When you think of design, your mind probably doesn’t immediately go to content writing. Those are two separate jobs, right? Not always.

In an ideal world, yes, designers are a specialized profession, and a content writer would give the designer the materials before going into the design phase. In the real world, the design oftentimes comes first before the content is finalized. This can be for a few reasons:

1. People aren’t sure what or how much to write until they see the designs
2. People may not have time to provide all the content
3. People aren’t sure if the text will fit well into the design and don’t want to restrict creativity

So, how do you write user-friendly content that fits within an awesome design?‍

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1. Critically think about the content‍

When you look at any content, put your critical thinking hat on and ask yourself

• Will someone read all of this text? (Hint: If you’re asking yourself that question, the answer is likely NO! Go to your client and ask them to cut it down)
• Does it all make sense to me?
• Is there anything confusing about how the information is explained?
• Is there anything redundant that doesn’t need to be there?

Depending on the answers to these questions, challenge your client and offer suggestions to help make things more simple, sleek and attractive.

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2. Don't assume your users understand anything

A common myth is that your users know the lingo because they're in the industry. That isn't always true. And if you DO use lingo or jargon, make sure to put an info or question mark icon next to the text to help the user understand what they're looking at.

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3. Tell your user WHY the information is important

A lot of times, we ask our users to fill out endless screens of questions or information and we wonder why they dropped off.

Your user is likely to leave your application if it gets too complicated, but if you let them know why the information is important, it helps keep them engaged.

For example when asking for age, "We use your birthday to help determine your biological age related to your health. We respect your privacy and won't share your birthday with any third party applications." -- easy!

And PRO TIP: If you don't have a good reason for asking a question that you can't explain to the user, it's a good indicator to not ask it during registration and allow your user into the application without it.

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4. Re-read the content (several times)

Put on your copyeditor hat and KEEP reading it! Read it once, twice and then a third time. And then after the third time, ask someone to read it as well to make sure it all looks okay.

Now that you know the essential steps in writing content as a designer, you’ll be prepared for the next time you're presented with writing copy!

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Interested in chatting more with us about design? Contact us at info@irisdesigncollaborative.com.

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