A list of resources for people new to Content Design, UX Writing, ya know writing for digital products.
Its been all of 2 months in my role as a Content Designer at Intuit and I’ve learned a ton. I wanted to share a few resources that help me understand my role and give you a leg up in your journey.
Understanding Content Design and UX Writing:
The world of design is filled with a variety of titles from UX Designer to Product Designer to Interaction Designer and so on and so on. Content Design is no different. Some call it UX Writing, others call it Content Strategy, or Content Development. What should you call it? I don’t even know, but here are a few great articles to help you grow your understanding.
TLDR: Read it, it’s good stuff and Rachel did a great job of outlining the nuances between UX Writing and Content Design.
TLDR: Read it, this article outlines the key questions, scenarios, and research that drive UX Writers. It also provides examples of how brands like Slack, Bumble, and Mailchimp leverage their UX Writers to create impactful end-to-end user experiences throughout their products.
TLDR: An in-depth reflection of a Content Designer at IBM. It gives perspective on how content design is more like improv than authorship.
I love this SlideShare by Lauren Pope because it gives historical context on how content, design, and UX work together to create exceptional experiences. She also does a great job of outlining 3 core principles for content and UX designers to effectively collaborate and produce great work.
Practicing Content Design and UX Writing:
My background in marketing and customer communications shaped my writing skills for user-centered content, while my formal UX Certification from CareerFoundry established my design process.
To develop my UX Writing skills I participated in the Daily UX Writing Challenge. Every day for 15 days I received prompts via email with a challenge to communicate to potential users in a variety of scenarios in the given character limit. This is a simple, practical way to jump in and make your first attempt at UX Writing.
Learning from Content Designers and other resources:
I’ve included a few of my personal favorites below to further assist you get oriented in the content world.
Podcasts I listen to:
Communities I’m part of:
Microcopy & UX writing Facebook group
Books I am reading:
The Content Strategy Toolkit by Meghan Casey
Content Design by Sarah Richards
There you go, some quick resources to get you started. I hope you find this helpful. If there is anything I can do to support you, feel free to reach out. Cheers, happy writing and designing.
