The user experience works best when it's consistent across a website or app.

So if everyone on your team is going to collaborate,

it would help if they had some sort of guide to align their efforts.

In this video, let's talk about how to create a UX content guide.

Basically a UX content guide is a reference for you and

anyone else, that creates content of any kind for your site or app.

It provides guidance about how to create an overall experience,

that's consistent and in line with your core values.

It should include a definition of your brand personality,

which could be a list of defining values or attributes or

the findings from the personality trait exercise we did before.

It should also include a list of priorities.

What are you trying to do for your users and why?

And reference examples of how to write about or

talk about topics within text or videos is another helpful thing to include.

If you've ever heard of a content style guide before, this isn't too different.

Some web sites use a content guide to standardize the writing style and

design of their blog posts or articles.

Those guides might define the proper type faces, colors,

and other formatting to use.

But the best guides will also answer questions related to content style and UX,

like what kind of voice or tone should we use in different places.

One of the best examples you'll find is from MailChimp.

Their style guide was created for their team, and

it's inspiring to see how well organized and detailed it is.

Specifically, check out the voice and tone section, and

put yourself in the shoes of a writer for their site.

You'll understand very quickly what kind of personality you're expected

to use to create content.

MailChimps voice is human.

It's familiar, friendly, and straightforward.

Our priority is explaining our products and

helping our users get their work done so they can get on with their lives.

We want to educate people without patronizing or confusing them.

And it goes on to say MailChimp's voice is fun but not silly,

confident but not cocky, smart but not stodgy, and so on.

There are many great points in that short piece, but the best part about it is that

it helps set boundaries without making the task of creating content too restrictive.

There is a wide range their content creators could work within to be friendly

and supportive.

But they also know which lines not to cross.

If the writers created instructions that were too detailed or overly friendly.

It would feel out of place with the rest of the experience.

Now, while MailChimp's complete guide is expansive, yours doesn't have to be.

In fact, you could adapt the section we just looked at

to create the backbone of your own UX content guide.

Check out the downloadable worksheet we've got and answer these questions.

How would you describe your voice in three words?

MailChimp's voice was familiar, friendly, and straightforward.

That combination of adjectives creates a pretty specific kind of voice.

Someone familiar is someone you trust, and

someone friendly treats you with respect and wants to help you.

But a straightforward person doesn't waste time.

They get right to the point, because they know your time is valuable.

So what would be the three words you might use to describe your personality?

These words should be clear and memorable for

anyone creating UX content on your site.

Next, you could answer, when it comes to your users or customers,

what is your top priority.

MailChimps is a good one.

Our priority is explaining our products and

helping our users get their work done so they can get on with their lives.

Since MailChimp knows its customers are a busy group,

it makes sense to prioritize clarity and conciseness.

So what do you know about your customers?

What's important to them?

And what do they need the most when visiting your site?

If you can create a priority as clear as MailChimp's, your team will

understand what kind of content they should focus on creating and why.

And lastly, define some attributes and limits about your personality.

Take another look at MailChimp's guide, they list an attribute and set a boundary.

They may be confident, but they're not cocky.

They're helpful, but not overbearing.

Think about the best attributes or

adjectives to describe what your style and personality should be.

But consider what could happen if you took those traits too far.

For example, maybe you want to be considered an expert in your industry.

But you don't want to sound overconfident or be too forceful with your opinions.

Maybe, be an expert, but not a know-it-all, is the way to describe that.

So could you come up with three or maybe five of these.

Find the right attributes and limits, so that anyone on your team can read them and

understand what it means.

And if there's any chance of confusion about how to implement your personality,

write up specific examples and show content creators what you mean.

For example, Starbucks wants to use a fun and

trendy kind of tone within it's mobile app.

When you see calls to action like these in their app, you understand their vibe.

So if Starbucks includes these examples in their own UX guide,

members of their team like writers, designers, and

developers would understand how to design similar interactions.

So what specific interactions and

scenarios do you envision for your UX content?

It might help to make a list of the various paths users might take through

your site or the features and

sections that will be valuable to users at different times.

Think about why they're visiting that section.

And the questions or challenges related to their visit.

What are they hoping to do?

And what might their frame of mind be at the time?

Choosing the appropriate voice and

tone could help you immediately connect with them.

So take a crack at completing the steps we laid out.

Describing your voice in three words, defining your top priority,

and defining attributes about your personality.

If you can organize your ideas and

come up with helpful content examples writers could use as a reference.

You'll have the core of a strong UX content guide.