Putting the user-first with content design

For the uninitiated, ‘content design’ probably sounds like something you’d learn on a graphic design course. It might conjure thoughts of font selection or the rule of thirds.

 

Those considerations have their place, but true ‘content design’ begins long before your words reach a graphic designer’s desk.

 

 

Why content design matters

 

Content design means putting the user first.

 

Many charities offer vital services and share information in the public interest. Access to these must come with as few barriers as possible for the user. This is especially true when you’re working with people who may be vulnerable or marginalised.

 

Faced with exactly this challenge, the Government Digital Service (GDS) redesigned the UK government website from the ground up. They brought together almost 2,000 separate websites to create a world leading digital resource.

In the process, they pioneered a whole new design discipline.

 

 

Getting to know your users

 

Most charities have some idea about their user segments, with different messaging for each. In content design this goes much further.

 

It begins with a discovery phase, where your aim is to fully understand your audience and the problem they need to solve. Do not assume you know what people need – they may not even know themselves.

 

Listen to people with lived experience, or the front-line experts who understand them best, to discover the problems they encounter most. You might look up the most popular Google searches on your topic. Read forums where your users hang out and pay attention to what they have to say. Research from other organisations can help here too.

 

By spotting which questions and topics crop up repeatedly, you can create your prioritised list of content needs.

 

 

Creating user stories

 

Once you understand your users’ questions and motivations, you can define your user stories. User stories help you to focus on what the audience needs to achieve. Here’s one example of a user story from Content Design by Sarah Richards, who pioneered the work at GDS.

 

As someone who writes for the web,

I want to learn what content design is, and how to start doing it,

So that I can communicate in the most user-centred and efficient way for my audience

 

Once you have your user story, this is your bible. You’ll keep this in mind while you create the content. Crucially, it tells you what to do but not how to do it. With this in place you can consider what content you need to solve the problem at hand.

 

 

Content creation

 

Your content may be some well-chosen words on a page, but the content design process might reveal that another type of content is more helpful to the user.

• Consider whether a picture, diagram, chart, or map can do the job better. (Being careful to make the necessary provisions for accessibility)
• Is your message communicated more easily with video, audio, or even something for the user to print?
• Can you build a calendar, calculator, or other interactive tool? Something that cuts through the complexity and takes the user straight to the information they need

Here are a couple of examples of great charity content design that meets user needs brilliantly, but very simply.

 

 

RNID: Simple visual tool aids communication

 

RNID is asked regularly for advice on communicating with deaf people, and those with hearing loss or tinnitus. The pandemic added more communication barriers thanks to masks, Perspex screens, and social distancing. RNID could simply have published some wordy, ‘one-size-fits-all’ advice on communication. Instead, they recognised the many and varied needs of their users, whether they are deaf, have hearing loss, or tinnitus.

 

They came up with a simple and effective tool: the RNID Digital Communication Card. People can complete the card with specific information on their personal communication needs. It’s entirely bespoke, but sufficiently official-looking to use anywhere. You can see an example below.