What is Content (or Information) Design?

Content design is a field that focuses on the content—the "text" (hypertext, visuals, language, etc.)—and its effective presentation to the audience. The audience (users, readers, visitors) expect certain elements and styles for documents, and the creator of the text needs to design documents to meet those expectations. Content design has also been called "technical writing," "technical communication design," "content design," "writing for the Web," and a variety of other terms. But these terms can have various meanings, each depending on the person using the term, and the field has changed as technology has changed.

Content design includes how to

• create navigation so the reader can find information
• persuade a reader to believe that the content is credible and valuable
• organize the document to meet the audience's reading patterns
• maintain the reader's attention
• increase SEO
• link effectively
• use language to clearly and concisely communicate
• integrate design elements (e.g., bullets, rules, white space, new paragraphs) to make information scannable
• present visual information in a document
• cite sources for information
• build the reader's trust

The designer also needs to consider the audience, the purpose of the document, and the constraints that go with document, as outlined in Lloyd Bitzer's 1969 article, "The Rhetorical Situation."


What can you expect from a blog about information design?
As your read this blog, you will learn the how and why to questions in this list as well as other skills that will enable you to meet your readers' needs and expectations. You will be able to use the information in this blog to improve your communication skills, your credibility, your professionalism, and your writing.

Why is content design an important topic for this blog?
Students coming into my class frequently state, "I don't know what 'content design' is," so they are unsure what to expect in a class that focuses on content design. Design is a topic these students know; they are artists, modelers, animators, and (thus) designers. But they are unsure how information relates to design.

Content design is imperative to creative effective digital documents. Documents that have audience-focused language that is clear, concise, and scannable are relevant for readers. Readers want to find information quickly and move on, and they will spend their time on documents (such as Web pages and emails) that are well written. Readers also need visual elements to be well designed with legends, scales, and colors so they can easily read and understand the visual aids.

What resources will this blog present?
This blog contains information that from "Digital Content Design and Usability"—an upper-level (junior) communication class at The University of Texas at Dallas. The class instructs art and technology (ATEC) students to better design information and present it effectively.