Writers of Silicon Valley

Forget tone - embrace systems thinking (Dave Connis)


Listen Later

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Do you enjoy the podcast? Please leave a review!

Get 20% off courses and workshops at UX Content Collective. Just use the code PODCAST20.

Content design has some growing up to do. Whether it's the things we talk about at conferences, or even the aspects of our job that we *think* are important (but really aren't), we need to see some change.

Dave Connis, Lead Content Designer at OutSystems, has embraced systems thinking and he wants you to as well. Go beyond the deliverables we're used to (tone, style guides, etc) and start thinking about how to connect the elements of your product in a bigger picture.

Dave brings a refreshing, no-nonsense approach to content design. From his experience working with developers to his cutting-edge ideas about content ecosystems, this conversation is packed with actionable insights and (yes) spicy takes. If you're tired of surface-level debates about microcopy and want to get into the heart of what makes content design impactful, this one's for you.

What we talked about:

  • Why content designers need to stop sweating the small stuff (looking at you, Oxford comma)
  • How systems thinking can revolutionize content design
  • The overlooked value of string files and content architecture
  • Why tone isn't everything — and what actually drives user success
  • How to think about the "jobs" your content is doing
  • The intersection of technical writing and UX writing: what each discipline can learn from the other
  • Why content design needs to push for industry-wide innovation

Notable Quotes:

"Stop arguing about sentence case and start building better systems." — Dave Connis "Tone isn't the goal. Getting the user to their goal is." — Dave Connis "Every piece of content in your UI has a job. Figure out what it is." — Dave Connis

Where to Find Dave:

  • LinkedIn: Dave Connis
  • Instagram
  • Website
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Writers of Silicon ValleyBy Patrick Stafford

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

37 ratings


More shows like Writers of Silicon Valley

View all
Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,680 Listeners

Pivot by New York Magazine

Pivot

9,552 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,358 Listeners

The Totally Football Show with James Richardson by The Athletic

The Totally Football Show with James Richardson

1,002 Listeners

Content Rookie by Nicole Michaelis

Content Rookie

14 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,524 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,995 Listeners

Money For Couples with Ramit Sethi by Ramit Sethi

Money For Couples with Ramit Sethi

3,431 Listeners

The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins

The Mel Robbins Podcast

20,517 Listeners

If Books Could Kill by Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri

If Books Could Kill

9,420 Listeners

HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

HBR On Leadership

161 Listeners

The Rest Is Entertainment by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Entertainment

851 Listeners

Beyond UX Design by Jeremy Miller

Beyond UX Design

49 Listeners