Content Clinics

CONTENT DESIGN PRACTICE

Problem

Process

Small team, big problems

With a small team of content designers working across multiple products, it became difficult to manage ad hoc content requests outside our assigned product squads. These requests were made by Slack message or calendar invite and typically required low-to-medium effort, time, and impact. To scale our content design practice, we needed to come up with a way to groom and prioritize requests more effectively.

 

 

Streamline requests and dedicate time

We analyzed the different types of requests we receive and applied them to a priority matrix. Ad hoc requests outside our assigned squads were low-priority for a few reasons:

  • Low to medium effort with low to medium impact.
  • Product teams with a low level of content maturity and buy-in (product designers were responsible for their content).
  • Small copy reviews, questions, or flagged localization issues.

I created content clinics to decrease time spent grooming and completing these requests, increase content knowledge across product squads, and inform content design through data tracking and analysis.

How the clinics worked

Designers and PMs booked sessions through GCal and filled out a booking form with:

  • Context
  • Links to Figma files, project briefs, and other relevant files
  • Demographical info (role, squad, product vertical)

Clinics were used to ask questions, review copy, and work through content-related problems or flagged localization issues. Data was recorded and used to inform content design.

  • Design system and component changes
  • Style guide changes
  • Focus areas and communications across squads

 

Impact

Data insights and informed content design

  • Scaled content design practice by eliminating ad hoc copy reviews
  • Freed up time for high-priority projects by dedicating 20-minute clinics for product squads without embedded content designers
  • Data tracking informed content design by illuminating squads struggling with content, product areas to focus more attention to, identifying style guide and design system gaps

Introducing Haven. 

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