How the role of “office DJ” has made me a more attuned content designer
Every year on my work anniversary (‘workiversary’), I make it a point to press pause and rewind to reflect on my professional development throughout the past year (here’s my reflection from around this time last year).
As I fast forward to my second workiversary here at Charitable Impact, Canada’s “first fully web-based donor-advised fund”, I celebrate how the role of a content designer is increasingly becoming recognized and refined at more and more workplaces.
In addition to my primary role as content designer, it would be remiss of me to not acknowledge my secondary, extracurricular role. It is one that I’ve had the absolute privilege of holding at this unique work environment. That is, the esteemed role of: ✨ Office DJ ✨ — Cue: *DJ horn!* As the resident DJ at my current workplace, I have the deep honour of handpicking the tunes to play at the start and end of our bi-weekly company wide virtual meetings. It is a role I haven’t taken lightly. When someone hands me the aux chord, it isn’t lost on me that with great power comes great responsibility (and great tunes).
Here are 8 unique ‘tracks’ (read: parallels) I have drawn between both roles, remixing my love and respect for each:
We are tastemakers.
Being a great DJ requires you to be well-versed in various genres and styles of music. Similarly, being a great content designer demands much of the same. The function of content design is inherently interdisciplinary, laced with writing chops, deep design thinking, research and analytics, among others.
How does one acquire more diverse taste over time? Through intentional discovery, exposure and immersion. Good content designers might stick to their own lane. Great content designers lean into other lanes (while knowing their place) to learn from their cross-functional partners or peers, incorporate other inputs, and allow that to feed into–and strengthen–their own work.
We are *really* good listeners.
Pretentious DJ horns and amped up microphones aside, being a great DJ requires you to listen closely to your audience and how they are responding to what you are currently spinning. DJs have an intimate understanding of the intricate parts and elements that make up a quality song. Within reason, they may also take the occasional song request.
Likewise, being a content designer means knowing your audience well, and listening to their needs. What is direct user feedback telling you? Which feature requests are bubbling up in your product backlog? What are research or usability studies inferring? Listen to these cues to inform your approach.
Play them what they need to hear, not just what you want to play for them.
We know when to turn the equalizer knob.
Following the previous track above, a good DJ knows when to adjust the modes and levels on the equalizer, to better suit the event or audience.
Are your users moving through a user flow in the way you were expecting? If not, which content solutions might you introduce to help address this? Make an effort to monitor and measure how your content is performing to meet their needs–adjust the right knobs accordingly.
We know when to remix, add, or remove.
A good DJ has a foot in both old skool and new school music scenes; they have the instinct to know precisely when to pull from the archives for a throwback crowd pleaser, versus when to reach for a more contemporary banger. And if duty calls, a fire remix or tasteful cover song just might do the trick.
As content designers, we must learn to balance tried and true best practices with responding to the ever-changing demands of our smart and savvy audience, as our user base evolves and matures over time. What may have worked before, in a particular user context or scenario, may not necessarily work as effectively in another. Add, remove, or remix–with caution.
We know when to turn the volume up (or down).
DJs are highly perceptive and know how to read a room. They can gauge the energy that takes up a space, in order to affect it effectively. Sometimes this means cranking the volume up, gradually fading out, fast forwarding to the best part of the song, skipping a mediocre track, or pressing pause altogether.
Content designers need to be acutely aware, hyperconscious, and perceptive.
Quantity doesn’t guarantee quality. Sometimes, the most well-crafted content solutions are the ones that are the most simple. Sometimes, less (or zero content, even) is more than enough.
There is a tune for every occasion.
DJs are summoned to spin that track and do their thang in various contexts. Whether it be at the club, at a birthday party, or in my case–in the office, DJs must learn to be a chameleon and play songs that are contextually relevant.
Content designers rise to the same occasion. We must ensure that we have a solid grasp of the user’s context or problem space, in order to adequately solve for all the right things.
Every song earns its place.
When curating a mix or playlist for a special occasion, DJs put deep thought, care and consideration into every single song choice.
As do content designers. Every bit of content is carefully curated and meticulously chosen in service to the user. We must be purposefully selective.
It’s all in the details.
Just like how every song earns its place, every piece of a song earns its playback time. Whether it’s accentuating particular aspects of a song such as when the beat drops, showcasing distinct recognizable intros, and everything in between, the DJ knows just which details to extract, highlight and amplify.
Content design is an exercise in relentless prioritization. We must surface not too much, not too little, but just the right amount of information and level of detail to guide the user along their journey and holistic user experience.
(Bonus track) It’s a vibe.
DJs put a copious amount of thoughtfulness, passion, and care into handcrafting the sonic environments that they produce. They don’t just passively press ‘play’. They create a whole vibe; orchestrating a fulsome experience that moves people (figuratively, and literally–on the dance floor).
In a similar vein, content designers don’t merely affect users at single touch points of the user journey. We have the power to positively influence and impact the entire end-to-end user narrative. It’s every little word choice or design decision we make that can retain our users, encouraging them to smash ‘repeat’ for the products and experiences we so lovingly build for them.
Serving as Office DJ has helped me become more attuned to the qualities and characteristics that make up a strong content designer. I look forward to playing these tracks in a heavy rotation, while continuing to add to the growing playlist that is my discipline and craft.
I hope that these tracks will continue to reverberate and play out in the way that I consciously approach my work. Did any of these particular tracks resonate with you? Let me know!
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📢 P.S. Charitable Impact is hiring! Content folks: If you are a content strategist or content designer wanting to make a positive impact within the Canadian charity tech sector, do consider applying. :)
Anneliese Herbosa is a Content Designer between 9–5, and an audiophile 24/7. When she’s not actively listening to the wants and needs of discerning users, she’s probably listening to some jazz/hip-hop, 90s rnb, or tasteful covers of pop songs. Follow her on Spotify for monthly playlists, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
