Overview
Discover the steps I took to help Amazon start and evolve a content design / UX writing practice in a new division.
Situation
Amazon growth leading to new division needed a content design practice
It was early 2021, COVID was raging, and the demand for Amazon
products and services was skyrocketing. Amazon's "Ivy" internal site and app was outdated, as was the teams and processes that created it.
The current team used an outdated web design
model of copywriting, marketing and visual design that lacked
core elements of UX design. based in .
The site and app lacked a user-focus design, were not intuitive,
turned off users with a "salesy" tone. Content was not well managed, leading to a bloated content ecosystem that made it difficult to navigate and consume content coherently.
The site and app needed a UX content design practice, with
sky-high demand, Amazon didn't have the luxury of growing a practice over time.
products and services was skyrocketing. Amazon's "Ivy" internal site and app was outdated, as was the teams and processes that created it.
The current team used an outdated web design
model of copywriting, marketing and visual design that lacked
core elements of UX design. based in .
The site and app lacked a user-focus design, were not intuitive,
turned off users with a "salesy" tone. Content was not well managed, leading to a bloated content ecosystem that made it difficult to navigate and consume content coherently.
The site and app needed a UX content design practice, with
sky-high demand, Amazon didn't have the luxury of growing a practice over time.
Task
Amazon hired me to stand up a new content design practice
in the Human Technologies division. This entailed:
in the Human Technologies division. This entailed:
- Define the practice
- Shape a process
- Model content design role on team
- Identify key deliverables
- Create a digital toolkit of standards & guidelines and best practices
- Socialize and integrate content design into existing cross-functional teams
Need
Amazon needed to launch a content design practice to a new division.
1) Create framework and process for team 2) Launch with digital templates, standards and best practices |
Action
I lead the effort to:
1) Create a CD framework 2) Craft digital reference library of temples, standards & best practices 3) Socialized process and tools 4) Socialized content design to cross-functional team |
Result
In the end, we had:
1) Functional practice consisting of 4 content designers and 1 manager 2) Effective team leveraging best practices and templates 3) Socialized practice to key stakeholders and collaborators |
Rapidly launching a content design practice is rare.
Companies typically start slow and build a content
design practice over time.
Amazon was different.
The pace of Amazon's growth required rapid expansion
across the company. .
Action—standing up a practice
What did I do?
Armed with extensive knowledge (and passion) of content design and how to practice it, I lead an effort to rapidly stand up a new team.
How?
I mirrored the content strategy practice at Disney that had been refined and improved over 10 years.
My work consisted of:
Armed with extensive knowledge (and passion) of content design and how to practice it, I lead an effort to rapidly stand up a new team.
How?
I mirrored the content strategy practice at Disney that had been refined and improved over 10 years.
My work consisted of:
- Defining the practice for the team and stakeholders
- Creating a scalable framework
- Identifying a process
- Creating a toolkit (reference library of best practices and templates)
- Creating standards & guidelines
- Socializing the practice
Framework for a practice, consisting of:
- A mission and vision
- Definition of content design
- What we do
- Design thinking
Defining a Practice
Defining a process
Capturing our role
Creating a Toolkit
Creating Standards & Guidelines (Best Practices)
Results
This was a unique opportunity.
My approach focused on rapidly building a functional foundation—a mission, vision, process, templates and best practices. A small team of content designers were hired (and some brought from other parts of Amazon) to fill the roles. Since this was the first time the cross-functional teams (product, engineering, design, research) worked with content design, I socialized the practice with presentations, decks and trained the team on how to introduce themselves and the practice in kickoffs. This included defining the practice, process and deliverables.
Results:
- For Amazon, it was about standing up a new content design team
- For me, it was about sharing out the knowledge and passion of a craft honed over 10 years.
My approach focused on rapidly building a functional foundation—a mission, vision, process, templates and best practices. A small team of content designers were hired (and some brought from other parts of Amazon) to fill the roles. Since this was the first time the cross-functional teams (product, engineering, design, research) worked with content design, I socialized the practice with presentations, decks and trained the team on how to introduce themselves and the practice in kickoffs. This included defining the practice, process and deliverables.
Results:
- Team stood up and expanded to include 4 content designers and 1 manager.
- Survey feedback from cross-functional partners was 94% positive.
- Digital reference library of best practices, standards & guidelines and templates launched on an internal wiki.
- CD increased app discovery of detail pages by 65%, measured by page visitations of 50 least-viewed pages.
- CD decreased dead ends on live detail pages by 25%, measured by usage of back button on detail pages over 6-month period.
- CD decreased page abandonment by 14.5%, measured on detail pages over 6-month period.