How content design is turning the tide of B2B design

Rachael Bundock and Raph Paraschos, B2B Content Designers at Zalando, share how their work is driving a more user-centric experience.

Comparing the feel of B2C and B2B design is like comparing a shop window to the front of an office building. Though many offices look impressive, they are not designed to catch the eye of passing shoppers. Design in the business-to-business environment is traditionally functional and formal. However, as some Product Designers from Zalando’s B2B community expressed in a recent article, as the industry matures, delightful user experiences are a growing priority. After all, whether business relationships are made in-store or in the office, they endure as a result of a great experience.

The pioneering presence of Content Designers in business-to-business product teams is an indicator of this move toward a more user-centric approach. Though content design may not yet be a must in B2B, bringing a human touch to a data-heavy domain can provide significant business benefits.

“We want to provide helpful information to every partner, no matter the size of their business,” says Rachael Bundock, Senior Content Designer in the Partner Tech team’s Partner Program. “While large established partners might have a dedicated team of domain experts that deal with us, new or small partners may not understand business jargon. That’s not to mention that we interact with our partners daily; we are a big part of their business and livelihood. It makes such a difference to provide content that helps them to develop as well as do their day-to-day work.”

Blazing a trail

When Rachael joined in 2021, she was the first embedded Content Designer at Zalando B2B. In September 2022, Raph Paraschos became the second, joining the Zalando Marketing Services (ZMS) team. The fellow Senior Content Designers brought broad expertise from the B2B and B2C environments.

Partner Tech and ZMS both work closely with brands and retailers, while other B2B teams at Zalando focus more on logistics, supply chain, or enterprise systems. The two teams’ mutual drive for connection made them a natural starting point for Zalando’s B2B content design discipline.

“Many companies wrongly believe that incorporating simpler language, for example, will compromise their gravitas,” says Raph. “The fact that B2B content design exists at Zalando says a lot about how design-centric the organization is. In my opinion, we are much more open to exploring how we can humanize our communications and content. Now is the right time to actively work toward embracing the concept of building more delightful experiences. The Product Designers and Product Managers we collaborate with are talking about it, and it’s something that Content Designers are usually the first to advocate for. We are going to get there.”

Cultivating comprehension

Raph spent his first six months at ZMS aligning the content of existing projects and building and documenting a process that integrated content design across the product development process. “Now, we have moved on to phase two, which has to do with content design maturity,” he explains. “We are more ready to tackle pain points with content and communication. One example is the notifications we send our users: how can we use them to enhance partner education? We’re in the process of building a whole ecosystem of information sharing at ZMS. I am also involved in systems design: creating a scalable positioning system for our products.”

Similarly, Rachael is working to distill complex information into digestible content across diverse topics. “My work is as broad as making it easier for partners to add articles, to helping them understand European legislation, or how they can reduce their returns to benefit the environment. Since the Partner Program moved to give partners more insights about their data, I am also creating supportive content that guides them on how they can use that data. It’s been well received so far.”

“At the end of the day, it’s about human-to-human communication.”

Two sides of the same coin

Just like in B2C, B2B content design seeks to support decisions with accessible and informative content. Rachael and Raph agree that the two sides of content design are more similar than people think. “At the end of the day, it’s about human-to-human communication,” says Raph. “The principles are the same. We want to minimize cognitive load, make information accessible, and make experiences as inclusive as possible.”

In fact, the pair share a lot with B2C Content Designers as part of the wider Zalando content design community. “We come together for various weekly rituals, including inspirational sessions and show-and-tells,” Raph explains. “We can bring anything we’re working on in B2B and get input from the B2C Content Designers and vice versa,” says Raph. “It’s a super useful space for dialogue. We take a lot from the community to apply to our work. And we also build tools, systems, and processes that go back into the community. This way, we evolve content design together.”

“That’s what’s making it so exciting for us Content Designers. I would like to continue to build the systems and content that facilitate that transformation.”

Shaping the future of B2B

The pair both recognize the great potential of content design to evolve the B2B space. “Aside from providing our partners with direct support, I would love for us to offer them more inspiration on where they could expand their business.” says Rachael. “As B2B design becomes more user-centric than business-centric, I would also like to see our platform offering more personalized content based on our partners’ experience level or support requirements.”

“I am getting the ball rolling for more content-design-specific research,” says Raph. “I see content design as a discipline that works very closely with emotional states. We have a great interest in knowing as precisely as possible how partners feel when they use our products and interact with our experiences. In general, I believe the B2B industry is finally moving toward more simplified, conversational, and human content. That’s what makes it so exciting for us Content Designers. I would like to continue to build the systems and content that facilitate that transformation. The more people see the results of content design in B2B, the more they will trust this approach. Watch this space!”

Next, read about content design in B2C at Zalando: Principal Content Designer Jemima Leathwood-Hill shares her collaboration-focused tips to elevate design principles.