WANDR on YouTube · Open on YouTube
Systems and research depth · Proficient · Lesson 75 of 99 · 1 h 5 min video, then about 2 hours of practice
Content design: designing with words
After this you can write and edit interface content (labels, errors, empty states, onboarding) to a standard, and set content guidelines a team can follow.
Why it matters
Words are interface, and on most products they do more to decide whether people succeed than any visual choice. Content design means starting from the user's need, structuring information, and writing in plain, specific, consistent language: error messages that say what happened and what to do, buttons that name the action, empty states that teach. Senior product designers are routinely expected to own this when there is no dedicated content designer. Trap: lorem ipsum until handoff. Designing with real content from the first wireframe changes layouts, and leaving it late means engineers ship placeholder copy.
How to use this resource
An hour-long studio lunch-and-learn on the fundamentals of UX writing, with worked interface examples. From 2020, and the principles are timeless; the most thorough free video on the craft.