My Process
Product development, specifically design and content strategy, is a circular process. You start with an idea, refine that idea, and then continue improving it over time. Often, you have to revisit a step or two along the way. This is how I approach writing content for a global audience.
1. Ideate
In the ideation step, I create as many different content versions as I can, while thinking through tonality and aligning with the style guide. This step often looks like a spreadsheet with 10-30 different options for one concept that I’ll eventually refine. I may also seek feedback from key partners, such as researchers and other content strategists.
2. Refine
After I narrow down my options, I start seeking feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders. The goal of this step is to find the best string, and the reasoning behind why I chose it. At this step, I start trying different language in the design mocks and work with product design to make sure the visual systems support the content systems.
3. Test
Testing is critical because it opens up your process to the people you’re building for. Since tech has a huge representation problem, internal colleagues can’t always give the right feedback. This step often includes working with research and data science to validate assumptions. After testing, I may have to go back to step one or two.
4. Ship
After language has been vetted, translated, and designed, it’s ready to ship. At this stage, I’ve received feedback from multiple people and I’m clearly communicating the concepts at no more than a fifth grade reading level. After it ships, I’ll track metrics and continue to iterate over time.