What I do
My services
- Discovery and research
- Content auditing
- Content strategy
- Information architecture
- Content design
- Brand voice
- Website redesign support
- Content operations
These are my core services. I offer them as standalone pieces of work, or we can create a programme of work to meet your needs.
If you know exactly what you need, that’s great. But if you’re not sure, that’s not a problem. I offer a free, no commitment discovery call where we can talk about what you’re looking for, and I can make some recommendations for what services might help. If I’m not the right fit, I’ll try and recommend someone who is.
My portfolio
Content strategy and website redesign support
Problem: a large UK charity had an outdated, confusing website with content that did not connect with the people who used its services. The team struggled to keep up with demand, prioritisation, and sign off.
Solution: I facilitated the creation of a new content strategy and ways of working through workshops that brought the team and stakeholders together. I also supported the team throughout the website redesign.
Outcome: more people can find help and advice through simple, user-focused content. The website went live on time with improved content and better organic search performance. The new process enabled better communication and faster sign off.
Brand voice
Problem: a large UK charity was in the process of a brand refresh, and felt that it was time to create a more substantial guide to brand voice. It also wanted its voice to help it better reach a diverse audience.
Solution: I carried out stakeholder research to find out more about their needs and challenges with voice. I then ran a series of working sessions where we created a brand personality, a spectrum of tones for different users and scenarios, examples of how to write in the voice, and practiced skills.
Outcome: the overall brand refresh was a success, with an uplift in recognition, reach and revenue. Brand voice training is now part of staff induction.
Audit, IA, and content model for a new intranet
Problem: a leading charity had identified that its intranet was outdated, hard to use, and slowing down its staff and volunteers.
Solution: based on a content audit, user research and testing, I designed a new IA and content model for the intranet.
Outcome: volunteers and staff can find information quickly and easily.
Content audit
Problem: a national arts organisation was gearing up for a website redesign project, but felt unclear about what to do with all the content on its 100,000-page website
Solution: I carried out a qualitative and quantitative audit of the site and ran sessions to create plans for each of its key content products
Outcome: the organisation had clarity on exactly what content it had, what it could delete, what needed to be migrated, and what improvements it needed to make.
User research
Problem: a housing association was poised to make a big investment in new digital services, but felt that it did not have enough evidence to show what its customers needed.
Solution: I carried out user research and ran a Top Tasks programme to find out what users needed and would be most likely to use in a digital service.
Outcome: the association got an evidenced-based, prioritised list of things that its customers needed from its new digital service, allowing them to focus on the most impactful work.
Content design
Problem: at the start of the pandemic a huge number of local sources of information and support were appearing, but there was no simple way for people to find them.
Solution: I designed, created the content for, and then managed a signposting website. It gathered together all the sources of support, and categorised and prioritised them by the most pressing user needs.
Outcome: to date the site has helped over 19,000 people find sources of support, including food banks, emergency financial support, mental health support, and more.
This is just a small sample of projects I’ve worked on. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch and I’ll be happy to talk you through my portfolio in more detail.
How I work
I make content better by becoming a critical expert friend to you and your organisation: I’ll take your issues and reframe them in a way that gives you clarity and presents solutions to your problems.
My work is underpinned by research. One of the most valuable ways of gathering data is just by listening (which I also do a lot of). My emphasis is always on collaboration and support: I’m at my best when I’m working with my clients, not for them. I start by spending a lot of time gathering information – from you, from your team and – critically – from your audience. I’ll find out what’s worked for you in the past and what hasn’t. In everything we discuss I’m interested not just in what people think, but how they feel: my work may be digital but I never forget that I’m dealing with humans.
Once we really know what we’re dealing with, I’ll help you clear a simple path towards designing content that really serves your organisation, and – most importantly – your user. That means the result of our work together is a content strategy that’s useful, effective, achievable and has been built with buy-in from your stakeholders along the way.
My thinking
In the 1960s, there was a creative revolution in advertising when someone decided that art and copy should try sitting in the same room. Applying a similar idea today, and getting content and design to work more closely, can transform your work for the better.