1.
Taking content
from zero to hero
@Minette_78

2.
Who am I?

3.
Strategic
Consistent
Optimises user experience

4.
How much do you
think about your
content?

5.
“Our users don’t separate our
design from our content.
They think of them as the same.
So why don’t we?”
Jared Spool

6.
Content is the
user experience

7.
“Often leaders understand bad content can
lead to business damage but they don't seem
to understand that mediocre and/or confusing
content can lead to a huge waste of
opportunity. And money. And time. Mediocre
content also leads to brand and organisational
damage. It's just not as quick to spot.”
Sarah Richards

8.
How to think like a
content designer

9.
Design discovery

10.
Your website

11.
Content
users need
New
content
Existing
content
create
Content
business
wants
createoptimise
optimise

12.
“I estimate that at least 60% of my
tests got their main lift from optimising
the words, button copy, headlines, text
decoration, the layout, scan-ability,
readability, comprehension and
simplicity of TEXT.”
Craig Sullivan

13.
This page isn’t
converting.
I think we need to
test a new design
I’m not sure, I
don’t speak latin
But we’ve
redesigned it
6 times already

14.
Blockers
Create
Content
Get
Content
Sign-off

15.
Potential solutions

16.
Educate? Excite?
Inform? Inspire?
Help? Convert?
Drive awareness?
Drive loyalty?

17.
So, would you buy
This product?
I’m not sure, I
don’t speak latin

18.
The
practical bit

19.
Tone of voice

20.
Happy, relieved,
excited
Interested, curious
distracted, indifferent
Annoyed, frustrated,
Stressed, confused
Enthusiastic,
positive,
passionate
Helpful, clear,
personal,
memorable
Clear, serious,
straightforward,
empathetic
Success message,
marketing
message
Error message, legal
wording, servicing
Email, navigation
labels
User feels
Copy needs
to be
Content
examples

21.
Content
hierarchy

22.
Labels

23.
Navigation labels

24.
Navigation labels

25.
Make payment
Make payment

26.
CTAs
Go back Continue

27.
CTAs
Which button to cancel? 😭

28.
CTAs

29.
Help and
errors

30.
Help content

31.
Help content

32.
Error messages
What happened
More detail and
how to fix
CTA/Way to close

33.
Content design system

34.
Keeping it
simple

35.
Av. reading age 11
1 in 10 to 20 have some degree of
Dyslexia
For 10% English isn’t main
language
5m adults struggle to read or write

36.
This stuff is hard
You don’t have to
do it alone

37.
Thank you
Medium.com/@rachel.mcconnell