Build digital content confidence, with modular learning

Designing products that respond to the needs of users is now recognised as the way forward by many organisations. But only a few have central support for a big training spend. Here we look at alternative options, and introduce our concise, clear, modular online lessons.

Barriers you may be experiencing

Time ⏰

Available time in the working day is also often scarce. A team I was supporting recently as part of a consultancy role were strongly discouraged by their line manager from attending content design training, even though at the same time the user-centred design lead was strongly encouraging them to attend.

We had to do it by stealth, and still only 1 of the 3 editors came. I left the client with a re-usable training presentation and resource links.

When business as usual is seen as more important, upskilling is hard.

Money 💵

Design training is often very expensive. If your organisation is not able, or does not want, to pay for it, professional development can become unaffordable for many. This means it can exclude people. A happy, regular customer for my new lessons is someone whose funds couldn’t stretch to other previously existing options.

While we talk about removing bias from our designs, and recruiting inclusively, we sometimes forget about the privilege of being able to afford to move into the profession in the first place.

Learning solutions currently available

Traditional low cost paths 🧑‍🏫

There’s an excellent free Introduction to Content Design course from GDS on FutureLearn, which I always recommend – but not everyone can fit in the 16 hours, even over 4 weeks. Or, in my firsthand experience, they’re just curious and don’t want to commit so much time to learning about content design.

There are some brilliant practical books, like ‘The Design of Everyday Things’ by Don Norman, ‘Content Design’ by Sarah Winters and ‘Design for Cognitive Bias’ by David Dylan Thomas. You can pick up tips from Twitter, conference talk recordings, articles, blog posts and podcasts.

New – curated, online building blocks of training 🟨

To learn using a curated framework, specifically aimed at beginners, improvers and refreshers, at your own pace and whenever fits your schedule, try our new clear, concise, modular user-centred design and content design lessons.

Cake Bitesize modules: high quality at a very low cost

Our modules are short – which is partly why we’re calling them Cake Bitesize. They tend to have 8 units and a test. And, while everyone learns at different speeds, they should take on average 15 to 30 minutes to complete.

They are low-cost. Each lesson is no more than £5. Some are less, or free.

And, they are high quality. They distill 17 years of user-centred content experience, across all sectors and project sizes. From Mastercard to Joy’s Yoga.

Lesson content creator ✏️

Lesson creator Lizzie Bruce was previously a senior content designer for GDS and a content strategy consultant for Content Design London, leading their global Readability Guidelines project and helping develop training. She’s led content projects and teams at RNIB, GWR, Marie Curie, DCMS, Young Minds and Parkinsons’ UK, and helped many more high profile organisations, including University of Cambridge, British Red Cross and John Lewis, through Cake Consultancy Ltd.

She has a post-graduate teaching qualification and classroom experience, as well as content design, content usability and content accessibility trainer experience.

Benefits of our modular online training

• Fit to your schedule – a cancelled meeting, when commuting, while your baby sleeps.
• Learn on mobile, tablet and desktop.
• Flex the programme for what you need: fill knowledge gaps, follow your curiosity or choose everything.
• Learn at your own pace: study intensively, or over a longer time.
• Enjoy clear, concise explanations.
• Follow a consistent lesson structure across multiple topics.
• Share an introductory lesson on content design, writing for web, usable content or user-centred design across your team or organisation.
• Check understanding with the end of lesson test.

Explore our e-learning today

You can also study various modules together in my content design pathway course.