Without quality content, you don't have a website. Become a better sentient writer (and designer) in the digital world. Because every word counts.
Why content design is crucial for websites
Have you ever wondered what should come first, your content or your design?
A Content Design approach to creating your website is your answer. Because designing a website without copy is like creating a book cover before writing the book. Content Design helps you launch a well-functioning website with highly effective content.
Content designers gather each content element to establish the correct content flow. They decide, for example, whether information needs to be placed in a sidebar to stick out; whether content can be left out/added when accessing a site on mobile devices; whether the content would be more effective as an infographic, video, bulleted list, or as a separate site element. And whether a piece of information is crucial to users and merits a separate page with straightforward navigation.
These content assessments are examples of Content Design at work. You create and evaluate your content to display it most effectively. In the end, your content dictates the design.
Content Design ensures that your readers get all the information they need, when and where they expect it — and that it is easy to find and consume. It shows that you respect your readers and focus on them — not on yourself.
So, content designers are designers and writers. Designing and writing are more alike than you think. Both are about storytelling, forming ideas and giving ideas form. They are compatible languages and inquiries that reinforce each other.
To summarize, Content Design:
- is not a technique but a way of thinking.
- puts the audience first and offers user-centered content and design.
- is about finding the best-suited content (words, visuals, media, charts, maps, infographics etc.) to work within a site’s structure.
- anticipates and answers the users’ needs or goals and finds the best way for them to consume the content.
- analyzes and prioritizes user research data and evidence.
- respects users’ expectations and goals.
- is a form of digital ethnography.
- ensures that design and information work together and are accessible.
- guarantees that each word fulfills a purpose.
- is part of the product creation process from the get-go.
Content Design is not a buzzword. It is an essential approach to reaching your site visitors.
With that in mind, that’s all for today.
Tekla Szymanski
Content+Design™
New York・Berlin
Client feedback: “Tekla is a strong communicator who truly understands new media and blends the best attributes of print journalism with an in-depth understanding of web design, technology and usability. Her command of several languages offers a unique perspective on communicating succinctly in the new age of brief messages. Her professionalism is impeccable.”
Questions?
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Content + Design
Without quality content, you don't have a website. Become a better sentient writer (and designer) in the digital world. Because every word counts.
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