Don’t be fooled—Content is just as important, if not more important than design
Pretty pictures are nice, but the content is what will make or break the user experience
Picture this, I am in a meeting with product designers, developers and management. We are going over requirements for a new project. They start talking about designing the desktop and mobile app screens and then follow with how our final screens will be Delivered to developers. We also talk about deadlines and work sessions. We are in the last 5-7 minutes of the meeting and guess what hasn’t been discussed. Content. For whatever reason, many see content as something that can be added later in the project lifecycle. After all, it’s just adding words to the page, right? WRONG. Here are a couple of reasons why content should be a priority:
Design will lure the user in, but the content will keep them there.
Think about it for a second. When you apply for something online, whether it’s insurance related, a job or maybe a subscription service. What do you find most important? I am guessing it’s the content that is guiding you through the experience. Yes, the look and appeal is important but what does that matter if the content isn’t clear? Or maybe you aren’t sure what the question means and you need more information? The background color and clip art isn’t going to help you. The content and how it’s shown will get the user from start and finish. If you’re looking at data from your online experiences and see consistent drop offs, besides possible technical issues, I suggest you look at your content. And if you find that the content could be the problem, utilize content testing to see what needs to be fixed in the next iteration.
The content you write doesn’t just represent the project. It represents your brand.
As you are going through these online experiences. If you find yourself happy with how easy or how quick it was to complete, you think to yourself that you would use this company again or maybe you would try another one of their products. If you have a bad experience. Maybe you are getting car insurance and the online experience has been confusing and the information wasn’t clear. You already have a bad perception of this company and chances are, you won’t be returning and you most likely won’t tell others to use them. So now, not only did you lose a potential customer but you also lost credibility. Every product you put out is a reflection of your brand. Deadlines are important. Ensuring you are putting out your best work for your audience is even more important.
So, the next time you are in a team meeting or a working session and you have your creative team there, make sure content is talked about early and throughly. Make sure everyone knows just how important your writers are. Understand that everyone is an expert in their role. And that includes content. Listen to them. Learn from them. Don’t let your company be one that loses business because you cared more about how the experience looked and not enough about what was being said.
