This week, our lecture focused on Content Strategy and User Personas, key areas for understanding and designing for user needs. We learned how content strategy ensures information is structured with purpose and how user personas help designers empathise with audiences and make informed design choices. We also had a placement talk with Tommy McClean from DailyPay, which was really insightful and gave me more to think about when considering future placement opportunities. It provided me with a broader view of design areas to explore.
Content strategy is the process of planning, creating, and managing content to ensure it aligns with both user needs and business goals. It focuses on delivering the right information, in the right way, to the right audience. Within design, content strategy plays a crucial role in shaping how users interact with and understand a product, encompassing aspects such as tone of voice, messaging, layout, and structure. By developing a clear content strategy, designers can make sure every piece of content serves a purpose, supports accessibility, and creates a consistent user experience across all platforms.
In class, Kyle showed us an example of an effective content strategy using the BMW website as a reference. He highlighted how the site’s layout, visual hierarchy, and structured information work together to create a clear and engaging user experience. The way BMW presents its cars, from detailed descriptions to imagery and navigation, reflects thoughtful planning and a strong understanding of its audience. Kyle explained that studying examples like this can help us recognise what makes content effective and how it supports brand communication. He also encouraged us to explore and analyse other company websites to see how they structure and display content, as this can greatly influence how we approach our own design projects.
Key phases of content strategy
content goals & models
understanding your users
TED talk - ita about the sauce
do branding for other people - grainne, paddy etc
own projects like food, cosmetics, theme aprks etc
finish and publish website
Towards the end of class, we had another placement opportunity talk, this time with Tommy McClean and Christian, a current placement student from DailyPay. They gave us an overview of what DailyPay is and how the company operates, particularly focusing on their design process and how designers contribute to creating user-friendly financial experiences. Christian shared his personal perspective as a placement student, discussing what his role involves and the kind of projects he’s been able to work on, which gave a valuable insight into the real-world experience of working in a professional design environment. I found the talk really intriguing and informative; it was a bit different in terms of design focus compared to other talks, yet still shared similarities with the session we had with Slice. Even so, it was great to hear about another placement pathway and gain more understanding of the variety of design roles available in the industry.
