Content Design

Content design is widely misunderstood. Most people think that if you work with words, you’re either in the documentation department or are busy trying to market a product. It’s easier to just say you work in the design department at this point, then explain from there.

So how can you easily tell someone what a content designer does? By stealing the official definition from the person who coined the term “content designer,” Sarah Winters. Here’s how she describes content design:

“It’s using data and evidence to give the audience what they need, at the time they need it and in a way they expect.”

This really captures the essence of what a content designer is. But I want to break it down even further, and layer on some personalization. To me, content design also means:

• Having empathy for the user, even if that means combating your own design team and pushing back on the new feature a PM wants to release
• Bridging the gap between what the company wants and what the user wants
• Solving problems with more than words, because we are actually well versed in UX best practices
• Using clear and plain language that anyone can understand, stripping out the jargon and acronyms
• Working cross-functionally to deliver something great

For all of these reasons, I really love being a content designer. It has truly given me an opportunity to have a positive impact with the words I write and the designs I contribute to.