Good user experience and relevant content are said to be the essential ingredient for a product or service to be successful. Designers do not just decorate a website but they aim to create an experience of moving through content, helping the user derive the required information which they came for. But what happens when the team members or the client does not understand how content should drive design? In order to put this in the process, there are strategies that can explain the importance as to why content first design is important.
Why should content be prioritized over design? Here’s why:
If content curation is done after a design is conceptualized then there are high chances of the templates not being able to contain the text properly which is often the case when one tries to replace the dummy text. Also, it may not align with the vision of the design leading to changing or replacing the currently appealing placeholder with something that becomes an eyesore. All this ultimately leads to delay in designing, building and launching of the product.
The first step- Aligning the clients and designers from the beginning:
More often than not, clients are convinced that they need to see the design in order to know what and how the content needs to be created. In such a scenario, it is up to the designer to facilitate the decision making around what the content should be. When involving the stakeholders during this process, the vision for the end product will be set in realistic terms related to budget availability and other deliverables. Also, all parties involved will be better positioned to understand as to how great design is based on content.
Content First design concept is economical:
When the content is not created at the beginning, multiple inefficiencies begin to cloud the project. A designer may create too many or too few templates, designs need to be changed when actual images are less desirable and also the layout needs to be rearranged if the content doesn't fit the existing one. This takes up a lot of time and also puts unnecessary strain on the team. This leads to delay and starts eating into the budget. So when content is designed before, there are specific actions set in place which has to be then executed by the designers. Solutions like which element has to go where on the website is readily available. A right measurement of what needs to be put up along with its relevance can be understood by all involved in the project.
UX Design and Content should be based on research:
When the design and content are based on user research, the website becomes powerful and effectively targets the intended consumer of the service/products. This further helps in the product to be better streamlined and focused on the end user.
Mostly, products teams tend to focus their attention on the look and feel of a website rather than elements behind the style. Inefficiencies are bound to occur if a project is flagged off with visual design approach as the first call to action. A client can provide the design team with research, business goals, content, and the concept design should be weaved around it. Though content creation is a tedious job, it plays a key role in the whole process and essential concept for the success of any product.
