Content design · UX · Product · Communications

It starts with words

Content design starts with words, but it’s rarely only about the words. It’s about removing obstacles, clarifying intent, simplifying next steps, and keeping the person on the other side of the screen in mind.

Different disciplines. Shared intent.

I build trust with product managers and UX designers by starting from what we share. What is someone trying to do, what stands in their way, and what do they need to understand next?

Product management What problem should we solve, and why? UX design How will someone move through it? Content design What must someone understand to act? A useful path Defined intent A clear next step Help people do what they came to do.

Words help us make those decisions together, in requirements, in annotated flows, and in the interface itself.

What it takes

  • Removing obstacles. Changing a payment method on an Autodesk subscription often took a phone call. One findable Payment Center raised customer effort scores from 59% to 71%. Making payment methods findable
  • Clarifying intent. Most visitors to Autodesk’s free trials page weren’t there for a trial. Giving students and viewer seekers their own paths let real trialers find theirs. Consideration work
  • Simplifying next steps. Guided setup and smart defaults for ServiceNow’s commercial ITSM launch were part of an initiative that cut implementation from 242 days to under 30. From blank slate to guided setup
  • Empathy for the user. Wells Fargo Conversations put a banker and a customer side by side on one screen, with privacy guardrails built in from the start. Achieving goals, one conversation at a time
  • Words still matter. A competitive audit, card sorts, and prototype testing shaped the labels in Autodesk’s global navigation. A global navigation system

The work

The work below is grouped by discipline, not by job title. Most projects crossed more than one.

Content design and strategy

UX and product design

Information architecture and navigation

Marketing and communications

Experiments

Something not landing?

Let’s find what’s in the way.