Content design is a user-centered method of planning and producing content.
Content design is one of the major content disciplines.
There are different ‘flavors’ of content design.
In U.S. tech and startup cultures, many companies use content design to refer to the IA, content strategy, and writing work that happens as part of a UX design process. In this case, a UX designer might work with a content designer to write and finalize UI copy for a new flow.
In the U.K., and in many non-tech cultures, content design refers to a more holistic method of planning and producing content. As a discipline heavy on research and user-centered design methodologies, it’s especially helpful when a website or service needs so serve an incredibly broad audience, such as a government website, transit app, or healthcare forms.
Community Definitions
Content design is answering a user need in the best way for the user to consume it.
Sarah Winters
⚠️ Caution
Unfortunately, you cannot assume that content design means the same thing in every context in which you encounter it. Some employers, organizations, and publications carelessly conflate content design, content strategy, and UX writing. You might find yourself doing the work of a content strategist, but have the job title Content Designer. You might have the title UX Writer, but primarily be doing IA or content strategy work.