Contentfirst

Contentfirst is a design and content strategy approach that prioritizes content development and governance before visual design or interactive implementation. It treats content as the primary product of a project and aims to determine what information is needed, for whom, in what format, and how it will be managed across channels. The approach emphasizes early content audits, audience research, and the creation of a structured content model that defines content types, fields, tone, voice, and metadata.

Practices include content inventories and gap analyses, user stories focused on content needs, topic modeling, taxonomy design, editorial guidelines, localization plans, and governance processes. The workflow typically places content planning ahead of wireframes and UI design, with content editors and information architects collaborating with UX and development teams.

Benefits include improved usability, consistent tone and structure, improved search engine optimization, easier maintenance, and better scalability across products and locales. By designing content in tandem with information architecture, teams can reuse content fragments, support accessibility, and adapt to multiple channels such as websites, apps, and marketing campaigns.

Limitations include upfront time and cross-disciplinary coordination, potential conflicts with fast-paced product schedules, and ongoing content governance requirements. Critics note that without executive support and clear ownership, contentfirst initiatives may stall. The concept is commonly discussed within content strategy, information architecture, and UX design as one approach to aligning content with user needs and business goals.

See also: content strategy, information architecture, user experience design.