User Experience Content Strategy

🦚 How To Capture Users’ Emotions in UX. With practical guidelines, frameworks and toolkits to better understand people‘s emotions and act on them. ✅ What people think, do, say and feel are often very different things. ✅ We aren’t good at explaining where our emotions come from. ✅ Sympathy is the acknowledgement of the suffering of others. ✅ Empathy is the ability to fully understand/share person’s needs. ✅ Compassion is empathy in action, with effort to bring a change. ✅ Empathy relies on open-ended questions in user research. ✅ There is nothing more powerful than silence in a conversation. ✅ Silence often opens room for much needed clarifications. 🚫 Don’t mistake smiling and nodding for support or agreement. ✅ Users often hide criticism and exaggerate positive feedback. Emotions are always difficult to capture, but they are easier to spot once you observe people doing what they need to do without external influence or interruptions. In the past, I was using "speak-aloud" protocol and asked users to walk me through their thought process as they were completing tasks. But it actually turns out to be quite disruptive, and because people are focused on speaking at the same time while solving a task, many emotions remain hidden or obscured by their language. So, when conducting usability testing, I don’t ask users to speak through their experience. Instead, I observe where they tap or hover with the mouse, where their mouse circles without an action, where they scroll, and how long. Eventually when a user confirms that they are done or that they are stuck, I ask questions. One helpful trick is to use mirroring — repeating what a user has said, or ask the same question twice, just paraphrasing it. Or navigating the emotions wheel (attached) to better capture and understand the emotion. These strategies help uncover some of the issues that perhaps didn't come up in the first answer. That's also when a user then tends to provide more context and details as they explain their confusion. Useful resources: The Spectrum of Empathy in UX, by Sarah Gibbons, NN/g (attached image) https://lnkd.in/d-kj3hmr Emotion Wheel Toolkit (PNG), by Geoffrey Roberts https://imgur.com/q6hcgsH Scale of Negative UX Impact, by Indi Young https://lnkd.in/eg2FiRSE Human Connection Toolkit (Framework + Method Cards), via Rosie Sherry https://www.deepr.cc/tools Belonging Design Principles, by Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley https://lnkd.in/eudUfAd2 Designing For Belonging (Toolkit), by Susie Wise, via Anamaria Dorgo https://lnkd.in/enJTh2mw #ux #design

Your research findings are useless if they don't drive decisions. After watching countless brilliant insights disappear into the void, I developed 5 practical templates I use to transform research into action: 1. Decision-Driven Journey Map Standard journey maps look nice but often collect dust. My Decision-Driven Journey Map directly connects user pain points to specific product decisions with clear ownership. Key components: - User journey stages with actions - Pain points with severity ratings (1-5) - Required product decisions for each pain - Decision owner assignment - Implementation timeline This structure creates immediate accountability and turns abstract user problems into concrete action items. 2. Stakeholder Belief Audit Workshop Many product decisions happen based on untested assumptions. This workshop template helps you document and systematically test stakeholder beliefs about users. The four-step process: - Document stakeholder beliefs + confidence level - Prioritize which beliefs to test (impact vs. confidence) - Select appropriate testing methods - Create an action plan with owners and timelines When stakeholders participate in this process, they're far more likely to act on the results. 3. Insight-Action Workshop Guide Research without decisions is just expensive trivia. This workshop template provides a structured 90-minute framework to turn insights into product decisions. Workshop flow: - Research recap (15min) - Insight mapping (15min) - Decision matrix (15min) - Action planning (30min) - Wrap-up and commitments (15min) The decision matrix helps prioritize actions based on user value and implementation effort, ensuring resources are allocated effectively. 4. Five-Minute Video Insights Stakeholders rarely read full research reports. These bite-sized video templates drive decisions better than documents by making insights impossible to ignore. Video structure: - 30 sec: Key finding - 3 min: Supporting user clips - 1 min: Implications - 30 sec: Recommended next steps Pro tip: Create a library of these videos organized by product area for easy reference during planning sessions. 5. Progressive Disclosure Testing Protocol Standard usability testing tries to cover too much. This protocol focuses on how users process information over time to reveal deeper UX issues. Testing phases: - First 5-second impression - Initial scanning behavior - First meaningful action - Information discovery pattern - Task completion approach This approach reveals how users actually build mental models of your product, leading to more impactful interface decisions. Stop letting your hard-earned research insights collect dust. I’m dropping the first 3 templates below, & I’d love to hear which decision-making hurdle is currently blocking your research from making an impact! (The data in the templates is just an example, let me know in the comments or message me if you’d like the blank versions).

I will admit that one of the most omitted aspects of creating a new feature (or product) is making sure the user knows how to use it. At the same time, you can only make one first impression. How to make it great? Let's face it: It's very hard to onboard users. People have very little time right now and are used to instant gratification. Thus, if the product requires some effort to use, you may see a very upset user on the other end. At the same time, not all products can be reduced to a single button called "solve my problem". So, how to onboard a new user in a way they actually engage? 1) Start with a great text copy There is nothing worse than a technical copy that is not written with your client in mind. Separate it into easy-to-complete steps so the user can learn and move to the next step easily. Remember, the user is not an expert yet like you are. Also, invest into professional translations, so the copy is great for everyone! 2) Set the production value of onboarding materials very high If your onboarding videos look and feel professional, you will build your brand image and user confidence. While creating such videos used to be expensive, nowadays tools exist that will help you automate and speed up the process, such as this post's partner: Guidde! Guidde allows you to create how-to videos quickly based on the screen recording of the process you wish to document. Using AI, Guidde will automatically generate the storyline with highlights, and add text to voice and multiple CTAs, saving you many hours of work. 3) Make it easy to repeat training People forget or skip onboarding steps accidentally. If it is difficult to access the training materials again, you might avoid a lot of user frustration. Not to mention support calls or tickets that could have been avoided. 4) Add micro onboardings While onboarding is associated with getting the user started using a product, that can also apply on a feature level. Take this into account when planning a new release, so it's stellar and accessible from day one! 5) Make it easy to speak to human support While your onboarding will surely be great, a lot of your users will prefer to talk/write to a human being. Make it easy to find contact info. Bonus: monitor the issues that come with this. Rather than hide support contact, eliminate the causes that led to those calls in the 1st place. Thus: 6) Care for onboarding funnel as a product Monitor onboarding usage and later client engagement. Look for steps/materials in dire need of improvement and monitor the metrics once those are introduced. As I said earlier, you can only make one first impression! Make it count :) So, did you find this useful? How do you build your product so that it's welcoming to new users? Sound off in the comments! #productmanagement #productmanager #onboarding

When I was head of growth, our team reached 40% activation rates, and onboarded hundreds of thousands of new users. Without knowing it, we discovered a framework. Here are the 6 steps we followed. 1. Define value: Successful onboarding is typically judged by new user activation rates. But what is activation? The moment users receive value. Reaching it should lead to higher retention & conversion to paid plans. First define it. Then get new users there. 2. Deliver value, quickly Revisit your flow and make sure it gets users to the activation moment fast. Remove unnecessary steps, complexity, and distractions along the way. Not sure how to start? Try reducing time (or steps) to activate by 50%. 3. Motivate users to action: Don't settle for simple. Look for sticking points in the user experience you can solve with microcopy, empty states, tours, email flows, etc. Then remind users what to do next with on-demand checklists, progress bars, & milestone celebrations. 4. Customize the experience: Ditch the one-size fits all approach. Learn about your different use cases. Then, create different product "recipes" to help users achieve their specific goals. 5. Start in the middle: Solve for the biggest user pain points stopping users from starting. Lean on customizable templates and pre-made playbooks to help people go 0-1 faster. 6. Build momentum pre-signup: Create ways for website visitors to start interacting with the product - and building momentum, before they fill out any forms. This means that you'll deliver value sooner, and to more people. Keep it simple. Learn what's valuable to users. Then deliver value on their terms.

Boring content doesn’t build brands. So why are we still making it? Things are changing at a speed we never thought possible, and it's getting scary, especially if you're into marketing. A few years ago, simply providing valuable information was enough. There was less competition, audiences had more patience to consume detailed content, and social media wasn’t as saturated with endless options fighting for attention. But today? The way audiences consume content has evolved. They still seek information, but they also expect it to be engaging, easy to digest, and even fun. 🔴 The challenge? We’re competing not just with other brands but with everything else fighting for attention—trending reels, viral tweets, and endless scrolls of content. So what happens if we don’t adapt? 😕 Engagement drops → Purely educational content without an engaging hook gets overlooked. 😖 Brand recall weakens → People remember stories, humor, and emotions—not just facts. 😑 Reach shrinks → Algorithms prioritize engaging content, and if yours doesn’t hook people, it won’t be seen. The solution? Edutainment. Instead of choosing between educational and entertaining content, combine the two. Here’s how: ✅ Traditional educational content: Blog posts, case studies, reports, how-to guides. ✅ Entertainment-based content: Interactive quizzes, polls, short-form videos, memes, storytelling posts. ✅ Hybrid (Edutainment) content: Infotainment-style videos, gamified learning, storytelling-based lessons, social media threads with humor. Why does this work? Because people crave dopamine, not just data. → A well-told story makes an audience listen. → A fun quiz makes them engage. → A short, entertaining video makes them stay. If you make your audience enjoy learning, they’ll keep coming back. Remember, your audience doesn’t owe you their attention. You need to earn it. Thoughts?

"Post more, engage more, grow more"→biggest scam ever. A client came to me, frustrated. “I’ve been posting every single day. Following all the advice. But it feels like nobody is reading my post.” She wasn’t wrong. Her posts were well-written. Packed with value. Structured perfectly. But here’s the problem: No one felt anything. People scrolled past, nodded, and moved on. Because her content wasn’t hitting them where it mattered. So, we made one change. Instead of just sharing “value,” we made them feel something first. We told stories. We showed real struggles, real emotions, real shifts. 3 weeks later: → More engagement on one post than her last twenty combined. → DMs from people saying, “Wow, I needed this.” → Inbound leads—without ever pitching. Because here’s the truth: People don’t ignore your content because it lacks information. They ignore it because it doesn’t move them. Want to fix that? Do this: 1️⃣ Find the moment that makes people stop. Not a “pain point.” A real emotional trigger they already feel. 2️⃣ Start with a punch. No warm-up. No fluff. Hit them where they feel it. 3️⃣ Tell a story, not just a tip. Instead of “3 ways to improve,” show what happens when they don’t. 4️⃣ Make them uncomfortable. People act when they realize what they’re missing, not when they get another “how-to.” 5️⃣ End with a thought that lingers. A question, a challenge, a shift in perspective that sticks after they scroll. The moment you stop making “content” and start creating experiences? That’s when people start paying attention. Now tell me: what’s the last post that actually made you stop scrolling? #storytelling

Every job I’ve taken in the last ten years has started the same way: six months spent updating Help Center articles that were months, sometimes a full year, out of date. It’s always the same story: they cut the tech writer to save money, the product evolved, the docs haven’t, and customers are left frustrated and confused. It creates doubt. It generates churn. Outdated content doesn’t just make support harder. It breaks trust. When users follow your documentation and the screenshots don’t match, or the steps fail halfway through, or they can't find instructions on new features, it sends a message: we stopped paying attention to users to focus on features. And fixing it after the fact is always more expensive than keeping it current. It means rework, lost time, higher ticket volume, and extra strain on support and product teams. Keeping Help Center content accurate isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s part of the product. It’s part of the customer experience. It’s part of your brand. And if you’re not maintaining it as carefully as your code, your customers will notice. #TechnicalWriting #Documentation #CustomerExperience #ContentStrategy #KnowledgeManagement #TechComm

I’m not asking my CSMs to resolve support tickets. I’m asking them to leverage them. Support tickets aren’t just a backlog of problems; they’re customer truth bombs waiting to explode. If you’re not mining them for insights, you’re flying blind—and that’s exactly how churn sneaks up on you. Every Customer Success team I’ve ever led has been trained to use Support tickets strategically. Why? Because they’re packed with insights that make us better at our jobs. ✅ We learn more about the product. ✅ We spot trends before they become problems. ✅ We understand our customers’ use cases more deeply. If you’re not tapping into support data, here’s what you’re missing: 🔥 Emerging Pain Points Recurring issues expose friction in the customer journey. Ignore them, and those minor frustrations turn into churn-worthy headaches. 🔥 Product Gaps Customers vote with their tickets. If the same feature requests or usability complaints keep surfacing, your roadmap is practically writing itself. 🔥 Engagement Risks A spike in tickets isn’t just noise—it’s a flare. Users don’t submit tickets when they’re thriving; they do it when they’re stuck, frustrated, or in need of more enablement. Here are a few ways my team and I are using these insights: ✅ Spot & Engage Struggling Users A surge in ticket volume? Proactively reach out before frustration turns into a cancellation. ✅ Create Targeted Content If the same questions keep coming up, turn those insights into help docs, webinars, or office hours. ✅ Surface Expansion Opportunities Seeing frequent feature requests? Build them—or better yet, use them to tee up expansion conversations. ✅ Map Out User Behavior Support tickets tell you who’s onboarding, who’s adopting new features, and who’s stuck. Use that data to drive deeper engagement. ✅ Collaborate with Product Your product team needs this intel. Share support trends regularly to influence meaningful fixes and features. High ticket volume isn’t necessarily a bad thing—but you need to know how to use it to your advantage. Bottom line? CSMs don’t need to fix support tickets. But the best ones know how to use them to drive retention, expansion, and adoption. _____________________________ 📣 If you liked my post, you’ll love my newsletter. Every week I share learnings, advice and strategies from my experience going from CSM to CCO. Join 12k+ subscribers of The Journey and turn insights into action. Sign up on my profile.

I failed at 2 HRIS implementations. Back to back. The first failure? I didn’t do any discovery. I picked the platform I thought would be best. The second failure? I did discovery… but badly. I asked employees and managers what they wanted. Not what problems they had. Worse still, I over-indexed on employee requests. They wanted things like better self-serve, easier time-off booking, mobile-first features. All valid - but those weren’t the most painful blockers in the business. The truth is: the worst-affected users weren’t employees. They were managers. They didn’t know where to find core policies, the were bottlenecked by reporting, and had nowhere to manage and document key people processes. If I’d done proper discovery, I’d have known that. Here’s the shift I wish I’d made earlier: 👉 Stop asking “What do you want from an HR system?” 👉 Start asking “Tell me about the last time you had to do X. What was painful about it?” That’s the core of Rob Fitzpatrick’s Mom Test: Don’t ask people for opinions, ask them about their actual experiences. A lightweight framework you can apply today: 1️⃣Identify your worst-affected users. Who feels the friction most? (Hint: it’s not always employees). 2️⃣Ask about real behaviour. “Talk me through the last time you had to approve a holiday / onboard a new starter / run a review.” 3️⃣Dig into pain, not features. “What took the most time? What annoyed you? What went wrong?” 4️⃣Look for patterns. If the same pain shows up across teams, that’s where the real value lies. When you ground discovery in real stories, not wish lists, you stop buying (or building) “what people say they want” and start solving what they actually need. I’d love to hear how other People Leaders approach user discovery before choosing HR tech? Is user discovery even a consideration or have you fallen into the same traps as I did? #PeopleExperience #UserDiscovery #ProductLedPX

I spent 5 years scaling Superhuman's white glove, concierge onboarding. …and another 2 years rebuilding it in product. My biggest lessons on effective product onboarding: It must be *opinionated*, *interruptive*, and *interactive*. ••• 🧐 Opinionated There's a million ways to use Superhuman, but only one correct way. We had unopinionated steps in the onboarding, like teaching "j" and "k" to navigate. But what really matters is Inbox Zero. Marking Done. Our most extreme form is Get Me To Zero — a pop-up that practically coerces you to Mark Done *everything*. This experience gets an astonishing 60% new user opt-in. New users want to experience something different; they want to learn. We pruned away the bland, and left behind pure, unfiltered opinion. Exactly what made our concierge onboarding effective. 💥 Interruptive We've all seen them before: checklists, tooltips, nudges. Inoffensive growth clutter that piles up in the corners of your app. We shipped all this and more. But it had precisely zero impact. Our most impactful changes were interruptive: on-rails demos, full-screen takeovers, product overlays. Arresting user attention is critical: if an experience is tucked away in the corner, it will be ignored. If it's ignored, it may as well not exist. 🕹️ Interactive You can't be Opinionated and Interruptive without being Interactive. It's a crime to force users to engage with non-actionable information. Instead, provide functionality: an action to take, setting to toggle, CTA to click. It's more fun AND users build muscle memory. There is something to do in every step of our onboarding. Perhaps that's how we get away with an onboarding nearly 50 screens long 🤭 ••• Final thought: if you're struggling with this flow, simply watch new users. Note all the places you want to jump in — there's your onboarding 👌 s/o to the very thoughtful Superhumans building this: Ben ✨Kalyn Lilliana Kevin Peik Erin Gaurav 💜 #plg #onboarding #activation