‘Content-first’ prototyping means we base our design on the information people need to complete the task safely and successfully.
It doesn’t mean that content design is more important than product design, service design, research or strategy.
It means that the prototype is designed with content as its structure.
In my experience, product and content designers co-own the prototype.
On my current project with NHS England, we base our protype on these core questions:
A content-first approach makes it easier to design flexible layouts around information, that adjust to different screen sizes and devices.
This makes content consistent and accessible across different devices and platforms.
And with more users using screen and immersive reading tools – in 2020, Microsoft claimed that more than 23 million people every month were using Immersive Reader – many people may only ever see or hear our design.
So, it needs to meet their needs by being present, accessible, and clear.
Getting the content right first at the start of the design process, prioritises the people who use our design.
Content-first prototyping helps us to design a clear content hierarchy and navigation path. This makes it easier for people to find what they need quickly and intuitively.
Designing our content first saves time and money.
We invest more collaboration time at the beginning, but our iterations – including those we make based on results of usability testing – are less time-intensive.
This makes better use of your resources, manages costs, and reduces the danger of working out of scope because some ideas weren’t developed in an earlier phase.
If you want to help your users get the information or services they need faster and more efficiently, you need content design.
Sparck can provide experienced content design consultants for your technology or innovation project.
Email Terry Dixon (Terry.Dixon@sparck.io) to start the conversation.