Content-First UX: How to Design with Words

Are you having trouble convincing clients to design with real content instead of meaningless placeholder copy? You’re not alone. Lorem Ipsum continues to thrive on tight deadlines, imperfect Statements of Work and ingrained habits. So what’s a content strategist to do?

Content-first user experience (C1UX) to the rescue! What is C1UX? Almost exactly what it sounds like – a way to build user experiences from content, not empty wireframes.

Transcript

1. Ryan Bigge | April 18, 2016 | @biggeidea Toronto Content Strategy Meetup Content-First UX: How to Design With Words
2. Let’s talk about me … •  Former print journalist •  Moved into content strategy six years ago •  Interested in the overlap between UX and content •  I’ve worked with words for almost 20 years
3. Now let’s talk about … Content-First User Experience (C1UX) A technique invented by Steph Hay
4. Content-First UX
5. Content-First UX change management process user research interaction design
6. Content-First UX change management process user research interaction design SEO accessibility responsive design
7. Reasons I like C1UX: •  I’ve tried it and it actually works
8. Reasons I like C1UX: •  I’ve tried it and it actually works •  A bunch of other people have recently championed C1UX, although they call it: •  Content Design (GOV.UK) •  Storymapping (Donna Lichaw) •  Designing with words (Nicole Fenton)
9. Reasons I like C1UX: •  I’ve tried it and it actually works •  A bunch of other people have recently championed C1UX, although they call it: •  Content Design (GOV.UK) •  Storymapping (Donna Lichaw) •  Designing with words (Nicole Fenton) •  It plays to my strengths as a copywriter, journalist and content strategist
10. Reasons I like C1UX: •  I’ve tried it and it actually works •  A bunch of other people have recently championed C1UX, although they call it: •  Content Design (GOV.UK) •  Storymapping (Donna Lichaw) •  Designing with words (Nicole Fenton) •  It plays to my strengths as a copywriter, journalist and content strategist •  It serves as a constant reminder that content = UX
11. How can we better convince designers and stakeholders to build digital experiences from real content instead of Lorem Ipsum?
12. C1UX = content strategy + copywriting + user experience Content-First User Experience
13. I used to say I was a journalist moving into content strategy. Now I say I’m a content strategist moving into UX.
14. I’m not alone. Karen McGrane calls herself a UX consultant. And she wrote a book about content strategy.
15. So how does C1UX help content strategists improve user experience and eliminate placeholder copy? Excellent question(s).
16. conversation map c o n v e r s a t i o n m a p conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map conversation map  
17. A conversation map is a series of linked speech bubbles that express, in ordinary language, the content expectations of your persona as she travels from Point A to Z.
18. A conversation map is a series of linked speech bubbles that express, in ordinary language, the content expectations of your persona as she travels from Point A to Z. As a bonus, the convo-map helps identify what she’s feeling (emotional states) and thinking (mental models).
19. The conversation map becomes the first step in determining your user experience. It’s conversational but thorough.
20. What is Acorn? Acorn lets you build a free and attractive portfolio site in less than 60 seconds. Why do I need Acorn? It’s perfect for designers, students and photographers – or anyone who doesn’t want to waste time and money creating a new portfolio site Won’t my Acorn site just look like a jumble of junk? We appreciate your skepticism. Here’s a sample Acorn site. Of course, you can customize and tweak until you’re happy. Sounds good. I’m ready for my free trial page. User Product/Service
21. http://www.mayaeilam.com/2012/01/01/the-shapes-of-stories-a-kurt-vonnegut-infographic/
22. “Imagine if we anticipated and designed for a conversation to happen at each decision point in a user's journey.” – Steph Hay
25. What happens if you don’t anticipate and address the content needs of users? You’ll get a brutal teardown from UserOnboard.com
26. Benefits of a conversation map: •  Reduced risk •  Better collaboration •  Built from and validated through UX research •  Serves as a first draft of your copy deck •  Complements IxD process •  A way to smuggle related aspects of content strategy into your design process
27. Last-minute content cannot fix a broken user experience
28. Develop real copy from the start… … or suffer the consequences.
29. Super List of C1UX resources: http://tiny.cc/C1UX
30. Super List of C1UX resources: http://tiny.cc/C1UX Super List of Shopify thoughts: https://medium.com/ shopify-ux
31. Thank you! Questions? Comments? @biggeidea