Where’s the Crown?

Originally posted in 2007 on uxmagnet.com

Content is king.

There, I said it. What would your website, app, magazine, movie, etc… be, without content?

That being said, the design of your content is crucially important. The way your content is discovered, presented, conveyed, adorned, etc… has a profound effect on the overall experience of consuming your content. Magazine editors know it, newspapers know it, and digital media curators are intimate with this fact.

So, where does that put you?

First, let’s kick that idea around for a minute. What does “Content is King!” mean, anyway? Is it the message? Are we talking about copy? How about images, graphics, or video?

Yes.

Content is the stuff people came hungry for. It’s the bread. Flip that wonder slice over: Design is embedded in the stuff that initially holds the attraction. It’s the butter. Now, let’s not forget the knife.

You are the knife.

If you’re doing something UX related, you are the knife. Or maybe it’s more useful to think of your tools as the knife. Either way, you have to consider the proper spread, mix, and presentation. As the person in charge of how and where to present content, you have a lot to consider.

What do you have to consider?

Lots, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

A quick example

One of the most over-looked components of a digital content experience is the design of a link. I don’t blame modern copywriters for it. As you carefully-craft your content, I doubt link placement is always top of mind. However, consider the uselessness of the link that contains the tiny underlined, hugely-nondescript words “click here“, for the reader who happens to be scanning your content for the link to the video you just referenced. Contrast that with the link which says “watch the hilarious cat video here“. The link can be transformed from a simple interactive tool, to a key component of your digital media, when your copy and your design are working in concert.

Got you thinking yet?

I could yak all day, but who has time for that? I want to know what you consider when writing and designing your concertos.