A day in the life of a content designer

Ope is a content designer at DWP Digital. She works with subject matter experts to refresh articles and develop creative solutions to help users solve some of their common problems.

A typical day

I have a hybrid working pattern and, whether I’m working from home or in the office, I attend a catch-up meeting with my team every morning.

Before this, I’ll start my day by reminding myself of my plans and noting down anything I need to raise in the meeting. Once it’s over, I’ll begin to work through my to-do list (which will likely be broken up by more meetings with members of my team and/or other key stakeholders).

My daily to-do list consists of:

• reviewing articles on some of DWP Digital’s internal web pages
• coming up with ideas for improvement, or assessing how previously discussed improvements can be applied
• feeding back suggestions and reviewing suggestions from team members involved in my projects
• discussing the best approach to take as a team, considering the pros and cons of each suggestion

My focus is split between my main workload and the work I do with other DWP Digital teams, usually involving developing their content. And as each day brings its own surprises, I sometimes have impromptu requests or problems to solve.

Hybrid working and remote onboarding

I’m well-adjusted to starting a new job from home due to the pandemic, and my experience of joining DWP Digital remotely was a good one.

We operate a hybrid working model across the organisation, and I like having the option to work from home sometimes as it allows for more flexibility. I’m trusted to manage my own workload, and to work in my own way, which I really value.

Learning new skills

At DWP Digital, making content accessible is essential because it ensures that everyone has access to the same knowledge and skills. Accessibility, however, has never been a key part of my previous roles, so it’s not something that I’ve spent much time thinking or learning about.

Thankfully, I’m starting to learn a lot about making sure written content is accessible for those who may experience barriers when interacting with or accessing content. There’s a lot of expertise on the subject at DWP Digital, and a lot of resources that I’ve been able to access to help me develop.

Collaboration and support

My team is very collaborative and open, and help is always there when I need it. The community of content designers has a lot of get-togethers where we offer each other advice on our various projects.

I don’t think I’ve ever worked anywhere that values collaboration as much as my team does here. But crucially, I’m also trusted to get on with things and deliver good work independently.

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