content-design

The words ARE the interface — not labels placed on it. Content design is the practice of making words work as design decisions: the right word, in the right place, at the right moment, for the right reader. Every content recommendation cites its source — the principle, the author, or the research it traces to.

When this applies

Reach for this skill when the concern is the words themselves:

• Reviewing or writing microcopy — error messages, empty states, button/CTA labels, tooltips, placeholder text, confirmation copy, notification messages, form labels and helper text.
• Building or evaluating a voice and tone system — the personality the product expresses through language, and how that tone shifts by context (success vs. error vs. warning).
• Applying content-first process — defining what content a screen needs before wireframing; using content as the design material.
• Writing for plain language and scannability — sentence structure, reading level, front-loading, scannable patterns (meaningful headers, bullets, chunking).
• Onboarding and in-product messaging — welcome copy, coach marks, feature announcements, upgrade prompts.
• Auditing whether words create friction or clarity — confusing labels, jargon, vague CTAs, inconsistent terminology.

Not the visual typeface or type scale (core fonts), the navigation structure or IA (use journey), conversion mechanics and persuasion triggers (use behavioral), or manipulative copy patterns (use deceptive-patterns).

Rules

Standing rules for every content decision. Kept separate so they don't dissolve into the workflow.