canon-content-strategy

name	canon-content-strategy
description	Use when planning content hierarchy, information density, content-first design, microcopy systems, or editorial patterns. Covers the content-before-design principle, content inventory, progressive disclosure, scannability, and content governance. Trigger when the user mentions content strategy, content hierarchy, information architecture, microcopy, or editorial design.

CANON · Content Strategy

Design follows content. Not the other way around. Wireframing with "Lorem ipsum" produces layouts that break when real words arrive.

Content-first design

1. Write the real content before the layout.
2. Identify the hierarchy: what's the single most important thing on this page?
3. Design the container around the content, not the content around the container.
4. Test with the longest plausible string, not the shortest.

Content hierarchy per page

Every page answers one question. The hierarchy makes that question and its answer scannable.

Page title          ← what is this page
Primary content     ← the answer to why the user is here
Supporting content  ← context that helps the primary
Actions             ← what to do next
Metadata            ← secondary info (dates, authors, tags)

Progressive disclosure

Don't show everything at once. Layer information by relevance:

Layer	Show	How
Essential	Always	Visible on load
Supplementary	On demand	Expandable sections, tooltips, "Learn more"
Reference	On search	Help docs, FAQs, knowledge base

Each layer deeper should serve fewer users but serve them well.

Scannability rules

• Front-load key information in every sentence, heading, and label.
• Use headings as statements, not categories. "Your bill is overdue" not "Billing".
• Break text at 2–3 sentence paragraphs for UI context.
• Lists for 3+ parallel items (but follow canon-ux-writing for when lists earn their place).
• Bold the one phrase per paragraph that carries the meaning if a user reads nothing else.

Content inventory

Before redesigning, audit what exists:

For each content piece	Record
What is it?	Page, modal, toast, email, error
Who owns it?	Product, marketing, engineering, legal
When was it last updated?	Date
Is it still accurate?	Yes / No / Partially
Does it serve the user's task?	Yes / No

Delete what fails the last two questions.

Anti-patterns

Anti-pattern	Why it fails
Lorem ipsum in production-ready mockups	Layout breaks with real content
Designing the card, then filling in copy	Content overflows or under-fills
No content owner	Copy drifts, goes stale
Every section equally weighted	No hierarchy, nothing stands out
"Learn more" as the link text	Inaccessible + vague

Audit checklist

• Real content written before layout finalized
• Page has one clear primary purpose
• Headings are statements, not categories
• Progressive disclosure layered by user need
• Content tested at longest plausible string length
• Content owners assigned
• Stale content audited and removed or updated

Sources

• Sarah Richards · Content Design (book)
• Nielsen Norman · "How Users Read on the Web"
• GDS (UK Government Digital Service) · Content design principles
• canon-ux-writing for string-level execution