Content design is an iterative process, and it’s not just about words. Sometimes content influences the UX structure and flow. In this Azure example, there’s text and word choice updates, along with layout changes and flow recommendations.
“Having a content expert integrated in the team has enabled us to make content a more fundamental part of the design process, which has led to a more consistent, more engaging, end-to-end product with a single, unified voice.”
-Sr. Program Manager, Microsoft Azure
Content can also cut down on the number of screens a customer has to work through to succeed, or identify situations that may lead to user angst.
Here we prompt the customer to work through multiple steps, and then block them at the end of the process. I worked with the PM and designer to recast this flow (using an info icon to alert them to a subscription issue).
“Content designers allow us to design, test and implement UX rapidly and efficiently. As we quickly iterate together, the copy informs design, and the design informs copy. It’s awesome being able to rely upon a specialist to handle all things copy-related so that I can focus on design.”
Sr. UX Designer, Microsoft Azure
Sometimes brainstorming can change how steps flow on a screen. In this case, I worked with a designer to tighten configuration steps for a new feature (deep linking).
“Content design is incredibly valuable—we’ve gotten rid of robot speak in our designs and our UX is better because of it.”
Sr. Design Manager, Microsoft Azure
I worked with PM and UX partners to design an integrated, contextual help experience for the Azure portal.
I designed a quick portal tour that emphasized how easy it is to create your first Azure resource, and walked customers through our basic UX elements.
Our customers needed a video for Azure GA, so I worked with UX and design partners to ID the features we wanted to spotlight, wrote the script, and worked with the producer and voice talent to publish in time for launch.
Web and marketing content needs to tell a story and impact conversions. It has to be scannable, concise, and move customers from considering to buying. IoT customers have specific needs that this page had to address: an app platform that scales beyond POC, integrates with existing LOB apps, enhances security, and functions as an app platform.
Diversity and inclusion is a core goal for our company, so I partnered with a visual designer to create content for posters that messaged core principles for Azure IoT and Azure all-up. These posters were used in VP-level town halls and all hands to reinforce our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace.
