Short answer
Content design structures and writes interface content that helps people understand choices and complete tasks. It covers the purpose, sequence, wording, and maintenance of content within an experience.
About Content design
Structures and writes interface content that helps people understand choices and complete tasks. The competency covers content purpose, hierarchy, sequence, terminology, states, evidence, and maintenance within an experience.
Use this competency for
- Roles accountable for interface content, product terminology, task instructions, or content patterns.
- Roles expected to shape content structure and wording using evidence about user needs.
Do not use this competency for
- Roles that only proofread finished copy without deciding content purpose, structure, or task support.
Important distinctions
Information architecture
Content design creates and sequences the content people use to act. Information architecture organizes the wider information space and its relationships.
Visual design
Content design decides what information says and when it appears. Visual design determines how composition and hierarchy present that information.
Expectations by level
IC1
Individual contributor 1
Writes content for a defined flow with guidance, follows established terminology and voice, covers required states, and revises wording in response to specific review feedback.
Observable behaviors
- Writes labels and instructions that name the action or information directly.
- Uses approved terms consistently across normal, empty, and error states.
- Removes duplicate or non-actionable content from an assigned flow.
Examples
- Rewrites a vague button and helper text so the result of the action is clear before selection.
- Adds an error message that names what happened and the next available action.
IC2
Individual contributor 2
Independently designs content for a product area, maps information needs across a task, resolves terminology choices with evidence, and documents content decisions for implementation and maintenance.
Observable behaviors
- Creates a content hierarchy that gives each step the information needed for the next decision.
- Tests or reviews terminology against observed comprehension and revises unsupported wording.
- Defines content for alternate states and records the source and owner of changing information.
Examples
- Restructures a permissions flow so consequences appear before the person confirms access.
- Replaces an internal term after sessions show that people interpret it as a different action.
IC3
Individual contributor 3
Leads content direction across connected journeys, resolves terminology and disclosure problems spanning teams, and establishes reusable content models and standards for complex or changing information.
Observable behaviors
- Defines a shared content model for information that appears across several product areas.
- Facilitates terminology decisions using user evidence, domain constraints, and maintenance impact.
- Creates reusable patterns for complex states and shows when teams should adapt them.
Examples
- Aligns teams on one model for status names and explanations across setup, reporting, and notifications.
- Creates a pattern for consequential confirmations that separates the action, impact, and recovery options.