TL;DR
Our product lacked a consistent voice, leading to fragmented user experiences and unclear messaging. As the sole Content Designer, I created a cross-functional content style guide that defined our product’s voice, tone, terminology, and writing standards grounded in user personas, stakeholder input, and industry best practices. The guide streamlined collaboration across teams and ensured consistency throughout the platform. Since its implementation, our product has consistently earned multiple G2 awards for usability and user experience.
— Role
UX Content Designer
— Timeline
Q1 2022 (ongoing)
— Tools
Notion
Google Docs
Challenge
Our product content lacked a unified voice and had no clear definitions for tone and rules for adjustment depending on the situation. Product copy seemed to vary dramatically between screens throughout the application.
Solution
Design an easy-to-follow system that highlights the product’s unique voice with actionable steps and examples for clarity.
Background
- Target Users: Speaking with other team members, I developed three main personas that broadly captured our users. I then used these personas to begin developing core copy guidelines for the product.
- Business Goals: The goal was to unify the product’s voice and tone across the platform, allowing for a more cohesive experience for our users. Additionally, we wanted to make design faster and easier with guidelines for the product team.
Process
- Initial Research & Discovery: I initially went through a brand discovery report that the company had conducted a few years before my hiring. I then met with department managers for each of our departments to discuss their thoughts and notes. From there, I looked at various successful content guidelines within style guides, such as Microsoft’s Ignite, Google’s Material Design, IBM’s Carbon, Mailchimp, and Zendesk’s Garden, among others. Once I had a rough outline and ideas to present, I met with members of the Executive Management Team to make sure we were aligned on how they wanted the product to present and sound to users.
- Content Strategy & Planning: Using insights from the stakeholder interviews and brand discovery research, I developed a content strategy that balanced consistency with flexibility across departments. I started by defining the key characteristics of our voice and then moved into grammar and mechanics guidelines, terminology specific to our company and space, and general standards with examples.
- Collaboration & Iteration: I went through several drafts over the course of months and adapted the guidelines as I continued working on projects and getting a better understanding of the product. I eventually presented a finalized draft to the VP of UX and Design and later to other management-level leaders. Several rounds of edits and considerations later, we agreed to begin implementing the style guide throughout the product.
Product
Before the guide, there was a lack of consistency throughout. The copy and information architecture made it clear that different designers worked on different sections of the product.
The lack of cohesion led to confusion for users and an undefined identity. After the implementation of the guide, designers are able to stay consistent and each section of the product fits together.
Results
While specific metrics are difficult to attribute to this change as it impacted the entire platform, it's worth noting that our company has consistently achieved multiple user experience awards since the inception of this style guide.
These include:
— G2's Best Usability; Fall 2022–Winter 2025
— G2's Easiest to Setup; Fall 2022–Winter 2025
— G2's Easiest to Use; Fall 2022–Winter 2025