The Stuff of UX Content Strategy: Part 2
Broken into two parts, The Stuff of UX Content Strategy is an inventory of thoughts and to-do’s to help you move your content strategy forward. In Part 1, we looked at stakeholder engagement, process management, and planning. Here, in Part 2, we talk about things you can get started on right away to spark interest and get your content strategy engine moving. This is by no means an exhaustive list, nor is it a chronological recipe for success. I think of it more as a stream-of-consciousness download of all the things that come to mind when I reflect on what has worked — and what hasn’t — in my quest to establish a product content strategy for a mature consumer software company. Yay strategery!
Audit your content
Do a quick search online and you’ll find a dozen articles (like 6 steps to product audit perfection by Virginia Start) detailing how to do a content audit. Your audit will prove invaluable in establishing a baseline so you can start improving your content.
Map out your content types
If your products are anything like mine, they’re filled with all sorts of content types: checkboxes, radio buttons, input masks, instructions, headers, subheads, lists, CTAs, hyperlinks, tooltips, fields, and so on. Without a standard set of mechanical styles, all these labels and strings can quickly spin out of control. To preempt this, map out your content types and standardize the way you treat them. Then share the map with your team so they know how to navigate the minutiae when you’re not around.
Take lots of screenshots
Build a photo library of all the bad writing examples you find. Use your library to make your case for a new strategy, create before & after examples, show people how NOT to write, and benchmark new designs.
Run some tests
Whether you run them yourself or enlist the help of a UX researcher, get some hard data on your content. You’ll see where your content works, where it doesn’t, and you’ll have numbers to share when your boss comes looking. Check out UX Copywriting: 3 Copy Testing Methods That Beat A/B Testing + QUIZ by Tímea Falmann, and Testing for UX writers: know when your words are working by Annie Adams.
Document your work
Ugh, documentation. I know, I know. Not everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you’re a UXer. Nonetheless, it’s crucial to show the value of your work and make it accessible to your team. Options include Dropbox, Google Drive, InVision, SharePoint, Confluence, Trello, and Zeplin, among others.
Show the value of good content
Good content is measurable. Whether you’re quantifying the impact of a new button label or showing the qualitative impact of a new writing style, there are lots of ways to show the value of your content. Check out Writing high performing copy by Patrick Thompson.
Show the before & after
Seriously, sometimes people just need to see the new words. Do a side-by-side comparison of old and new and watch the jaws drop. Ok, that’s an exaggeration. But befores & afters are still the best way to show the difference between good and bad writing.
Curate a word list
Product teams love to name things. Though you may not own every terminology decision, you can help document them with a word list. Call it what you want — glossary, term base, A-Z List, whatever — the point is to compile the terms and make them available to your stakeholders.
Set the standards
Sentence caps or Title Caps? Oxford comma or AP? Conversational or minimal? Embrace the fact that no one on your team cares as deeply as you about these things and that YOU are the best person to drive this conversation. Because you are.
Create a design persona
One of the most powerful UX content strategy tools I’ve found is the design persona framework from Aarron Walter’s book, Designing for Emotion. The framework asks: If your product were a person, who would it be? By collaboratively sketching out the personality of your product (this is a team effort, BTW) — from personality traits to engagement methods — you get everyone on the team pointed in the same direction and thinking about the user experience in a cohesive way. At base, you’re democratizing a UX worldview. So cool.
Start a Slack channel
If your team uses Slack — or HipChat, Hangouts, Stride, Teams, or any other workplace chat tool — start a content strategy channel. Post links to cool content strategy articles (like the one you’re reading right now 😀), share screenshots from the wild, or use it as a place to take and answer questions from your team. It’s an easy way to start a conversation about content strategy and other nerdy things that motivate you.
Attend a conference
Some of the best tools in my arsenal are from conferences and workshops I’ve attended over the years. Budget permitting, find a conference that will teach you practical ways to build, execute, or improve your content strategy. Look for workshops that will supply you with tools you can start using right away. Bonus: You’ll meet your content strategy tribe and realize you’re not alone in your quest for perfect microcopy. Top of the list for me are Confab, The Information Architecture Conference, LavaCon, and anything from the Nielsen Norman Group.
Do a competitor review
Look at your top two or three competitors and do a thorough review of their content. What are they up to? How is their content looking? Consider their value proposition and strategy, and then see how their execution stacks up. You might be surprised.
Don’t mistake the tools for the strategy
This is an easy trap to fall into, especially when you’re pressed for time and feeling pressured to show results. Beware! Your style guides, word lists, journey maps, content models, design personas, and key messaging statements are only half of your strategy. The other half is the people and the doing. Remember: Tools help you execute your strategy, they don’t replace it.
Don’t get discouraged — the words ARE important
It doesn’t always feel this way. Like when that crappy UI string you found doesn’t qualify as a bug in Jira. Or when that catchy headline you wrote isn’t implemented in the next product release. Keep your head up! Words DO matter and so does the work you’re doing. Incremental change is still change. You got this.
So, what did I miss? I know there are a million other things to consider in the pursuit of a successful UX content strategy. Share your thoughts below and help me fill in the gaps. Also, be sure to check out The Stuff of UX Content Strategy: Part 1, and then share both articles with all the people =) Cheers!
Photo by Kaiwen Wang on Unsplash
