Build Diary: Week 2 (we’re all content designers 😇)

You guys — this is actually super fun. I’m really enjoying challenging my own knowledge of content design and UX writing and *really* breaking it down to the bare bones. It has me realizing thoughts like this…

You’re already a content designer

I realized starting a new course or program or anything can be a stress-bomb. You wanna learn the thing, but also it’s a lot to take on. Especially content design, which can feel like a different language.

But then I realized, most people, you included, are already content designers. There’s a good chance you can distinguish between what makes a good user experience and a bad user experience. Like this:

I’m guessing it’s clear to you which experience is more user-friendly.

That’s the thing — content design isn’t magic, and it doesn’t require you to naturally have a “thing for words.” Content design is about creating clear experiences in digital products by, really, just having deep empathy for other people. It’s something that can easily be learned, and with intentional practice, creating “good” content design can quickly become second nature.

If you want to advocate for people who can’t speak for themselves while making the world a simpler place, you have what it takes to thrive as a content designer — I’m just gonna walk you through the nitty-gritty.

Content design vs product design

As part of my explanation of content design, I’m figuring out how to put it in context of the product design team. I found this super-cool example from Indeed on how they think about content design vs product design:

There are clear divisions, of which some are obvious, like the content designer being responsible for UX writing and a content audit, and the UX designer being responsible for visual design and interaction design.

There are some activities, like competitor research or user flows, where you could see either the content designer or the UX designer being responsible. This is because the two roles are quite similar, and some tasks can be interchanged.

The biggest difference between content design and product design is the content designer creates the conversation between the product and the user, while the product designer creates an intuitive space for that conversation to happen.

Mo’ money, mo’ problems

Pricing is tricky business. I know I previously mentioned The Launchpad would be a lifetime membership with $100 monthly payments until you reach $2,000, but is that affordable enough?

I want to make The Launchpad accessible to as many people as possible, and price is a big part of that. Is $100 per month a stretch, or would $49 a month be more reasonable?

That had me thinking of scrapping the lifetime membership with the payment plan thing and going for a straightforward monthly membership with three tiers (tier names TBD):

To debunk some terms that might be mystical:

• Swipe files = proven templates available to everyone in The Launchpad
• Challenge feedback = feedback from yours truly on your weekly UX writing challenges
• Accountability = weekly email check-ins to make sure you’re on track toward your goals and go over any roadblocks

Now, I dunno — is this better than the $100 per month payment plan? If you have an opinion, help me price The Launchpad accordingly in this one-question survey.

A (wo)man with a plan

I listened to a fascinating podcast episode interviewing Bryan Harris, founder of Growth University. He scales 1:1 coaching, and shared he pivoted to coaching because his courses had a less than 10% completion rate — completion rate!

That means less than 10% of people enrolled had a shot at accomplishing their goal. And that’s bleak.

I’m trying to uncover the best perks for The Launchpad, and it’s pretty clear education thrives with accountability and motivation. He also said most people lose motivation and belief in their goals and plan along the way. Which makes sense because we’re humans and imposter syndrome is real.

Lots to stew on…

Keep the part rollin’ — continue to read week 3 📖

If you’re as excited as I am, get ahead of the curve, and join The Launchpad waitlist now 🤗