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

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So if everyone on your team
is going to collaborate,

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

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

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Basically a UX content guide
is a reference for you and

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

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It provides guidance about how
to create an overall experience,

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

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It should include a definition
of your brand personality,

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which could be a list of
defining values or attributes or

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the findings from the personality
trait exercise we did before.

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It should also include
a list of priorities.

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

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And reference examples
of how to write about or

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

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

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

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design of their blog posts or articles.

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Those guides might define
the proper type faces, colors,

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and other formatting to use.

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

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

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

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Their style guide was created for
their team, and

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

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Specifically, check out the voice and
tone section, and

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

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

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to use to create content.

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MailChimps voice is human.

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It's familiar, friendly,
and straightforward.

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Our priority is explaining
our products and

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

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We want to educate people without
patronizing or confusing them.

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

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

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

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

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

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and supportive.

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But they also know which
lines not to cross.

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

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

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

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

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to create the backbone of
your own UX content guide.

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

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How would you describe
your voice in three words?

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

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

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Someone familiar is someone you trust, and

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

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But a straightforward
person doesn't waste time.

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

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

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These words should be clear and
memorable for

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anyone creating UX content on your site.

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

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what is your top priority.

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MailChimps is a good one.

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Our priority is explaining
our products and

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

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Since MailChimp knows its
customers are a busy group,

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it makes sense to prioritize clarity and
conciseness.

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So what do you know about your customers?

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What's important to them?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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They're helpful, but not overbearing.

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Think about the best attributes or

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adjectives to describe what your style and
personality should be.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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understand what it means.

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

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

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For example,
Starbucks wants to use a fun and

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trendy kind of tone
within it's mobile app.

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

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

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members of their team like writers,
designers, and

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developers would understand how
to design similar interactions.

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So what specific interactions and

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scenarios do you envision for
your UX content?

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

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your site or the features and

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sections that will be valuable
to users at different times.

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Think about why they're
visiting that section.

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And the questions or
challenges related to their visit.

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What are they hoping to do?

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

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Choosing the appropriate voice and

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tone could help you
immediately connect with them.

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

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

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and defining attributes
about your personality.

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If you can organize your ideas and

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

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