Intro
Welcome to Spotlight, your gateway to the UX/ Content Design world, through a distinctive series of interviews that spotlight the industry's leading voices. Our succinct, direct-to-the-point approach poses 10 sharp questions to veterans and rising stars, gathering insights and perspectives shaping the UX scene.
Meet our guest ⸻ Laura Costantino,
Senior Content Designer & Strategist at Google
In the dynamic world of UX, content, and design, few figures shine as brightly as Laura Costantino.
As the Senior Content Design Lead at Google, their influence can be traced throughout the company's most pioneering products. A mélange of skills, ranging from a filmmaking background to a deep understanding of UX, makes Laura's perspective invaluable and intriguing.
Laura is a dynamic presence on LinkedIn, frequently voicing their opinions and engaging in thought-provoking discussions. They don't hesitate to ask questions, challenge prevailing ideas, and generously share their vast knowledge and insights with the community.
Today, we have the privilege of delving deep into Laura's thoughts. We pose 10 questions that aim to uncover the essence of their career progress and their approach to designing content based on storytelling.
Without further ado, let's get to the Q&A:
10 Questions with Laura Costantino
What drew you to UX as a filmmaking major?
It's a bit of a long story, but let's say I used some of my most unique skills–being bilingual and my expertise in visual storytelling–to transition from working as a film curator to a career in tech. My first official tech role was as a digital content editor at Yahoo, where I worked on curating video content for Yahoo Video. It was tons of fun; I watched many viral cat videos and wrote copy for landing pages and social media.
According to your LinkedIn profile, you're helping build the future of Google Ads experience and Design systems & terminology leadership. Do you concentrate more on the software side of things or front-facing marketing landing pages at Google?
Well... things change very rapidly at Google, so I am now focused on a different project. I did love the design systems work, though, and I still approach all my projects programmatically. This means that I think about how my efforts can be focused on long-term impact in a sustainable way for me and useful for my team. I am big on documentation and scaling processes. For me, it's always about how to make things better for others.
What tools do you use at work? Are you more synchronous or asynchronous? And what do you prefer more?
Figma, Google workplace, Acrolinx. I am a very simple person regarding tools, but I love diagramming in FigJam. For me, it depends. I am a strong proponent of less meetings, but sometimes a chat, virtually or IRL (In real life), can save a lot of back and forth.
How do you collaborate and communicate with other content designers, UX designers, developers, and the rest of the stakeholders? And how do you hand over your work?
I work on many strategic projects and often present slides and write documents. That may not be the case for people just starting, but if I could share a piece of advice with anyone in UX, it would be to refine their presentation and communication skills. For better or worse, influence is necessary in the UX toolkit.
How does your film industry background influence your UX design?
For me, communication can take many shapes and forms. Studying media and cultural studies has helped me see things differently and shaped my desire to never stop at the surface. Always dig deeper, learn more, and see many sides of a story or problem in UX.
As someone who believes storytelling is integral to UX practitioners' work, what's your ideal workflow for incorporating UX Research results into your storytelling?
For me, storytelling extends beyond rules and frameworks. Stories are what make up our lives and how we think of ourselves. For me, numbers can be part of storytelling, too, as long as they make sense with the listening audience. Personally, I don't have an ideal workflow. Every problem is different. Every story needs its most compelling way to be told.
My biggest advice here is to try never to be boring. Whether it's a visual that catches attention or a number that no one expects, make sure to keep the pace of your presentations interesting.
It is common for UX teams to skip the research phase to save time waiting for UX researchers to prepare and deliver their results in a presentable format that they can reuse. What's your take on this?
My take may be controversial here, but not every insight needs a researcher to be extrapolated. As content designers, we can carve our own ways to do research and find insights. Do A/B testing, perhaps, or competitive research. Or, at the very least, start with some desk research or literature review. I am not saying this ideal but I think content designer need to be mindful about when they need to ask for permission to do something and when not.
In product development, UX Writers and Content Designers are often involved at the end. Presented with hi-fi wireframes and prototypes, they are asked to write copy and come up with canned solutions for specific placeholder boxes of text. How do you feel about this?
I am going to refer back to my previous answer. While it is unfair for content designers not to be included, we can also do something to take the power back and stop asking for permission.
There are many areas that are not strictly product development but are just as important that we can own. When was the last time anyone did a terminology audit? Those are things a content designer should think about because our work can and should be profoundly strategic. I miss the days I could just go into a CMS and change the copy as I wanted.
Ideally, UX Researchers, UX Writers, UX Designers, Devs, Marketing, Growth, Project Managers, and Legal all work together with no silos, no decks, all focusing on the same product, serving and caring about the user's experience satisfaction while meeting the business goals. Is that a dream? A possible one.
I am no organizational expert but that's usually what design and content ops are there for: to help teams collaborate and coordinate and more. Let's face it, collaboration also depends on the size of the company so each situation maybe very different. But yes, it means not only shared missions and goals but also practices and rituals.
Finally, at Punkt, we are revolutionizing the UX industry by building the Content-First UX Platform where Content Designers and UX Writers lead the product UX/Design decisions. We believe a Content-First UX approach will fix too many daily issues most product teams deal with. Is it possible to give the Content Team the lead in guiding the entire UX process?
I say, sign me up for a world where content takes priority because content is everywhere, and it is not just text.
👋 Don't forget to follow Laura
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracostantino/
X(Twitter) https://twitter.com/LauraCostantino
Intro
Welcome to Spotlight, your gateway to the UX/ Content Design world, through a distinctive series of interviews that spotlight the industry's leading voices. Our succinct, direct-to-the-point approach poses 10 sharp questions to veterans and rising stars, gathering insights and perspectives shaping the UX scene.
Meet our guest ⸻ Laura Costantino,
Senior Content Designer & Strategist at Google
In the dynamic world of UX, content, and design, few figures shine as brightly as Laura Costantino.
As the Senior Content Design Lead at Google, their influence can be traced throughout the company's most pioneering products. A mélange of skills, ranging from a filmmaking background to a deep understanding of UX, makes Laura's perspective invaluable and intriguing.
Laura is a dynamic presence on LinkedIn, frequently voicing their opinions and engaging in thought-provoking discussions. They don't hesitate to ask questions, challenge prevailing ideas, and generously share their vast knowledge and insights with the community.
Today, we have the privilege of delving deep into Laura's thoughts. We pose 10 questions that aim to uncover the essence of their career progress and their approach to designing content based on storytelling.
Without further ado, let's get to the Q&A:
10 Questions with Laura Costantino
What drew you to UX as a filmmaking major?
It's a bit of a long story, but let's say I used some of my most unique skills–being bilingual and my expertise in visual storytelling–to transition from working as a film curator to a career in tech. My first official tech role was as a digital content editor at Yahoo, where I worked on curating video content for Yahoo Video. It was tons of fun; I watched many viral cat videos and wrote copy for landing pages and social media.
According to your LinkedIn profile, you're helping build the future of Google Ads experience and Design systems & terminology leadership. Do you concentrate more on the software side of things or front-facing marketing landing pages at Google?
Well... things change very rapidly at Google, so I am now focused on a different project. I did love the design systems work, though, and I still approach all my projects programmatically. This means that I think about how my efforts can be focused on long-term impact in a sustainable way for me and useful for my team. I am big on documentation and scaling processes. For me, it's always about how to make things better for others.
What tools do you use at work? Are you more synchronous or asynchronous? And what do you prefer more?
Figma, Google workplace, Acrolinx. I am a very simple person regarding tools, but I love diagramming in FigJam. For me, it depends. I am a strong proponent of less meetings, but sometimes a chat, virtually or IRL (In real life), can save a lot of back and forth.
How do you collaborate and communicate with other content designers, UX designers, developers, and the rest of the stakeholders? And how do you hand over your work?
I work on many strategic projects and often present slides and write documents. That may not be the case for people just starting, but if I could share a piece of advice with anyone in UX, it would be to refine their presentation and communication skills. For better or worse, influence is necessary in the UX toolkit.
How does your film industry background influence your UX design?
For me, communication can take many shapes and forms. Studying media and cultural studies has helped me see things differently and shaped my desire to never stop at the surface. Always dig deeper, learn more, and see many sides of a story or problem in UX.
As someone who believes storytelling is integral to UX practitioners' work, what's your ideal workflow for incorporating UX Research results into your storytelling?
For me, storytelling extends beyond rules and frameworks. Stories are what make up our lives and how we think of ourselves. For me, numbers can be part of storytelling, too, as long as they make sense with the listening audience. Personally, I don't have an ideal workflow. Every problem is different. Every story needs its most compelling way to be told.
My biggest advice here is to try never to be boring. Whether it's a visual that catches attention or a number that no one expects, make sure to keep the pace of your presentations interesting.
It is common for UX teams to skip the research phase to save time waiting for UX researchers to prepare and deliver their results in a presentable format that they can reuse. What's your take on this?
My take may be controversial here, but not every insight needs a researcher to be extrapolated. As content designers, we can carve our own ways to do research and find insights. Do A/B testing, perhaps, or competitive research. Or, at the very least, start with some desk research or literature review. I am not saying this ideal but I think content designer need to be mindful about when they need to ask for permission to do something and when not.
In product development, UX Writers and Content Designers are often involved at the end. Presented with hi-fi wireframes and prototypes, they are asked to write copy and come up with canned solutions for specific placeholder boxes of text. How do you feel about this?
I am going to refer back to my previous answer. While it is unfair for content designers not to be included, we can also do something to take the power back and stop asking for permission.
There are many areas that are not strictly product development but are just as important that we can own. When was the last time anyone did a terminology audit? Those are things a content designer should think about because our work can and should be profoundly strategic. I miss the days I could just go into a CMS and change the copy as I wanted.
Ideally, UX Researchers, UX Writers, UX Designers, Devs, Marketing, Growth, Project Managers, and Legal all work together with no silos, no decks, all focusing on the same product, serving and caring about the user's experience satisfaction while meeting the business goals. Is that a dream? A possible one.
I am no organizational expert but that's usually what design and content ops are there for: to help teams collaborate and coordinate and more. Let's face it, collaboration also depends on the size of the company so each situation maybe very different. But yes, it means not only shared missions and goals but also practices and rituals.
Finally, at Punkt, we are revolutionizing the UX industry by building the Content-First UX Platform where Content Designers and UX Writers lead the product UX/Design decisions. We believe a Content-First UX approach will fix too many daily issues most product teams deal with. Is it possible to give the Content Team the lead in guiding the entire UX process?
I say, sign me up for a world where content takes priority because content is everywhere, and it is not just text.
👋 Don't forget to follow Laura
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracostantino/
X(Twitter) https://twitter.com/LauraCostantino
Intro
Welcome to Spotlight, your gateway to the UX/ Content Design world, through a distinctive series of interviews that spotlight the industry's leading voices. Our succinct, direct-to-the-point approach poses 10 sharp questions to veterans and rising stars, gathering insights and perspectives shaping the UX scene.
Meet our guest ⸻ Laura Costantino,
Senior Content Designer & Strategist at Google
In the dynamic world of UX, content, and design, few figures shine as brightly as Laura Costantino.
As the Senior Content Design Lead at Google, their influence can be traced throughout the company's most pioneering products. A mélange of skills, ranging from a filmmaking background to a deep understanding of UX, makes Laura's perspective invaluable and intriguing.
Laura is a dynamic presence on LinkedIn, frequently voicing their opinions and engaging in thought-provoking discussions. They don't hesitate to ask questions, challenge prevailing ideas, and generously share their vast knowledge and insights with the community.
Today, we have the privilege of delving deep into Laura's thoughts. We pose 10 questions that aim to uncover the essence of their career progress and their approach to designing content based on storytelling.
Without further ado, let's get to the Q&A:
10 Questions with Laura Costantino
What drew you to UX as a filmmaking major?
It's a bit of a long story, but let's say I used some of my most unique skills–being bilingual and my expertise in visual storytelling–to transition from working as a film curator to a career in tech. My first official tech role was as a digital content editor at Yahoo, where I worked on curating video content for Yahoo Video. It was tons of fun; I watched many viral cat videos and wrote copy for landing pages and social media.
According to your LinkedIn profile, you're helping build the future of Google Ads experience and Design systems & terminology leadership. Do you concentrate more on the software side of things or front-facing marketing landing pages at Google?
Well... things change very rapidly at Google, so I am now focused on a different project. I did love the design systems work, though, and I still approach all my projects programmatically. This means that I think about how my efforts can be focused on long-term impact in a sustainable way for me and useful for my team. I am big on documentation and scaling processes. For me, it's always about how to make things better for others.
What tools do you use at work? Are you more synchronous or asynchronous? And what do you prefer more?
Figma, Google workplace, Acrolinx. I am a very simple person regarding tools, but I love diagramming in FigJam. For me, it depends. I am a strong proponent of less meetings, but sometimes a chat, virtually or IRL (In real life), can save a lot of back and forth.
How do you collaborate and communicate with other content designers, UX designers, developers, and the rest of the stakeholders? And how do you hand over your work?
I work on many strategic projects and often present slides and write documents. That may not be the case for people just starting, but if I could share a piece of advice with anyone in UX, it would be to refine their presentation and communication skills. For better or worse, influence is necessary in the UX toolkit.
How does your film industry background influence your UX design?
For me, communication can take many shapes and forms. Studying media and cultural studies has helped me see things differently and shaped my desire to never stop at the surface. Always dig deeper, learn more, and see many sides of a story or problem in UX.
As someone who believes storytelling is integral to UX practitioners' work, what's your ideal workflow for incorporating UX Research results into your storytelling?
For me, storytelling extends beyond rules and frameworks. Stories are what make up our lives and how we think of ourselves. For me, numbers can be part of storytelling, too, as long as they make sense with the listening audience. Personally, I don't have an ideal workflow. Every problem is different. Every story needs its most compelling way to be told.
My biggest advice here is to try never to be boring. Whether it's a visual that catches attention or a number that no one expects, make sure to keep the pace of your presentations interesting.
It is common for UX teams to skip the research phase to save time waiting for UX researchers to prepare and deliver their results in a presentable format that they can reuse. What's your take on this?
My take may be controversial here, but not every insight needs a researcher to be extrapolated. As content designers, we can carve our own ways to do research and find insights. Do A/B testing, perhaps, or competitive research. Or, at the very least, start with some desk research or literature review. I am not saying this ideal but I think content designer need to be mindful about when they need to ask for permission to do something and when not.
In product development, UX Writers and Content Designers are often involved at the end. Presented with hi-fi wireframes and prototypes, they are asked to write copy and come up with canned solutions for specific placeholder boxes of text. How do you feel about this?
I am going to refer back to my previous answer. While it is unfair for content designers not to be included, we can also do something to take the power back and stop asking for permission.
There are many areas that are not strictly product development but are just as important that we can own. When was the last time anyone did a terminology audit? Those are things a content designer should think about because our work can and should be profoundly strategic. I miss the days I could just go into a CMS and change the copy as I wanted.
Ideally, UX Researchers, UX Writers, UX Designers, Devs, Marketing, Growth, Project Managers, and Legal all work together with no silos, no decks, all focusing on the same product, serving and caring about the user's experience satisfaction while meeting the business goals. Is that a dream? A possible one.
I am no organizational expert but that's usually what design and content ops are there for: to help teams collaborate and coordinate and more. Let's face it, collaboration also depends on the size of the company so each situation maybe very different. But yes, it means not only shared missions and goals but also practices and rituals.
Finally, at Punkt, we are revolutionizing the UX industry by building the Content-First UX Platform where Content Designers and UX Writers lead the product UX/Design decisions. We believe a Content-First UX approach will fix too many daily issues most product teams deal with. Is it possible to give the Content Team the lead in guiding the entire UX process?
I say, sign me up for a world where content takes priority because content is everywhere, and it is not just text.
👋 Don't forget to follow Laura
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracostantino/
X(Twitter) https://twitter.com/LauraCostantino
Intro
Welcome to Spotlight, your gateway to the UX/ Content Design world, through a distinctive series of interviews that spotlight the industry's leading voices. Our succinct, direct-to-the-point approach poses 10 sharp questions to veterans and rising stars, gathering insights and perspectives shaping the UX scene.
Meet our guest ⸻ Laura Costantino,
Senior Content Designer & Strategist at Google
In the dynamic world of UX, content, and design, few figures shine as brightly as Laura Costantino.
As the Senior Content Design Lead at Google, their influence can be traced throughout the company's most pioneering products. A mélange of skills, ranging from a filmmaking background to a deep understanding of UX, makes Laura's perspective invaluable and intriguing.
Laura is a dynamic presence on LinkedIn, frequently voicing their opinions and engaging in thought-provoking discussions. They don't hesitate to ask questions, challenge prevailing ideas, and generously share their vast knowledge and insights with the community.
Today, we have the privilege of delving deep into Laura's thoughts. We pose 10 questions that aim to uncover the essence of their career progress and their approach to designing content based on storytelling.
Without further ado, let's get to the Q&A:
10 Questions with Laura Costantino
What drew you to UX as a filmmaking major?
It's a bit of a long story, but let's say I used some of my most unique skills–being bilingual and my expertise in visual storytelling–to transition from working as a film curator to a career in tech. My first official tech role was as a digital content editor at Yahoo, where I worked on curating video content for Yahoo Video. It was tons of fun; I watched many viral cat videos and wrote copy for landing pages and social media.
According to your LinkedIn profile, you're helping build the future of Google Ads experience and Design systems & terminology leadership. Do you concentrate more on the software side of things or front-facing marketing landing pages at Google?
Well... things change very rapidly at Google, so I am now focused on a different project. I did love the design systems work, though, and I still approach all my projects programmatically. This means that I think about how my efforts can be focused on long-term impact in a sustainable way for me and useful for my team. I am big on documentation and scaling processes. For me, it's always about how to make things better for others.
What tools do you use at work? Are you more synchronous or asynchronous? And what do you prefer more?
Figma, Google workplace, Acrolinx. I am a very simple person regarding tools, but I love diagramming in FigJam. For me, it depends. I am a strong proponent of less meetings, but sometimes a chat, virtually or IRL (In real life), can save a lot of back and forth.
How do you collaborate and communicate with other content designers, UX designers, developers, and the rest of the stakeholders? And how do you hand over your work?
I work on many strategic projects and often present slides and write documents. That may not be the case for people just starting, but if I could share a piece of advice with anyone in UX, it would be to refine their presentation and communication skills. For better or worse, influence is necessary in the UX toolkit.
How does your film industry background influence your UX design?
For me, communication can take many shapes and forms. Studying media and cultural studies has helped me see things differently and shaped my desire to never stop at the surface. Always dig deeper, learn more, and see many sides of a story or problem in UX.
As someone who believes storytelling is integral to UX practitioners' work, what's your ideal workflow for incorporating UX Research results into your storytelling?
For me, storytelling extends beyond rules and frameworks. Stories are what make up our lives and how we think of ourselves. For me, numbers can be part of storytelling, too, as long as they make sense with the listening audience. Personally, I don't have an ideal workflow. Every problem is different. Every story needs its most compelling way to be told.
My biggest advice here is to try never to be boring. Whether it's a visual that catches attention or a number that no one expects, make sure to keep the pace of your presentations interesting.
It is common for UX teams to skip the research phase to save time waiting for UX researchers to prepare and deliver their results in a presentable format that they can reuse. What's your take on this?
My take may be controversial here, but not every insight needs a researcher to be extrapolated. As content designers, we can carve our own ways to do research and find insights. Do A/B testing, perhaps, or competitive research. Or, at the very least, start with some desk research or literature review. I am not saying this ideal but I think content designer need to be mindful about when they need to ask for permission to do something and when not.
In product development, UX Writers and Content Designers are often involved at the end. Presented with hi-fi wireframes and prototypes, they are asked to write copy and come up with canned solutions for specific placeholder boxes of text. How do you feel about this?
I am going to refer back to my previous answer. While it is unfair for content designers not to be included, we can also do something to take the power back and stop asking for permission.
There are many areas that are not strictly product development but are just as important that we can own. When was the last time anyone did a terminology audit? Those are things a content designer should think about because our work can and should be profoundly strategic. I miss the days I could just go into a CMS and change the copy as I wanted.
Ideally, UX Researchers, UX Writers, UX Designers, Devs, Marketing, Growth, Project Managers, and Legal all work together with no silos, no decks, all focusing on the same product, serving and caring about the user's experience satisfaction while meeting the business goals. Is that a dream? A possible one.
I am no organizational expert but that's usually what design and content ops are there for: to help teams collaborate and coordinate and more. Let's face it, collaboration also depends on the size of the company so each situation maybe very different. But yes, it means not only shared missions and goals but also practices and rituals.
Finally, at Punkt, we are revolutionizing the UX industry by building the Content-First UX Platform where Content Designers and UX Writers lead the product UX/Design decisions. We believe a Content-First UX approach will fix too many daily issues most product teams deal with. Is it possible to give the Content Team the lead in guiding the entire UX process?
I say, sign me up for a world where content takes priority because content is everywhere, and it is not just text.
👋 Don't forget to follow Laura
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracostantino/
X(Twitter) https://twitter.com/LauraCostantino
Intro
Welcome to Spotlight, your gateway to the UX/ Content Design world, through a distinctive series of interviews that spotlight the industry's leading voices. Our succinct, direct-to-the-point approach poses 10 sharp questions to veterans and rising stars, gathering insights and perspectives shaping the UX scene.
Meet our guest ⸻ Laura Costantino,
Senior Content Designer & Strategist at Google
In the dynamic world of UX, content, and design, few figures shine as brightly as Laura Costantino.
As the Senior Content Design Lead at Google, their influence can be traced throughout the company's most pioneering products. A mélange of skills, ranging from a filmmaking background to a deep understanding of UX, makes Laura's perspective invaluable and intriguing.
Laura is a dynamic presence on LinkedIn, frequently voicing their opinions and engaging in thought-provoking discussions. They don't hesitate to ask questions, challenge prevailing ideas, and generously share their vast knowledge and insights with the community.
Today, we have the privilege of delving deep into Laura's thoughts. We pose 10 questions that aim to uncover the essence of their career progress and their approach to designing content based on storytelling.
Without further ado, let's get to the Q&A:
10 Questions with Laura Costantino
What drew you to UX as a filmmaking major?
It's a bit of a long story, but let's say I used some of my most unique skills–being bilingual and my expertise in visual storytelling–to transition from working as a film curator to a career in tech. My first official tech role was as a digital content editor at Yahoo, where I worked on curating video content for Yahoo Video. It was tons of fun; I watched many viral cat videos and wrote copy for landing pages and social media.
According to your LinkedIn profile, you're helping build the future of Google Ads experience and Design systems & terminology leadership. Do you concentrate more on the software side of things or front-facing marketing landing pages at Google?
Well... things change very rapidly at Google, so I am now focused on a different project. I did love the design systems work, though, and I still approach all my projects programmatically. This means that I think about how my efforts can be focused on long-term impact in a sustainable way for me and useful for my team. I am big on documentation and scaling processes. For me, it's always about how to make things better for others.
What tools do you use at work? Are you more synchronous or asynchronous? And what do you prefer more?
Figma, Google workplace, Acrolinx. I am a very simple person regarding tools, but I love diagramming in FigJam. For me, it depends. I am a strong proponent of less meetings, but sometimes a chat, virtually or IRL (In real life), can save a lot of back and forth.
How do you collaborate and communicate with other content designers, UX designers, developers, and the rest of the stakeholders? And how do you hand over your work?
I work on many strategic projects and often present slides and write documents. That may not be the case for people just starting, but if I could share a piece of advice with anyone in UX, it would be to refine their presentation and communication skills. For better or worse, influence is necessary in the UX toolkit.
How does your film industry background influence your UX design?
For me, communication can take many shapes and forms. Studying media and cultural studies has helped me see things differently and shaped my desire to never stop at the surface. Always dig deeper, learn more, and see many sides of a story or problem in UX.
As someone who believes storytelling is integral to UX practitioners' work, what's your ideal workflow for incorporating UX Research results into your storytelling?
For me, storytelling extends beyond rules and frameworks. Stories are what make up our lives and how we think of ourselves. For me, numbers can be part of storytelling, too, as long as they make sense with the listening audience. Personally, I don't have an ideal workflow. Every problem is different. Every story needs its most compelling way to be told.
My biggest advice here is to try never to be boring. Whether it's a visual that catches attention or a number that no one expects, make sure to keep the pace of your presentations interesting.
It is common for UX teams to skip the research phase to save time waiting for UX researchers to prepare and deliver their results in a presentable format that they can reuse. What's your take on this?
My take may be controversial here, but not every insight needs a researcher to be extrapolated. As content designers, we can carve our own ways to do research and find insights. Do A/B testing, perhaps, or competitive research. Or, at the very least, start with some desk research or literature review. I am not saying this ideal but I think content designer need to be mindful about when they need to ask for permission to do something and when not.
In product development, UX Writers and Content Designers are often involved at the end. Presented with hi-fi wireframes and prototypes, they are asked to write copy and come up with canned solutions for specific placeholder boxes of text. How do you feel about this?
I am going to refer back to my previous answer. While it is unfair for content designers not to be included, we can also do something to take the power back and stop asking for permission.
There are many areas that are not strictly product development but are just as important that we can own. When was the last time anyone did a terminology audit? Those are things a content designer should think about because our work can and should be profoundly strategic. I miss the days I could just go into a CMS and change the copy as I wanted.
Ideally, UX Researchers, UX Writers, UX Designers, Devs, Marketing, Growth, Project Managers, and Legal all work together with no silos, no decks, all focusing on the same product, serving and caring about the user's experience satisfaction while meeting the business goals. Is that a dream? A possible one.
I am no organizational expert but that's usually what design and content ops are there for: to help teams collaborate and coordinate and more. Let's face it, collaboration also depends on the size of the company so each situation maybe very different. But yes, it means not only shared missions and goals but also practices and rituals.
Finally, at Punkt, we are revolutionizing the UX industry by building the Content-First UX Platform where Content Designers and UX Writers lead the product UX/Design decisions. We believe a Content-First UX approach will fix too many daily issues most product teams deal with. Is it possible to give the Content Team the lead in guiding the entire UX process?
I say, sign me up for a world where content takes priority because content is everywhere, and it is not just text.
👋 Don't forget to follow Laura
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracostantino/
X(Twitter) https://twitter.com/LauraCostantino
