Learning from the Best. Accelerating Content Design with AI

Image: Neil and Martin, Accessibility Champions, CDS

Learning From the Best

As I transition from my previous role, I’ve had time to reflect on the privilege of working alongside a talented team of experts who continuously inspire me with their knowledge and innovative approaches.

Together, we built a strong foundation of learning and collaboration, and it’s through their expertise that we were able to leverage AI tools to elevate the content and experience design process. These tools helped us work more efficiently, deliver high-quality content, and ensure we were creating user-centered, accessible experiences at scale. Here’s a look at the AI tools we used across the UX content lifecycle, how they impacted our work, and the value they brought to our projects.

1. Content Generation and Enhancement

• OpenAI (e.g., ChatGPT) OpenAI’s tools, especially ChatGPT, have become indispensable in our content creation process. I use it for everything from brainstorming ideas to drafting microcopy and refining user instructions for interfaces. The speed at which it generates content allows us to A/B test multiple variations quickly, helping us identify which tone or approach resonates best with users. It's also an invaluable tool for ideation—what once took hours in brainstorming sessions now takes minutes, freeing up our time to focus on refining the content further.

• Grammarly Ensuring content is grammatically correct, clear, and concise is essential in maintaining a professional and consistent tone across all communications. Grammarly helps my team in proofreading, ensuring that all content aligns with our style guides and is easy to understand. It’s also a useful tool for checking readability and spotting errors that may otherwise go unnoticed.

2. User Research and Insights

• Hotjar Heatmaps and session recordings are invaluable for understanding how users engage with content on a page. With Hotjar, we can pinpoint where users click, scroll, and even where they drop off, helping us identify which sections need more attention. This insight is critical for making data-driven improvements to content and UX design.

• Looker Studio Using Looker Studio to pull insights from various analytics platforms allows us to monitor user behavior trends across different touchpoints. Its AI features help us identify patterns that might not be immediately obvious, enabling us to adjust content strategies in real-time.

3. SEO and Content Optimisation

• SEMrush SEO is key to making sure content reaches its target audience. SEMrush is my go-to tool for keyword research, competitor analysis, and SEO strategy. It allows me to optimise content in a way that boosts rankings while ensuring that we’re staying ahead of the competition. Its AI-driven insights help us fine-tune content and track performance across search engines.

4. Personalisation and Testing

• Optimizely DXP Personalisation is a key factor in engaging users. Optimizely allows us to tailor content to different user segments, optimizing their journey based on their behaviour. By using A/B testing and analytics, we can continuously improve how users interact with the website, making sure they see the most relevant content.

• Google Optimize I use Google Optimize for A/B and multivariate testing, which enables us to test different content variations to understand what resonates with users. Whether it’s a headline, an image, or a call-to-action, Google Optimize helps us optimize user journeys by providing real-time data on performance.

5. UX Design and Prototyping

• Figma + AI Plugins has been an essential tool for designing user interfaces and experiences. The AI plugins integrated with Figma help speed up the design process by suggesting layout adjustments, content improvements, and providing design consistency checks. This allows my team to iterate faster and deliver more polished prototypes in less time.

6. Accessibility Testing and Improvement

• Siteimprove Accessibility is a non-negotiable aspect of UX design. Siteimprove’s AI-powered accessibility auditing tool helps us ensure our content and designs meet WCAG compliance. It flags issues that could hinder users with disabilities and provides actionable insights for improvement, making our digital experiences accessible for all.

• WAVE is another powerful tool for accessibility testing. It helps identify accessibility issues on web pages, ensuring they are compliant with WCAG standards. By running WAVE audits regularly, we can spot problems early and address them proactively.

• Axe is a browser extension that’s integrated directly into our development environment. It helps us test accessibility as we build, making sure that we’re meeting accessibility standards during the development process. This real-time feedback helps prevent accessibility issues from becoming roadblocks later in the project.

7. AI for Data-Driven Decision Making

• Power BI (with AI Insights) is a powerful tool for tracking performance metrics and identifying trends in user data. With AI Insights, we can uncover deeper insights into user behavior, allowing us to make more informed decisions and refine our content strategies.

Final Thoughts

These AI tools are not just about streamlining processes—they’re about transforming the way we work and enhancing the end user experience. By leveraging these tools across different stages of content design, we can ensure our work is efficient, user-centered, and accessible. As technology continues to evolve, I’m excited to see how these tools will further shape the future of UX design.