By Simone Ehrlich, Content Strategy Manager

由 西蒙·埃利希 ，内容策略经理

Words are cheap. Cheaper than wires; cheaper than mocks. That doesn’t mean words aren’t important, just less expensive to produce as a design asset. So aligning around words has the potential to save time and resources. Enter Content Early, a riff on designing Content First.

话很便宜。 比电线便宜； 比模拟便宜。 这并不意味着文字并不重要，而是将其作为设计资产来生产的成本更低。 因此，围绕单词对齐可能会节省时间和资源。 尽早输入Content ，这是首先设计Content的内容。

Content First, the idea that we can design with words before we ever open a tool like Sketch or Figma, is a hot topic right now, and I’m a huge fan of it. Full stop. Let me repeat — I really love the idea of Content First. However, placing something first implies that something else necessarily comes second. That can put people’s backs up: Why is my area of expertise secondary?

内容首先，在打开诸如Sketch或Figma之类的工具之前我们可以用文字进行设计的想法现在是一个热门话题，我非常喜欢它。 句号 让我重复一遍-我真的很喜欢Content First的想法。 但是，将某些内容放在第一位意味着其他内容一定要放在第二位。 那可以让人支持： 为什么我的专业领域是次要的？

Also, design has a lot of “firsts.” Mobile First, Accessibility First, Machine Learning First — the list goes on. Can a designer really keep everything in mind at once and do it all first?

此外，设计具有很多“第一”。 移动优先，可访问性优先，机器学习优先-清单还在继续。 设计师真的可以立即记住所有内容，然后先做所有事情吗？

And what about the projects that have already started? Does saying “first” imply that if the designer didn’t begin with content, then it’s too late to consider the information needs of the user?

那已经开始的项目呢？ 说“第一”是否意味着如果设计者不是从内容开始，那么考虑用户的信息需求为时已晚？

For my purposes, I like to talk about Content Early, Often, and Always. We should consider the user’s information needs throughout the design process. Content Early is an invitation to consider those needs at any time. Is earlier better? Yes. Would first be great? Absolutely! However, it’s never too late to start considering those information needs and using them to inform (pun intended) the design.

就我的目的而言，我喜欢谈论内容的早期，经常和始终。 在整个设计过程中，我们应考虑用户的信息需求。 内容提早邀请您随时考虑这些需求。 早点好一点吗？ 是。 首先会很棒吗？ 绝对！ 但是，开始考虑这些信息需求并使用它们来告知(双关)设计永远不会太晚。

Language matters, and Content Early feels less prescriptive than Content First. When you’re trying to get folks to try new things, an invitation rather than a prescription seems better. (Unless of course, you’re an MD, and you have the authority to write actual prescriptions.)

语言很重要，与“内容优先”相比，“内容更早”的规范性较低。 当您尝试让人们尝试新事物时，邀请而不是处方似乎更好。 (当然，除非您是医学博士，否则您有权编写实际的处方。)

那么，早期的内容是什么？ (So, What Is Content Early?)

It’s a collection of methods to design from scratch (content first) and analyze designs with words (content after you’ve begun designing). We use those methods differently at various points during the design process.

它是从头开始设计(首先是内容)并用文字分析设计(开始设计后的内容)的方法的集合。 在设计过程中的各个阶段，我们会以不同的方式使用这些方法。

These are the methods we’re playing with right now:

这些是我们现在正在使用的方法：

1. Personality Profile — adapted from Aaron Walter’s Design Persona. A guide that personifies the product and provides the foundation for other design decisions.

   个性简介 -改编自亚伦·沃尔特(Aaron Walter)的设计角色。 拟人化产品并为其他设计决策奠定基础的指南。

2. Storyframe — Fabricio Teixeira. A narrative that synthesizes what goes on a high-value page.

   故事框架-Fabricio Teixeira。 一种叙述，它综合了高价值页面上的内容。

3. Vision Story — Simone Ehrlich, inspired by Storyframe A narrative that shows the user’s experience of a product (in the future) and how it makes them feel.视觉故事-Simone Ehrlich，受Storyframe启发，是一种叙事，向用户展示(未来)用户对产品的体验以及产品的感觉。

4. Conversational Design — adapted from Steph Hay’s Content First, and also inspired by Erika Hall. A conversational exchange between the user and the product, which anticipates and addresses what the user is thinking and feeling as they interact with it.

   会话设计 -改编自Steph Hay的Content First，并受到Erika Hall的启发。 用户与产品之间的对话交换，可以预期并解决用户与产品交互时的想法和感觉。

5. Priority Guide — Drew Clemens. A list of real information, in order of priority to the user, that will appear on a page, plus notes about the related elements and functionality.

   优先级指南 — Drew Clemens。 按用户优先级排序的真实信息列表将显示在页面上，以及有关相关元素和功能的注释。

6. Intent Frame — Simone Ehrlich. A wireframe that establishes the layout based on the purpose of each element in it. (There’s no real content at all, just the intention, from the perspective of the designer, of why the element is there.)意图框架-Simone Ehrlich。 一种线框，可根据其中的每个元素的用途建立布局。 (从设计者的角度来看，根本没有真正的内容，只是意图是为什么存在该元素。)

Rather than explain each method in detail, as the practitioners above have done eloquently, I’ll tell you instead how we’re using this collection of methods differently, and what benefits we’re seeing at Workday. Stay tuned for the series of in-depth blog posts on each method.

就像上面的从业人员雄辩的那样，我没有详细解释每种方法，而是告诉您我们如何不同地使用这组方法，以及在Workday上看到什么好处。 请继续关注每种方法的系列深入博客文章。

尽早使用内容 (Using Content Early)

These methods have the greatest impact when used with a cross-functional group — a designer, researcher, PM, and content strategist. This diversity of perspective, coupled with the lo-fi nature of the methods, means we get to make decisions efficiently, in real time.

与跨职能小组(设计师，研究员，项目经理和内容策略师)一起使用时，这些方法的影响最大。 视角的多样性以及方法的低保真性意味着我们可以实时高效地做出决策。

从头开始设计 (Design from Scratch)

We start with research and what we know about the user. We use the methods to design from scratch, before moving to visual sketches.

我们从研究以及我们对用户的了解开始。 在使用视觉草图之前，我们使用这些方法从头开始设计。

We write the story, the conversation, the intent of each element, and use these to guide the design process. We use words to create a design asset that then translates into more traditional sketches, wireframes, and mocks. This then, is the same as a Content First approach.

我们编写故事，对话，每个元素的意图，并使用它们来指导设计过程。 我们使用文字来创建设计资产，然后将其转换为更传统的草图，线框和模拟。 然后，这与“内容优先”方法相同。

Indeed, Content Early includes designing Content First.

实际上，Content Early 包括设计Content First。

Let’s take, for example, a vision story about a user’s experience of the product in the future. We align as a group on who we’re designing for (our character), their needs, and the problem we’re attempting to solve. We review other products and note our likes and dislikes. We plan the story, identifying what we want to highlight about the product, and how it makes the character feel. We write and refine it. Then, based on the story, and what type of feedback we need and from whom, we create any number of other design assets:

让我们以一个关于用户未来产品体验的视觉故事为例。 我们会根据我们要为谁(我们的角色)，他们的需求以及我们要解决的问题设计一个小组。 我们会审核其他产品，并记录我们的好恶。 我们计划故事，确定我们要强调的产品内容以及它如何使角色感觉。 我们编写并完善它。 然后，根据故事以及我们需要什么类型的反馈以及从谁那里获得反馈，我们创建了许多其他设计资产：

• A Google site where we can put up the story and get feedback一个Google网站，我们可以在其中发布故事并获得反馈
• A storyboard that breaks the story into panels将故事分解为面板的情节提要
• UI sketches or wires based on elements of the story, to illustrate possible ways the story could come to life in product基于故事元素的UI草图或连线，以说明故事在产品中的栩栩如生的可能方式

By writing the story first, we align on the experience we want to create. That informs the design iterations to come.

通过首先编写故事，我们可以与想要创造的体验保持一致。 这通知了即将进行的设计迭代。

分析 (Analyze)

We also use the methods to analyze an existing design asset. It might be a sketch, a wire, a mock, in any level of fidelity. We write down what the design is “saying” — what story it’s telling, what conversation a user might have with it, what the intent of the design is, or what the order of information is communicating now. We highlight opportunities to evolve the design and change it, so that it better meets the user’s needs as we understand them from research. With these insights, we iterate on the existing design asset or start fresh with a new Content Early asset that we design from scratch.

我们还使用这些方法来分析现有的设计资产。 在任何级别的保真度下，它可能都是草图，导线，模拟。 我们记下设计在说什么-它讲的是什么故事，用户可能与之进行的对话，设计的意图是什么，或者现在正在传达的信息顺序是什么。 我们重点介绍了改进设计并进行更改的机会，以便我们通过研究了解它们可以更好地满足用户的需求。 借助这些见解，我们可以迭代现有的设计资产，或者从我们从头开始设计的新的Content Early资产重新开始。

To use the example of a Vision Story again, we analyze the current product by writing a narrative of one user’s experience of it and how it makes them feel. We do this if we need to gain buy-in for why we need to redesign a product or build a completely new one. In the story, we show the pain points of the current experience or workarounds the character engages in. We write this “downer” story so that we can then contrast it with the more positive vision story in which we address the pain points.

要再次使用“视觉故事”的示例，我们通过撰写有关一个用户的体验及其对用户的感受的叙述来分析当前产品。 如果我们需要获得买主的支持，那么我们就要这么做，因为我们为什么需要重新设计产品或构建全新的产品。 在故事中，我们展示了角色当前所经历的痛苦点或解决方法。我们编写此“沮丧”故事，以便随后将其与更积极的愿景故事进行对比，以解决痛苦点。

早期内容最佳实践 (Best Practices for Content Early)

The design best practices that make Content Early a success are not unique to content.

使内容早期开发成功的最佳设计实践并非内容独有。

听 (Listen)

We listen to the team. We find out where the project is at, and meet the team where they are.

我们听团队。 我们找出项目所在的位置，并与他们所在的团队会面。

That tells us which method or combination of methods to use, as well as whether we’ll be designing from scratch or analyzing.

这告诉我们要使用哪种方法或方法的组合，以及是否要从头开始设计还是要进行分析。

包含，包含，包含 (Include, Include, Include)

Just as CE encompasses content Often, Always, we include teams and stakeholders early and often, and always keep their interests in mind.

正如CE包含“经常，始终”的内容一样，我们尽早并经常包括团队和利益相关者，并始终牢记他们的利益。

Including doesn’t mean designing by committee — we’ve done many of these methods with just a Content Strategist and a designer. But the power of Content Early is in the alignment of both team and stakeholders through words. Using language to design provides a unique opportunity for people who don’t think of themselves as “designers” to design.

包括并不意味着要由委员会进行设计-我们仅由内容策略师和设计师来完成许多方法。 但是Content Early的力量在于团队和利益相关者通过语言保持一致。 使用语言进行设计为那些不认为自己是“设计师”的人们提供了独特的机会。

创造 (Create)

We create the initial Content Early design asset with a small core group, then review with everyone else.

我们使用一个小的核心小组来创建初始的Content Early设计资产，然后与其他所有人进行审查。

We’ve found sometimes everybody wants in on the creative action. Have you ever tried to cook a meal with 20 people in the kitchen? It requires more orchestration than it’s worth, and dinner gets served at midnight.

我们发现有时候每个人都希望参与创新行动。 您是否曾经尝试过与20个人一起在厨房做饭？ 它需要进行的编排超出了其应有的价值，晚餐要在午夜送达。

Unless we have a magical group (and we have had such groups), it’s better to create with just a few people so we can move more rapidly and show something for quick feedback in short order. Then everyone feels good about the process, instead of feeling tired and hungry because of the midnight dinner.

除非我们有一个神奇的小组(而且我们有这样的小组)，否则最好只与几个人一起创建，这样我们才能更快地行动起来，并在短时间内展示一些可以快速反馈的内容。 这样，每个人都会对这个过程感觉很好，而不是因为午夜晚餐而感到疲劳和饥饿。

评论 (Review)

We review with stakeholders as soon as we have something to show. While we do ensure that our artifact captures the essence of what we want to communicate (and get rid of any typos that might distract), we don’t try to make it perfect. The point of Content Early is lo-fi.

有事情要显示时，我们会尽快与利益相关者进行审查。 虽然我们确实确保我们的工件捕获了我们想要传达的内容的本质(并消除了可能分散注意力的任何错别字)，但我们并未尝试使其完美。 早期内容的重点是lo-fi。

We make that clear when we introduce the Content Early method (usually with a brief 5 minute deck). We then take the stakeholders through the process we used to create the content early artifact and explain that what they’re about to see is a jumping off point, an invitation to co-create. We let them know that we want to iterate with their feedback. Then we dive into the artifact, emphasizing that the words are not final copy intended to appear in the product.

当我们引入Content Early方法时(通常只有5分钟的简短介绍)，我们就清楚了。 然后，我们带领利益相关者完成用于创建内容早期工件的过程，并解释他们将要看到的一个起点，一个共同创建的邀请。 我们让他们知道我们想重复他们的反馈。 然后，我们深入研究工件，强调这些单词不是要出现在产品中的最终副本。

The reactions we get in reviews are invariably positive. Stakeholders immediately understand what we are trying to communicate and provide targeted feedback that helps to guide the team better.

我们在评论中得到的React总是积极的。 利益相关者立即了解我们正在尝试传达的内容，并提供有针对性的反馈，以帮助更好地指导团队。

重复 (Iterate)

We iterate with stakeholder feedback, sometimes real time. More often, we take notes or add comments, and then iterate offline. We have also shared the artifacts with stakeholders, and asked them to make comments right in the Google doc or Figma file.

我们会根据利益相关者的反馈(有时是实时的)进行迭代。 我们通常会做笔记或添加评论，然后离线进行迭代。 我们还与利益相关者共享了这些工件，并要求他们在Google文档或Figma文件中发表评论。

验证 (Validate)

Iterating on stakeholder feedback is different from iterating based on validation with end users. We’re just beginning to validate content early assets with end users. In one example, we shared a vision story with a customer advisory group. The PM read the story to the group while showing some lo-fi visuals in a slide deck. He also handed out printouts of the story so that participants could provide written feedback.

对利益相关者反馈的迭代与基于最终用户验证的迭代不同。 我们才刚刚开始与最终用户一起验证内容早期资产。 在一个示例中，我们与客户咨询小组分享了一个愿景故事。 项目经理在团队中朗读故事，同时在幻灯片平台中展示了一些低保真影像。 他还分发了故事的打印输出，以便参与者可以提供书面反馈。

We’ve found that a major benefit of validating designs using a Content Early asset is that it is so lo-fi that it promotes focus. It encourages participants to attend to what you’re really looking for feedback on, without getting distracted by stroke weight, placeholder images, text that’s not final — whatever you usually need to tell them to ignore. And once we’ve validated, we can choose to iterate with words or continue with the design process.

我们发现，使用Content Early资产验证设计的主要好处在于它的低保真度，可以促进关注。 它鼓励参与者关注您真正在寻找的反馈，而不会因笔重，占位符图像和非最终文本而分心-通常您需要告诉他们忽略它们。 验证之后，我们可以选择用单词进行迭代或继续设计过程。

进行设计流程 (Onward with the Design Process)

Content Early design assets are a springboard to visual and spatial means of designing — sketches, wires, and mocks. Often designers intuitively know how they want to manifest different parts of a Content Early asset, because it’s a handy guide.

内容早期设计资产是视觉和空间设计手段(草图，导线和模拟)的跳板。 设计人员通常会直观地知道他们想如何表现“内容早期”资产的不同部分，因为它是一个方便的指南。

But in some cases, we talk through or annotate the Content Early artifact and indicate how it translates to a wireframe. Doing this as a group means that PM knows what the wire will contain. It makes each iteration more purposeful.

但是在某些情况下，我们会讨论或注释“内容早期”工件，并指出其如何转换为线框。 分组进行表示PM知道电线将包含什么。 它使每次迭代更有针对性。

总结 (The Wrap Up)

Content Early is a little like drinking coffee — it can provide that much needed jolt of awareness! And best of all, you can do it anytime during the day.

Content Early有点像喝咖啡-它可以提供非常需要的意识震撼！ 最重要的是，您可以在白天随时进行。

The single greatest signal to us right now that Content Early is working for teams is the demand. We have repeat customers in the form of teams that come back to us again asking for more content strategy, more Content Early. We have new teams that hear how it has helped other teams and want to try it out. Stakeholders are engaging with us and providing positive feedback on the process.

现在，对我们来说，最大的信号是Content Early正在为团队工作。 我们以团队的形式吸引了回头客，他们再次回到我们这里，要求更多的内容策略，更多的“早期内容”。 我们有新的团队来听听它如何帮助其他团队，并希望尝试一下。 利益相关者正在与我们合作，并在此过程中提供积极的反馈。

Most importantly, considering Content Early, Often, and Always, helps us to create products that users connect with, emotionally. Products that are:

最重要的是，考虑早期，经常和始终使用内容，可以帮助我们创建与用户情感相关的产品。 产品有：

• Infused with the personality we deliberately create注入我们特意创造的个性
• Designed to follow a cohesive narrative that reflects the user’s journey旨在遵循反映用户旅程的内聚性叙述
• Constructed with an IA that serves the user’s mental model使用为用户的心理模型服务的IA构建
• Crafted according to how the user perceives the product and feels about it根据用户对产品的感觉和感觉来制作

At Workday, we use Content Early to complement (not replace) existing practices and add to the designers’ toolbox. We’re evolving methods that work for our teams. I say evolving, because we’re not using the methods exactly the same way each time. We’re modifying them for the needs of the product and the teams designing and building it.

在工作日，我们使用“早期内容”来补充(而不是替代)现有做法，并添加到设计者的工具箱中。 我们正在开发适用于我们团队的方法。 我说不断发展，因为我们每次使用的方法都不完全相同。 我们正在根据产品以及设计和制造产品的团队的需要对其进行修改。

It’s an exciting time to be in content strategy. It’s more exciting because I work at a company that’s willing to embrace new methods and evolve them. Workday Design has the kind of culture that promotes this.

在内容策略方面，这是一个令人兴奋的时刻。 因为我在一家愿意接受新方法并不断发展的公司工作，所以这更加令人兴奋。 Workday Design具有促进这种发展的文化。

Stay tuned for more on Content Early and the various methods. And if you’re bringing content into the design process similarly or in other ways, please reach out. I’d love to hear how it’s going!

请继续关注“内容尽早”和各种方法。 而且，如果您以类似方式或其他方式将内容带入设计过程，请联系。 我很想听听这是怎么回事！