“We need your help, can you put these things into categories? We think our current list is too long.” It’s probably a safe bet to say that every day a content pro or designer is asked to solve a problem like this. Actually, the drastic evolution of navigations models with fancy UI tricks is proof that many designers are being asked to solve this problem pretty regularly. Yet, findability is still a problem. Maybe that’s because the usability and findability problems are actually understandability problems. Imagine if information on a page could feel like a personalized conversation, removing the ambiguity that causes confusion. You can do that, and content-first design is the way. In this talk, Alicia will share how designing the content first, and then creating the structure can help. A content-first approach can help you nail down the natural language, use cases, and contextual relevance before you address structure and design.

1. Alicia Lane
CONTENT FIRST
DESIGN
A great conversation

4. ”
The walls we build to
protect ourselves can
easily become the prison
we long to escape.

6. A business problem we
face on a daily basis is
failing to communicate
with customers

9. ”
It isn’t about publishing
pages anymore, it’s about
thinking in systems.
Karen McGrane

12. 1
Get to know
the users
17
Basically, what my process at Punch looked like
2
Message
Architecture
3
Content
Audit
4
Fill in the
gaps
5
Content
Modeling &
Types
Content-first Design for Website Redesigns
6
Copywriting
7
Structure the
CMS

13. OMG!
18
Add your own sub-title here
The difference?
For whom?Why?What?Where the heck?

16. When it seems hopeless
go back to the basics: the
users and their needs.

17. ”
Structuring content
outside of the
presentation gives it
freedom to go anywhere.

18. ”
How you design content,
says a lot about who
you are.

21. 1
Get to know
the users
2 4
53
17
Basically, what my process at Punch looked like
Message
Architecture
Content
Audit
Fill in the
gaps
Content
Modeling &
Types
Content-first Design for Website Redesigns
6
Copywriting
7
Structure the
CMS

23. 15
Design Thinking
Needs of
People
Needs of
Our Business
Growth

24. 16
Now we focus on exactly what we say, when, and to whom
Content Design
How People
Talk About
Their Needs
How We
Talk About
People’s Needs
Faster Growth

25. 11
When it seems hopeless
go back to the basics: the
users, their needs, and
how they talk about their
needs.

26. 71% of Millennials say
they’d rather visit the
dentist than call their
bank.
- The Millennial Disruption Index

27. Words can alienate,
infuriate, and confuse.
But they can also comfort,
delight, build trust, and
connect us.

28. Content Strategy
isn’t copywriting.
It’s using words to
design meaningful
conversations.

29. The Right Message
to the Right Person
at the Right Time.

30. Designing with words
propels us into
conversations that feel
anticipatory, human, and
memorable—for all the
right reasons.

31. So, how do
we do this?
So glad
you asked!

32. We need to teach
ourselves the language
our customers use.

33. Tip #1: Read it out loud, from
end-to-end.
If you can’t do it without feeling
fake or missing key details, it’s
not conversational enough yet.

35. Tip #2: Validate understandability
then usability.

36. 16
Does our content inspire confidence or provide comfort? Let’s find out.
Content Testing

38. Tip #3: Do these things before
giving your content structure.

39. WORDS MATTER.
So we design with them
and for them.

40. Do you want MORE?

41. @rvacontent
rvacontentstrategy.com
Join us on Slack for some real talk.

42. Alicia Lane
@leashal