Between 2010 and 2014, Sarah Richards and her team at the United Kingdom’s Government Digital Service did what many thought impossible: they took over 400 separate government websites and transformed them into a single site designed to effectively serve its users. In doing so, they defined a new discipline: content design.
Content design isn’t graphic design or just copywriting under another name. Content design focuses on what content best serves the users’ needs, whether it be the written word, infographics, visuals, videos, or charts.
At the core of content design are the needs of the users—and this means determining what your users want. More than this, it’s about analysing data to determine when, where, and how users want to digest information. There is no room for assumptions in content design—success or failure hinges on how well you understand your users’ needs.
Discover the power of designing completely user-based content, grounded not on what organisations think their users want but on the needs, actions, and motivating forces of your site visitors.
“A great practical guide to get you started in creating content that truly puts people first. It’s no-nonsense, sensible stuff. Sarah provides a set of techniques to create content that will work on the Web. Content that is designed for the way we search, read and live today.” Gerry McGovern “Clear-eyed, practical, and immediately useful. Sarah Richards shows us not just what content design is, but how to actually do it—and why doing it well takes more than a knack for writing. Whether showing us how to gain support from stakeholders, research user needs, or critique content without hurt feelings and huffy standoffs, Richards’s experience leading some of the largest, thorniest content projects around shines through” Sara Wachter-Boettcher “Content design” is the label Sarah Richards gives to the art and science of creating content so people can use your service, buy your products, and validate your organisation’s reason for existing. Sarah is one of the brightest minds in content strategy today, and she generously shares her wisdom, so the rest of us can put these principles into practice. “This book, filled with examples and real-life stories, shows how to develop smart content that will help you beat your competitors, create legions of loyal customers, and be more successful. “The end goal is to create the right content in the structure and format that will tell the most compelling story. “Designing content in a transformative way is a journey of knowing best practices, understanding your audience needs, and bringing that understanding to the organisation so everyone can think about the content in a whole new light. Come along for the ride – you’ll be glad you did. “Every content-rich organisation needs this book!” Hilary Marsh
