the opportunities of tomorrow.
Design Social Change: Take Action, Work toward Equity, and Challenge the Status QuoDiscover design strategies for using your own unique social identities and experiences as inspiration to challenge the status quo and create the kind of lasting change that leads to greater equity and social justice, from Stanford University's d.school.
Drawing on Courage: Risks Worth Taking and Stands Worth MakingA practical, illustrated guide to overcoming the challenges of creative work, including where to start, how to give or get feedback, when to change direction, and how to stand up for what matters, from Stanford University’s world-renowned d.school.
Don't Make Me ThinkSince Don’t Make Me Think was first published in 2000, hundreds of thousands of Web designers and developers have relied on usability guru Steve Krug’s guide to help them understand the principles of intuitive navigation and information design. Witty, commonsensical, and eminently practical, it’s one of the best-loved and most recommended books on the subject.
Good Services: How to Design Services that WorkService design is a rapidly growing area of interest in design and business management. There are a lot of books on how to get started, but this is the first book that describes what a "good" service is and how to design one. This book lays out the essential principles for building services that work well for users. Demystifying what we mean by a "good" and "bad" service and describing the common elements within all services that mean they either work for users or don't.
Information Design Unbound: Key Concepts and Skills for Making Sense in a Changing WorldAs everyday tasks grow more confusing, and as social and global problems grow more complex, the information designer's role in bringing clarity has reached a new level of importance. In order to have a positive impact, they must go beyond conventional approaches to uncover real needs, make insightful connections, and develop effective solutions.
How to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for EverybodyEverything is getting more complex. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of information we encounter each day. Whether at work, at school, or in our personal endeavors, there’s a deepening (and inescapable) need for people to work with and understand information.
Just Enough ResearchGood research is about asking more and better questions, and thinking critically about the answers. Done well, it will save your team time and money by reducing unknowns and creating a solid foundation to build the right thing, in the most effective way.
Navigating Ambiguity: Creating Opportunity in a World of UnknownsA design process presents a series of steps, but in real life, it rarely plays out this neatly. Navigating Ambiguity underscores how the creative process isn’t formulaic. This book shows you how to surrender control by being adaptable, curious, and unbiased as well as resourceful, tenacious, and courageous.
Nudge: The Final EditionSince the original publication of Nudge more than a decade ago, the title has entered the vocabulary of businesspeople, policy makers, engaged citizens, and consumers everywhere. The book has given rise to more than 400 “nudge units” in governments around the world and countless groups of behavioral scientists in every part of the economy. It has taught us how to use thoughtful “choice architecture”—a concept the authors invented—to help us make better decisions for ourselves, our families, and our society.
Thinking, Fast and SlowSystem 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The impact of overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning our next vacation―each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions.
This Is a Prototype: The Curious Craft of Exploring New IdeasPrototyping is a way to test an idea to see if it can be successful before investing too much time and too many resources. But it's not only designers who "prototype" as they work. A skateboarder tries a new trick; that's a prototype experience. A chef experiments with a new dish and new ingredients; that's a prototype experience, too. Once a prototype is made, the creator gains knowledge about what worked and what didn't, what should be used again and what should be trimmed from the experience.
You Need a Manifesto: How to Craft Your Convictions and Put Them to WorkWe all need agency to feel the power and joy of acting in the face of challenge and opportunity. But we also need humility and restraint to ensure that we guard against hubris and harm. We need trusted and testable navigation tools to give us confidence in our creative power and cautiousness in carrying out our work. Instead of looking for answers, what we are all seeking are tools for navigating the increasingly complex, noisy, conflicted culture that we inhabit. A personal manifesto is one of those tools.
Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company BuildingScaling People is a practical and empathetic guide to being an effective leader and manager in a high-growth environment. The tactical information it puts forward—including guidance on crafting foundational documents, strategic and financial planning, hiring and team development, and feedback and performance mechanisms—can be applied to companies of any size, in any industry.
High Growth Handbook: Scaling Startups from 10 to 10,000 PeopleHigh Growth Handbook is the playbook for growing your startup into a global brand. Global technology executive, serial entrepreneur, and angel investor Elad Gil has worked with high-growth tech companies including Airbnb, Twitter, Google, Stripe, and Square as they’ve grown from small companies into global enterprises. Across all of these breakout companies, Gil has identified a set of common patterns and created an accessible playbook for scaling high-growth startups, which he has now codified in High Growth Handbook.
Leading Content DesignContent design teams need the right conditions to thrive-but when they're hampered by bottlenecks or putting out fires, it's hard for them to do their best work, secure support, and grow strategically. Enter content operations. With smart, operational approaches, Rachel McConnell helps you identify and remove the barriers to strong, effective content work. You'll learn how to create common standards, improve collaboration, iron out wrinkles in the design process, and build advocacy-so you can lead your team with impact.
Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes DesignHow inclusive methods can build elegant design solutions that work for all. Sometimes designed objects reject their users: a computer mouse that doesn't work for left-handed people, for example, or a touchscreen payment system that only works for people who read English phrases, have 20/20 vision, and use a credit card. Something as simple as color choices can render a product unusable for millions. These mismatches are the building blocks of exclusion. In Mismatch, Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion, and how design can also remedy exclusion. Inclusive design methods—designing objects with rather than for excluded users—can create elegant solutions that work well and benefit all.
Children's Writer's Word BookIn this revised and expanded 2nd edition, Children's Writer's Word Book helps you immediately determine if you're using the right vocabulary and language for your audience. With its intuitive organization, you'll easily find appropriate words for children of various ages, and discover substitute words that might work even better.
Strategic Writing for UX: Drive Engagement, Conversion, and Retention with Every WordWhen you depend on users to perform specific actions―like buying tickets, playing a game, or riding public transit―well-placed words are most effective. But how do you choose the right words? And how do you know if they work? With this practical book, you’ll learn how to write strategically for UX, using tools to build foundational pieces for UI text and UX voice strategy.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others DieIn Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the human scale principle, using the Velcro Theory of Memory, and creating curiosity gaps. Along the way, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds—from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony—draw their power from the same six traits.
Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that WorksWeb site design and development continues to become more sophisticated. An important part of this maturity originates with well laid out and well written content. Ginny Redish is a world renowned expert on information design and how to produce clear writing in plain language for the web. All of the invaluable information that she shared in the first edition is included with numerous new examples. New information on content strategy for web sites, search engine optimization (SEO), and social media make this once again the only book you need to own to optimize your writing for the web.
Workshop Culture: A guide to building teams that thriveWhat if every day at work felt like your team’s most productive ‘away day’? The most successful and innovative teams and organisations are highly collaborative, creative and productive - you will find the principles of great workshops infused throughout their culture.
Managing Chaos: Digital Governance by DesignFew organizations realize a return on their digital investment. They’re distracted by political infighting and technology-first solutions. To reach the next level, organizations must realign their assets—people, content, and technology—by practicing the discipline of digital governance. Managing Chaos inspires new and necessary conversations about digital governance and its transformative power to support creativity, real collaboration, digital quality, and online growth.
From Solo to Scaled: Building a Sustainable Content Strategy PracticeContent strategy is clearly critical to your organization, but where do you start, and how do you grow it into a true practice? Whether you're a lone content person tasked with creating a content strategy practice from scratch, or a leader struggling to scale one up, From Solo to Scaled is your blueprint for creating and managing a content strategy practice that is sustainable and successful.
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy RelationshipsIf “violent” means acting in ways that result in hurt or harm, then much of how we communicate—judging others, bullying, having racial bias, blaming, finger pointing, discriminating, speaking without listening, criticizing others or ourselves, name-calling, reacting when angry, using political rhetoric, being defensive or judging who’s “good/bad” or what’s “right/wrong” with people—could indeed be called “violent communication.”
Balancing creativity and professional growth
Content Design demands both creative thinking and strategic planning. Our experts discuss their methods for staying inspired, maintaining work-life balance, and fostering creativity in a field that often requires intense focus and problem-solving skills.
Question #5
What hobby or interest do you pursue outside of your professional life that helps you unwind and stay creative?
I play lacrosse on the weekends. Sports are sneakily creative: you need to work with your teammates and try different plays and skills to beat the defense. It’s not too different from teaming up to design a feature or flow! Except, there’s sunshine and sweat. It’s almost impossible to think about work or real-world worries when playing a contact sport. Recommended!
I'm a polyglot and language enthusiast, and considering my conversational AI work, you'd think I would have realised early on that content is my jam, but hindsight is a beautiful thing! I speak 4 languages, and currently I'm learning Korean, as it's very different from all the languages I currently know, especially in their letter writing and grammar. This forces my mind to rewire itself and be creative in how I learn and associate sounds with the system of writing in Hangul (the Korean alphabet). I do love BTS and K-dramas, so it's a useful hobby!
I found out that I lived walking distance from the sports hall that first launched Pickleball here in Netherlands around 10 years ago. As a gym bunny, I jumped at the chance of doing a new form of cardio and connecting with people locally. I've been playing for almost a year now.
Yes, it's the old people's 'tennis' but it's so much fun! Would love to be the Venus Williams of the pickleball world. Not sure my fellow players would agree though haha... one can dream right.
I engage in what my friend calls "improv everywhere." This means we use every opportunity to create a playful world, often through our language. For example, we recently came across a couple taking a photo of a baby raccoon. My friend said, "Whoa, what kind of dog is that?," with a totally straight face. The couple looked up, and I said, "Yeah, I don't recognize that breed." Then they got it and giggled.
Maybe you can guess from my answer to the first question, but I love to read. Reading inspires and grounds me. I also love writing and I've published several books of poetry, essays and translations. Long walks help me focus and work through tricky challenges I'm facing at work. And I have two amazing sons who always help me keep things in perspective.
Outside of my professional life, I love to cook, especially creating vegan versions of classic dishes. Cooking allows me to unwind and tap into my creativity in a different way. It's a meditative process that helps me relax and recharge. Additionally, I enjoy "everything music". Music helps me stay inspired and keeps my creative juices flowing. The rest of my time is all dedicated to my dog. Training and bonding with her is essential to me. These hobbies collectively help me maintain a balanced life and often inspire fresh ideas that I can bring back into my work.
To help unwind and stay creative, I keep learning by taking new courses to develop new skills. Recently, I started to learn how to design and develop video games, which has been a long passion of mine. It gives me a sense of control over what I do over my free time and helps me unwind.
I’m a big reader and forever learner. I love books! You can often find me sequestered in an aesthetically moody room reading or listening to memoirs, rom coms, or fictionalized family historicals. I’m also my family’s historian. I started learning more about my family history after a trip to West Africa inspired me to learn more about my heritage.
I love to take classes and continue learning new things. Right now I'm taking a pottery class and teaching myself to draw. Weightlifting and yoga and gardening are some of my other favorites.
My husband jokes that I'm always on the go. But even I need to relax. My favourite place to unwind is in the bath with a good non-fiction book. I'm currently reading "How to Think Like an Anthropologist."
I live in the Appalachian Mountains, so anything that gets me outside: trail running, gardening, kayaking.
Question #6
How do you stay motivated and inspired in your work?
My brain is wired for anything of interest, old or new. There's a lot of inspiring people that work in content or in areas seemingly unrelated, but we can always learn from outside our industry and apply to our work.
I go through periods of consuming a ton of content via webinars, blogs and podcast, then synthesis findings often in my head but at times my thoughts are written down, typed up. I may or may not share online but it will often come up in conversations, meetings, client engagements etc.
Things change so quickly in this space. I'm a lifelong learner so it's important for me to stay up to date.
Staying motivated and inspired in my work involves a combination of continuous learning, creative hobbies, and connecting with a community of like-minded professionals. I regularly attend conferences, workshops, and webinars to stay updated on the latest trends and best practices in content design and UX. This ongoing education keeps me excited about new ideas and approaches.
Engaging in creative hobbies helps me unwind and sparks new ideas that I can bring back to my professional work. These activities provide a refreshing break from my routine and often lead to unexpected insights and inspiration.
Networking and collaborating with other professionals in my field also play a crucial role in maintaining motivation. Plus, seeing the positive impact of my work on users and knowing that it makes a difference in their experience is a powerful motivator that drives me to keep pushing forward and improving.
It’s always inspiring to hear from our users, or “learners” as we call them at Duolingo. My friends in UX Research have a treasure trove of video interviews and diary studies and pull quotes from people whose lives are meaningfully impacted by their ability to learn something new…but who might also have strong suggestions for improving our product. I even have one such learner right in my house: my 7-year-old son, who’s learning Spanish, knows a lot of our product copy by heart, and gives me great feedback about feature explanations he doesn’t understand. He also tells me that if I can’t keep up with him, I can just give him my phone so he can do my lesson for me. Nothing more motivating than a little smack talk from a 2nd grader.
I keep my motivation high by always learning and staying curious. I follow industry trends, go to conferences, and engage with the content design community. My colleagues are curious as well and we regularly exchange ideas and articles, and discuss them. Each week, we organize "Lunch & learn" where we spend a lunch time watching conferences or panel discussion on UX or content design together, and engage in conversation about it afterwards. It's a great way to bond with your team and learn new things.
A watershed moment in my career was reading this quote from Kurt Vonnegut, "Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance." As someone who derives a lot of validation from building things, I've found comfort, job security, and beauty in doing the work that often gets neglected.
I'm lucky to work for a very ambitious and inspiring company, surrounded by talented, creative and intelligent colleagues. I've also had the amazing opportunity to grow the team from two people to more than 20, and composing that mosaic of different personalities, backgrounds and skills has been an inspiring process. Overall though, I try to stay focused on our users and making their lives better, which is a never-ending process that constantly renews my motivation.
I love finding new problems to solve, and new people to solve those problems with. As a leader, I have the luxury of occasionally choosing what I decide to set my mind to, and I enjoy considering what to solve, then setting about doing it (and all the muddling that goes along with nebulous problems and surprising solutions). This is honestly the most engaging part of my job right now.
I'm most inspired when I'm learning something new. That could be working on a new project, reading a book about design, or listening to people with different experiences from my own. And, of course, turning up the music and blasting some gay anthems always helps to keep me motivated.
I remind myself of the bigger picture. Sometimes the day-to-day work is mundane or repetitive. The bigger picture is that I’m helping users by creating understandable, delightful, and beneficial user experiences. Knowing that I contributed to those outcomes keeps me motivated and inspired.
I love to go to talks by people in the industry that inspire me. Especially folks working on ethical design, inclusion, and how digital impacts politics, the environment, and culture.
Question #7
How do you maintain work-life balance in a field that often requires high creativity and problem-solving?
I'm fortunately forced to have work-life balance because I have two young kids. When work time’s over, it's really over. The weekend is exclusively family time. But sometimes it isn’t realistic to solve a complex, brand-new challenge on-demand, between the hours of 9 and 5. So I’ve embraced doing some off-the-clock thinking. I might be thinking about our brand persona while pushing my daughter on the swings. Or contemplating a CTA while driving to the store. Often enough, a new setting unlocks a new way of thinking. I’ve had some of my best ideas while brushing my teeth.
Maintaining work-life balance means setting clear boundaries between work and personal time. I prioritize tasks, delegate when needed, and take regular breaks to recharge. Engaging in hobbies and taking new courses allows me to keep learning new skills and to come back to work with a fresh perspective. The pandemic shows me how much spending time with loved ones is precious and it helps me unwind. My personal trick is to cook at home: it helps me relax and gives me satisfaction of work well-done!
Boundaries, focus work blocks, outside of work hobbies and healthy habits. I think the book I recommended earlier, The Joy of Work, has helped me a lot with that, as well as The Attention Fix. I don't always stick to my plans 100% but I can now recognize and address any slips in a timely manner, we're only human after all! I do think that the breaks from work allow me to be even more creating, bring more innovation back and solve problems more efficiently.
Well, everything is a tradeoff. I'm lucky/unlucky in that I have a chronic illness that makes it hard for me to ""overdo"" it without serious repercussions. This means that I have to (get to?) consider my energy before doing well...anything. I certainly go out of balance quite often, but being intentional and realistic about what I can and cannot do, and remembering that life is for living, both help me stabilize.
Also, if I can't answer the question "What do I love about today?" then I know I'm out of balance. It's a good reminder for me.
Work is a means to an end, allowing me to live the life I want. By protecting and enforcing my boundaries, I get the rest I need to show up for my team, celebrate the wins, and push through the hardships.
This involves setting clear boundaries and prioritizing self-care. I ensure to allocate specific times for work and personal activities, sticking to a schedule that allows for adequate rest and relaxation.
Navigating challenges in Content Design
Every profession has its hurdles, and Content Design is no exception. Our speakers openly discuss common misconceptions about their roles, share strategies for managing work-related stress, and explain how they've turned challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.
Question #8
What's a common misconception about your job that you'd like to clear up?
A common misconception about my job as a UX content strategist is that it only involves writing or creating content. In reality, it encompasses much more. My role requires a deep understanding of needs, behaviors, desired outcomes and much more. It involves strategic thinking to ensure that content not only engages users but also aligns with business goals. Collaboration with cross-functional teams, such as designers, developers, and product managers, is crucial to create cohesive and effective user experiences and it is not always easy considered all the different personalities, behavior and attituted we interface with on a daily basis at work.
Writing is designing, be certain of that. It’s not just about copywriting, and I'm not only a language expert. In reality, our job involves strategic thinking, user research, collaboration with various disciplines, and continuous testing and iteration - like in the design discipline. Content designers play a crucial role in shaping the user experience and aligning content with both user needs and business goals.
Everyone says leadership is lonely. And in some ways, it can be. But it's also extremely not lonely, especially with the community of content design leaders out there.
That as a content designer I don't know UX strategy and can't do it as well as a product designer.
Question #9
What's your go-to method for dealing with work-related stress?
Last year I started practicing slowing down more and meditating. This is so important to those of us with brains that go 100 mph in 60 seconds haha.
Communicating clear boundaries are super important too. For example if you state that you don't work in the evenings, yet you get emails sent to you in the evening demanding answer then have a gentle word with sender or a trustworthy colleague that can advocate for you.
If it's work-related stress due to an extremely toxic culture, I've learnt that I need to simply leave. No big brand name, job title or amount money is worth anything stealing my peace.
My go-to method for dealing with work-related stress involves a combination of cooking, playing music, and spending time with my dog. They all provide a creative and meditative outlet that helps me unwind. Playing music allows me to relax and stay inspired, while focusing on my dog offers a rewarding way to bond with her and disconnect from work pressures. Plus, driving my car, with my dog, listening to music, munching on vegan treats has them all together! LOL. These activities help me recharge and maintain a balanced perspective, ensuring I can approach my work with renewed energy and creativity.
I've dealt with stress, depression, and anxiety my whole life. It's something you learn to manage. Like most people, I have good days and bad days. I feel my best when I stick to my routine of 30 minutes of exercise in the morning, followed by 30 minutes of mindfulness. Eating healthy and avoiding alcohol also helps me feel better.
Running. Dancing. Massage. Talking it out with friends who work in my field. Talking it out with friends who don't work in my field. Taking a page from the zen mindset and not taking any of it personally. Saying, "ha, stress!" and then doing something not work related. A mug of tea. Taking a break specifically to remember that nothing awful will happen if we pause and do nothing.
Is "cocktails" an appropriate answer?! Honestly, I'd say it's a small and trusted circle of friends in UX that I can talk to and ask for advice. And therapy, of course.
Taking our huski, Kai, for a walk or going for a swim. Allows me to disconnect and calm down, take a break, then go back to the issue causing me stress and figuring out the best way to deal with it.
Take a step back. Thoughts that you have during stress or frustration-led moment are usually the one to keep yourself away from. Give yourself a little break, think this through, and come back to the project with a cool mind and fresh perspective.
Stress is always going to be there, so I find ways to release the stress like: (1) venting to my bestie and (2) going on a long walk with my family.
Going on long walks and playing with my sons.
Question #10
How do you approach receiving and implementing feedback on your work, especially when it's critical?
Earlier in my career, I struggled with feedback. I think this was partly due to the British school system and the fact that my dyspraxia wasn't diagnosed until my early 20s.
Growing up, red pen marks were a constant feature of my schoolwork, and praise was limited to a gold star or the word ""good."" Feedback was a binary system and not a particularly positive experience, so I don't remember learning much from it.
When I started my career, I was quite defensive when receiving feedback. However, over time, I've recognised that my best work always comes from collaborating with others. Nowadays, I actively seek out feedback. Whenever possible, I try to pair with another designer. If that's not possible, I encourage people to critique my work in real-time discussions or through written comments.
I see feedback as an opportunity to pause, listen and reflect. Ultimately, content design is about creating something that works for the people who use your product or service, and that's impossible without being open to different perspectives.
I do my best to remember that people giving feedback are serving as proxies for our users. They’re the ones standing between work in development and experiences seen by millions of people around the world. Feedback isn’t personal; it’s a “hold up, this might not be received how we’re intending.” That’s certainly my mindset when giving feedback: not to hurt the person doing the work, but to help the work be ready for users who have no context about the thing. In doing that, you can help the feedback recipient better understand what a clearer or more high-quality version might look like, and prepare them for the next project to come their way.
Always have an open and constructive mindset. I listen carefully to understand the perspective and reasoning behind the feedback, asking clarifying questions if needed. I view feedback as an opportunity for growth and improvement, rather than as a personal critique.
I then evaluate the feedback objectively, considering how it aligns with project goals and user needs. If the feedback is actionable, I incorporate the suggested changes into my work, ensuring that it enhances the overall quality and effectiveness. I also communicate with the feedback provider to show appreciation and discuss how their input has been implemented. This collaborative approach not only improves the work but also fosters a positive and productive feedback culture.
With an extremely open heart and mind, the reminder that it's not personal, and the anchoring belief that multiple minds make work great. Also, I firmly believe that at the end of the day, I get to decide what I like and don't like—and it's okay if someone disagrees with me. My freedom lies in choosing to resist the feedback because it's bad for the user/business/ethically, or to take it and move on because it's not any of those things.
I see feedback as a chance to grow, so I listen carefully and ask for clarification if needed. I take time to reflect on the feedback before making changes. Staying positive and focusing on improvement helps me take critical feedback in stride and use it to enhance my work. Our team organized weekly Content Crit where we evaluate each other's work. We train ourselves to give and receive feedback. It's not easy as it sounds! But it is highly necessary in my opinion.
Matching feedback to fidelity is crucial. If it’s early-stage (e.g., brainstorms or rough drafts), I ask for more general guidance to quell the possibility of a limiting perspective. If it’s late-stage (e.g., prototypes or high-fidelity designs), give me all the smoke.
Question #11
Can you share an experience where a project didn't go as planned? What did you learn from it?
I often ask this question in interviews. For me, failure is where the real growth happens. People don't learn from success as much as they learn from failure. Failure allows you to reflect on what worked and what didn't.
Successful failures are ones that you learn and grow from. I've made my share of big mistakes in my career, especially when I was younger and less experienced. But those mistakes have shaped who I am today as a leader and manager. I hope I'm a better person because of them.
One project that didn't go as planned was my initial work on the University of Bath website. I didn't effectively advocate for the resources needed to deliver the project successfully. In short, I lacked the skills, experience, and knowledge to persuade, influence, and negotiate my case.
Today, I have those skills and would approach writing the business case very differently.
I can't share details obviously, but a project that didn't go as planned involved developing a new feature for a digital assistant. Despite thorough research, user engagement was lower than expected, and some found the personalization intrusive. I learned the importance of ongoing user testing and adapting based on real-time feedback. We adjusted the feature to ensure it felt more natural and useful, reinforcing the need for balancing innovation with user comfort. That's where my empathetic focus found inspiration...
It is often that we have to provide emergency new copies for a design that is already online. After some difficulties, we managed to provide the content they needed, in all the languages they needed. This taught me the importance of contingency planning and being flexible. Regular risk assessments and having backup plans are crucial.
I worked 9+ months on a project I really liked that never shipped. I learned that no matter how hard and passionately I work on something, at the end of the day I've got to be flexible and let things go.
Collaboration and impact in Content Design
Effective teamwork and demonstrating value are crucial in Content Design. This section explores how our experts foster interdisciplinary collaboration, advocate for their work within organizations, and measure the impact of their efforts in tangible ways.
Question #12
How do you foster effective collaboration between different disciplines in your projects?
Principle-based working and agile methodologies are the two most effective approaches for fostering collaboration between disciplines.
Principles establish how you'll collaborate and set expectations for everyone involved. Agile empowers individuals to practice those principles, establish a cadence, and take collective responsibility for their work. Agile also creates a much-needed space to celebrate team successes and learn from failures.
Together, these two things create a sense of purpose and psychological safety, which are essential for delivering successful products and services.
We've organized our team with an embedded model, so all of our Content Designers and Technical Writers collaborate with multiple product teams, which helps enhance collaboration. We've had to do a lot of work defining our processes, tooling and ways of working so we can communicate that to our teams and ensure that we're working the best way we can.
I prioritize clear communication and regular check-ins to ensure alignment. Emphasizing empathy and respect for each team member's expertise creates an environment where diverse ideas are valued. Using collaborative tools like Figma and project management platforms helps streamline workflows. Also, cross-functional workshops and brainstorming sessions bring team members together to understand each other's challenges and co-create solutions, fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration.
I make sure everyone’s on the same page by keeping communication open and clear. It is important to value each other's unique contribution: product, business or UX perspective, we all have something valuable to bring to the table! Beyond that, I recommend setting common goals and use collaborative tools to stay connected.
Question #13
What strategies have you found effective for advocating for the value of your work within your organisation?
I can advocate for the value of content until I’m blue in the face, but in my experience, it's more compelling when people hear it from someone other than me. So I’m intentional about bringing other leaders — like from product management and product design — into my team’s process and incorporating their perspective. What usually happens: whatever we’re developing gets stronger, and those leaders advocate for it on their platforms and within their teams. Sending a message with a “Hey, what do you think of this?” goes a long way.
I think the strategy is to demonstrate the tangible impact my work has through metrics and user feedback. By presenting case studies that highlight how content improvements have directly solved user problems or enhanced the overall user experience, I can clearly show the benefits. Additionally, building strong cross-functional relationships with colleagues in UX design, product management, and development has helped in showcasing how content design seamlessly integrates with and supports their efforts. These collaborations and evidence-based demonstrations help convey the critical role that content design plays in achieving our business goals and improving user satisfaction.
To advocate for the value of my work, I focus on demonstrating tangible results and aligning my efforts with business objectives. Sharing success stories, user feedback, and data-driven results regularly helps illustrate the positive impact of content design. Building strong relationships with stakeholders - especially with my Chinese stakeholders - and being proactive in communication are key strategies.
Working in the open, being transparent and bringing everyone on the journey have been really important, especially when working with different levels of stakeholders and in big organizations. Additionally, honesty, partnership and storytelling are powerful tools in my toolkit that enable me to lead with influence and also ensure I'm always listening to my partners and customers to do the best.
Have an opinion. As a discipline still fighting for parity, we can sometimes over-index on making our work more palatable for others.
Question #14
How do you measure and communicate the impact of your work to stakeholders and leadership?
For measuring impact, you can’t beat data. I’ve found that running small experiments and showing positive metrics earns you the trust you need to take on bigger projects and even get more people on your team.
The link from making impact → showing impact → earning trust hinges on communication. And that’s where content leaders have a special skill: we know how to tell a story. So when my team gets a win, the next step is to own it with artfully chosen words. We might share it in a high-visibility Slack channel, or I might send it directly to our department head so it makes its way to senior leadership. Just like in the product, words matter.
I've worked with my team to develop a content and product marketing framework that forms a baseline for evaluation in terms of how our platform, services and products are doing in those areas. We frequently and openly publish the progress, work and results that ourselves and the partner teams we work with are creating, and always encourage them to improve and iterate, and sometimes have a bit of friendly competition.
I believe it's important to speak the same language as they do, which is using business metrics. Shows how your project helped improve the business metrics (E.g. conversion rate, retention rate, DAU etc.) that they care about, and they will pay attention to your work. I also take good care on how to structure my reports, and always seek to present them myself to my stakeholders. Using storytelling and aligning results with business goals makes a compelling case for the value of my work.
To measure and communicate the impact of my work to stakeholders and leadership, I set clear goals, track progress with relevant metrics, and compile the results into concise reports. Regular updates and presentations ensure stakeholders understand the value and impact of the work on both user satisfaction and business objectives.
We draw our team goals and initiatives from the company-wide goals, which we turn into quarterly OKRs and report our progress on a monthly basis. We really try to focus on driving user behavior, thinking about outcomes rather than outputs. Thinking about things like time on task and customer support case deflection can be really valuable for showing how content decisions drive business goals.
Don’t assume that your leadership team knows what you’re doing. I often think about the Rule of 7, which loosely states that a message must be received at least 7 times in 7 different ways to be heard.
Question #15
How has your perspective on team collaboration changed as you've progressed in your career?
Great question.
When I first began my career, I worked as a marketer in a traditional waterfall-led environment. Collaboration felt like a relay race, with each person focusing on their specific part of the project and passing the "baton" to the next team. Sometimes it went smoothly, but other times it didn't. The path to completion was already determined, and while everyone understood the goal, it didn't always get the best out of individuals or the team as a whole.
Today, I work as a designer on products and services. Agile working has completely changed my perspective. Collaboration now feels more like a rugby match. It's about understanding your teammates' roles and strengths and supporting them throughout the game. You solve problems together as they happen, and there's a shared understanding of how you will get there.
My perspective on team collaboration has evolved from simply dividing tasks to valuing it as a crucial element for creativity and innovation. I now understand the importance of open communication, active listening, and creating an environment where diverse perspectives can thrive. Building trust and strong relationships within the team, along with integrating cross-functional collaboration, has become essential. This holistic approach ensures that content design is seamlessly integrated into the overall user experience, leading to more user-centric and effective solutions.
I now listen more than I speak, my contributions have a bigger impact and sway, so I tend to sit back and let others share first, discuss, then intervene if I need to. As leaders, we need to be aware of the influence we can have on others and sometimes we aren't even aware of the impact one remark could have on the rest of the interaction.
Gaining buy-in is extremely important, but in fast-paced environments it’s often challenging to get input from every team member. Throughout my career, I’ve progressed to defining the critical stakeholders early, being comfortable with getting started alone, and bringing in cross-functional team members along the way.
As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve learnt that every perspective has a value to bring at the table. Fostering an inclusive, respectful, and communicative environment leads to better outcomes. Collaboration is not just about dividing tasks but leveraging diverse skills and perspectives to create innovative and effective solutions.
Question #16
How has remote work impacted your work process and collaboration, and what strategies have you found effective for remote teamwork?
We are a remote-first company, which offers amazing flexibility, but also comes with challenges. I've found that for remote teams it's really important to create opportunities to get together physically, either at an office or an offsite. Even with the best collaboration tools, you just can't replicate the experience of being physically together in the same room. We've also found it beneficial to organize a monthly social call where we get the entire team together just to talk about non-work related things with no agenda. It's a small thing, but having that space to just unwind and chat has been really appreciated and valuable.
Remote work gave me the gift of relaxation and focus. I don't have to be "on" for an entire day (I can let my face relax between meetings!) and this has given me more energy for work, and life.
However, it's easy for things to get lost in the shuffle, especially with hybrid work. I live by the rule of over-communicating because of this — giving information verbally, over Slack, over email, in a document, and reinforcing it has become habit.
Remote work is the best for me! It has significantly impacted my work process and collaboration, leading to more intentional communication and coordination. To stay effective, I rely on regular video check-ins to maintain clear communication and alignment. I also ensure flexibility in scheduling to accommodate different time zones and working hours. I also like documenting all key decisions, feedback, and progress to maintain transparency and clarity.
Tools like FigJam, Miro, and Google Jamboard are great for virtual collaboration. Personally, I’m on calls a lot more than before now that most people work remotely. In response, I block my calendar for “focus time” because a part of being a good collaborator is being prepared, which requires solo work time.
Question #17
Can you share an example of when you had to balance user needs with business goals in a project? How did you approach this?
At Verizon, I was tasked with redesigning customer communication for network outages. The challenge was to balance user needs for clear, empathetic information with the business goal of maintaining trust and reducing support calls. Through user research, I crafted messages that were concise, empathetic, and informative. Collaborating with business and support teams, I ensured the messages aligned with operational capabilities and business goals. This approach led to a significant reduction in support calls and positive customer feedback, effectively meeting both user needs and business objectives.
Balancing user needs with business goals can be tricky. In one project, we started with user research to understand their pain points and needs. We then aligned these insights with our business objectives. By keeping communication open with stakeholders and being transparent about our approach, we found solutions that met user expectations and achieved business targets.
Looking to the future of Content Design
As technology and user expectations evolve, so too must Content Design. Our speakers offer their perspectives on emerging trends, the integration of AI tools, and the strategies they employ to ensure their work remains inclusive, innovative, and aligned with both user needs and business goals.
Question #18
How do you see AI tools changing your work process?
AI tools, as we said, they're just TOOLS. They are transforming my work process by enhancing efficiency, personalization, and creativity. Not taking anything away from it. They streamline repetitive tasks such as content generation, keyword research, and data analysis, freeing up more time for strategic and creative aspects of my job. AI-driven analytics provide deeper insights into user behavior and preferences, allowing me to tailor content more effectively. Tools like natural language processing and machine learning help in crafting personalized, context-aware content that resonates better with users. Overall, AI tools empower me to create more impactful content and deliver better user experiences while optimizing workflow efficiency and I may be naive but I'm not scared by the advent of AI at all.
There are a ton of benefits to me using AI in my work as a solo consultant (confession: I just need to use it more).
I'm currently looking at Trevor AI for my daily planning of tasks - I've used ChatGPT for basic brainstorming topic ideas for clients (titles etc.) but will only use maybe 1 out of the 10 suggestions, which I'll then tweak further to make my own. AI is also great for analysing and summarizing data and very much like Google, it's great for research.
Can it help me be more efficiency - yes, absolutely! I'm still trying to find the right AI (virtual assistant) tool for my wonderful ND brain.
Accuracy in content creation? - not so much (not yet anyway). I'm going to be that annoying 'even if my content is not perfect at least I wrote it all!' person for a bit longer.
We are an AI-first content team, meaning that we try to find ways to use AI in everything we do. I've designed GPTs for our different content teams, training it on our design and content documentation and guidelines. I think AI will become an increasingly valuable tool for anyone involved in Content. It can speed up the production of new content, validate existing content and take care of basic manual tasks. I think of AI as another member of the team or an intern: what they produce won't be perfect, but they can make valuable contributions.
I see it as a symbiotic relationship because AI can’t create good experiences without first being trained by good content. I’m also cautiously optimistic that it can augment our writing and automate the manual aspects of our job, giving us more time and space to do deeply strategic work.
This is an unpopular opinion, but I'm not bullish on AI. There's a lot still to be worked out, especially ethically, and I'm just not jumping on that bandwagon. I've been inspired by Mike Monteiro, Mark Hurst, and Gerry McGovern.
Question #19
What steps do you take to ensure your work is inclusive and accessible to diverse audiences?
I prioritize understanding the needs and perspectives of different user groups through comprehensive research and user testing, including those with disabilities. This helps me design content that is empathetic and relevant to a broad audience.
I follow best practices for accessibility, such as using clear and simple language, providing alternative text for images, and ensuring proper contrast and readability in design elements.
I advocate for inclusivity in all aspects of content creation by considering diverse cultural backgrounds, languages, and contexts. This includes being mindful of representation in imagery and examples and avoiding biased or exclusionary language.
Question #20
How do you balance creativity and innovation with the need for consistency and adherence to guidelines?
The design process is a creative journey that, when done well, leads to valuable insights and innovative solutions. But it's important to remember that it's also a guiding framework.
Principles and standards are similar in that they capture the knowledge and experience of others, enabling people and teams to focus on solving the right problem.
However, technology and user behaviour are constantly changing. It's crucial to remember that these principles and standards are guidelines, not strict rules. Always base your decisions on the evidence you have.
A good set of guidelines should develop as your understanding grows. I've seen many teams get stuck rigidly following ""rules,"" which stifles creativity and innovation and ultimately impacts the people they're designing for.
Stay open-minded, and don't be afraid to question your or others' assumptions. That's how you move forward and create products and services that work for people.
Balancing creativity and innovation with the need for consistency and adherence to guidelines is a nuanced process. In my work, I prioritize understanding the core principles and goals behind the guidelines. This foundation allows me to explore creative solutions that align with the brand’s voice and user experience standards. I see guidelines as a framework rather than a constraint, providing a base upon which to build innovative ideas. Regular collaboration with cross-functional teams ensures that any creative approaches are feasible and maintain consistency. This balance is achieved by continuously testing and iterating, ensuring that innovative solutions enhance the user experience while adhering to established guidelines.
Balancing creativity with consistency means knowing the guidelines inside out and using them as a starting point, not a limit. Brainstorming sessions help us explore creative ideas within the framework of the guidelines. As a matter of fact, being flexible in applying these rules allows us to innovate while keeping things consistent.
Guidelines are great, but they shouldn't be the enemy of improvements, feedback and creativity, if we have to stop doing a good thing because of the guidelines, maybe we need to dig deeper into that and ask why a few times to understand if and what can change, whilst still being compliant and consistent.
Practice. (And it's always a practice.)
Resources: Events, podcasts, blogs, and more
In addition to books, our speakers recommend a variety of other resources to keep you informed and inspired. This section includes podcasts that offer regular doses of industry insights, websites that provide up-to-date information and tools, and other valuable resources such as conferences and online courses. These recommendations are designed to help you stay current with the latest trends, techniques, and discussions in the rapidly evolving field of Content Design. Explore these resources to continue your learning journey beyond the pages of books and to connect with the broader Content Design community.
Conferences and events
Podcasts
Articles
- The future of content design is not what you think it is
- Content service thinking
- Stakeholder management: isn’t it time we changed the narrative?
- Poem: Dogfish
- How to write digital products with personality
- Content in the product design process — articulating our role
- You don’t need permission to do your job
- Content Design 3.0: A roadmap for UX content professionals
Websites
Courses
Growing In Content 2024: Day 2
We hope this Q&A has piqued your interest in what's to come at Growing In Content 2024. Join us on August 21st for Day 2, where you'll have the opportunity to dive deeper into these topics and more with our expert speakers.
Register now to be part of this enriching experience and to continue growing in your Content Design career. Day 1 is free to attend for everyone. Paid tickets start from $99.
Peter is the co-founder of Working In Content, a vibrant online community dedicated to the world of Content Design, Content Strategy and UX Writing.
You can connect with him on LinkedIn.
