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Content Designer (UX Writer)

Sam edited this page Nov 13, 2024 · 2 revisions

What is UX Writing and Content Design?

UX Writing and Content Design are two terms for similar roles. While we don't differentiate the roles at Expunge Assist, the term "Content" is often used to refer to this role and team.

Content designers work closely with the design team and focus specifically on iterating solutions for the content of websites and apps by designing the words and working with information architecture, hierarchy, and structure and maintaining Content Guidelines and Content Ops. Content designers also work with strategy, a higher level process focused on content decisions in relation to the other teams. Here is another definition of Content Design.

Overview

For the Expunge Assist project, Content was established as its own team in June 2021 when two writers joined the project - Lori and Sam. Content was built from the ground up by creating the voice, tone, and style for the product, and establishing work flows and processes with other teams(for example, for handing off work to Development and how to collaborate with Design and Research). All previous Content/Writing on the product was done by unknown persons -- most likely by the Design team directly in Figma.

Joining the team

Get in touch with an active PM or the current Content Lead from the Team Roster for the Expunge Assist project. They can help you with onboarding and any additional resources/reading necessary.

Slack

Expunge Assist Slack Channels

#expunge-assist

#expunge-assist-design-content

#expunge-assist-research-team

#expunge-assist-dev

Project Resources

Our website

Expunge Assist website. Visit the website, look at all the pages (there are not that many). Go through the tool, enter in anything to observe how the tool behaves.

Your workspaces

Github project board Ongoing Github issues (sometimes called "tickets") and project overview across all teams

Figjam board for collaboration between Content and Design. There is also a Figjam board for UXR, and one for PMs/planning.

EA has access to 3 collaborative Figjam boards, the main Figma, Slack, and Google Drive. We don't use Miro, Notion, or other tools because we do not have Hack for LA specific access. Please use these boards only (and not your personal boards, for example), so that all work is saved for future EA volunteers! If we need additional resources, raise it at a meeting and with the leads/PMs so that it can be discussed and created through EA resources if deemed a necessary new tool.

Figma

Main Figma - Expunge Assist product

Specific Figma pages of note

"Start Here" page on Figma. Read the Team Workflow "Practical steps to getting the work done" on the Start Here page. This is a general guide to how we collaborate between cross-functional teams and take an issue through to completion.

Figma final designs in the master pages under "desktop" and "mobile" we are working in responsive web, no app. These are the source of truth sections along with the copy doc source of truth (listed further below)

Figma iteration space: Work in Progress pages. This is where we work and collaborate between Design and Content.

Handing over Designs and Content in the Design hand off space to Dev, this happens at the end of an issue

Work from before 2023 is in the Figma Archive with work prior to 2024. This is because the free version ran out of storage space. This is a resource to see previous design decisions and trajectory.

How-to Github

"How to Create Github Issues" Github is our project management tool, everyone on the team should know how to use it

EA Github video tutorial from 2023, there have been many updates, some information about how to set up a basic issue will still apply

Research resources (see also UXR Wiki space)

Research resources are for reference for our writing tasks

Understanding Expungement in CA a presentation about the nuances and key terms of expungement processes in CA.

Internal Usability Testing 1

Internal Usability Testing 2

Personas/Target audience demographics

Read our project's One Page

Content specific resources

Content Guidelines, on Figma (with intro and resources for new writers). Official Content Guidelines.

*For historical reference, the Content Guidelines were originally drafted (in 2021) in Google docs as a quick start into setting up Content Ops Writing/Content Guidelines (includes style, voice, tone, and best practices for anyone writing on the team). Do Not Use The Version in Drive! The current and most up to date version of the guidelines are housed in Figma. Figma was chosen as it is the workspace of both Content and Designers and allows for easier and more transparent access to the information across both teams.

General Wiki pages and specifically the resources under this wiki page

Content Timeline doc, which documents all major highlights since the Content Design/UX Writing team was started (2021)

Content Timeline and Documentation. Documents all major highlights from when the Content Design / UX Writing team was established in June 2021. Please read the timeline once you are onboarded to get a sense of what has happened previously. The Content Co-/Lead(s) update this document every 6 months for documentation purposes.

Content copy doc and Source of truth document, tracks all current content on the site (careful not to edit anything here!). This and the master pages on Figma (listed above) are the ONLY sources of truth.

Google Drive Content Folder. This folder is mostly unused and the majority of Content work happens on Figma and FigJam.

Meetings

Content and All-teams Meeting times

Content Agenda

For Content (Co-)Leads

Update this documentation every 6 months, remember to fill in the sections at the top as well as updating the timeline Github issue and Content Timeline

Self-onboarding for new Writers happens by creating a new issue with the "pre-work Content" template. Ask the new writer to create a new issue using this template and follow the instructions in it.

Recruit new Content team members by adding a Github issue under the appropriate heading on the HfLA Open Roles board, assign the Content Lead or PM

Onboard and offboard Writers to EA using this Github issue This is typically a Content PM task.