Content designer

I write the UX text, microcopy, introductory and help text for websites and apps where I'm responsible for the UX design. In the case of a web application, this text often makes up the vast majority of the content. Getting this specialised text right, especially in websites or online apps where there's a degree of user interaction, can be the difference between a website or app that works and one that doesn't.

These sites are listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent at the top.

Case studies in this category

MPI - PBI

Website: piersearch.mpi.govt.nz/plants-biosecurity-index
Client: Ministry for Primary Industries
Dates: July - October 2022 launch date. Post-launch upgrades October 2022 - January 2024
Government status: Government Ministry
My professional status: contractor at MPI

I designed and built a series of web-based applications and tools within the biosecurity sphere for the Ministry for Primary Industries, under the umbrella of the PIER (Product Import and Export Requirements) project.

At the last minute we were asked to redesign and rebuild the Plants Biosecurity Index (PBI) and integrate it into SilverStripe, to be launched at the same time as the updated ONZPR and new PIER Search tools. The PBI is a searchable database of over 30,000 plant species that provides information on whether each species can be imported into New Zealand as seeds or nursery stock.

I was responsible for the UX consultation and design, content design, responsive web design, front-end development, browser and device testing, e-government compliance and accessibility, proofreading, post-integration testing and QA. I also wrote the microcopy, introductory text, and help text across all pages and templates, and produced a "naming conventions" document, in which I reviewed and standardised various text elements common to all pages across all four new tools in the PIER family. Find out more about the MPI - PBI project

Categories: IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, e-govt/WCAG compliance, SilverStripe, Government websites, Large sites

MPI - ONZPR in SilverStripe

Website: onzpr.mpi.govt.nz
Client: Ministry for Primary Industries
Dates: April - October 2022 launch date. Post-launch upgrades October 2022 - January 2024
Government status: Government Ministry
My professional status: contractor at MPI

I designed and built a series of web-based applications and tools within the biosecurity sphere for the Ministry for Primary Industries, under the umbrella of the PIER (Product Import and Export Requirements) project.

In June 2020 we had launched our first application - the Official New Zealand Pest Register or ONZPR. In 2022 we updated the ONZPR and integrated it into the SilverStripe CMS to join PIER Search, which was being designed and built at the time. The ONZPR is a searchable database of almost 25,000 pests and pathogens relevant to New Zealand.

I was responsible for the UX design, content design, responsive web design, front-end development, cross-browser and mobile device testing, e-government compliance and accessibility, and post-integration testing and QA. I was also responsible for writing the microcopy, introductory text, and help text across all pages and templates. Find out more about the MPI - ONZPR in SilverStripe project

MPI - PIER Search

Website: piersearch.mpi.govt.nz
Client: Ministry for Primary Industries
Dates: January 2020 - October 2022 launch date. Post-launch upgrades October 2022 - January 2024
Government status: Government Ministry
My professional status: contractor at MPI

I designed and built a series of web-based applications and tools within the biosecurity sphere for the Ministry for Primary Industries, under the umbrella of the PIER (Product Import and Export Requirements) project.

The core product in Phase 1 of the PIER project is PIER Search. This online search tool enables users to find NZ import and export requirements for a range of commodities and countries.

I was responsible for the UX design, content design, responsive web design, front-end development, cross-browser and mobile device testing, e-government compliance and accessibility, some content-loading and CMS training, and post-integration testing and QA. I was also responsible for writing the microcopy, introductory text, and help text across all pages and templates. Find out more about the MPI - PIER Search project

Categories: IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, e-govt/WCAG compliance, SilverStripe, Government websites, Large sites

MPI - ONZPR

Website: onzpr.mpi.govt.nz (site updated in 2022)
Client: Ministry for Primary Industries
Dates: September 2019 - June 2020
Government status: Government Ministry
My professional status: contractor at MPI

I designed and built a series of web-based applications and tools within the biosecurity sphere for the Ministry for Primary Industries, under the umbrella of the PIER (Product Import and Export Requirements) project.

Our first application was the Official New Zealand Pest Register or ONZPR. The ONZPR is a searchable database of almost 25,000 pests and pathogens relevant to New Zealand, and includes general information about each pest, as well as specific details for researchers, importers, exporters and the general public.

I was responsible for the UX design, content design, responsive web design, front-end development, cross-browser and mobile device testing, e-government compliance and accessibility, and post-integration testing and QA. I also wrote the microcopy, introductory text, and help text across all pages and templates. Find out more about the MPI - ONZPR project

MPI - DBMS

Website: internal MPI access only
Client: Ministry for Primary Industries
Dates: June 2019 - October 2022 (intermittently)
Government status: Government Ministry
My professional status: contractor at MPI

I designed and built a series of web-based applications and tools within the biosecurity sphere for the Ministry for Primary Industries, under the umbrella of the PIER (Product Import and Export Requirements) project.

My first task for PIER was to design and build a series of database management (DBMS) screens. These would allow our database team to input and edit the thousands of commodities, pests, import and export requirements that make up PIER Search and related applications.

I was responsible for the UX design, content design, visual web design, front-end development, and post-integration testing and QA. Find out more about the MPI - DBMS project

Categories: IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, ASP or ASP.NET, Government websites, Large sites

NZNO - Kai Tiaki

Website: kaitiaki.org.nz (site has since been modified)
Client: New Zealand Nurses Organisation
Dates: June 2016 - June 2019 and December 2019 - March 2022
My professional status: web consultant with The Hive Creative

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation is a workers' union representing more than 55,000 nurses and health workers, and is the leading professional body of nurses in Aotearoa New Zealand. They first approached The Hive Creative in 2016, asking for advice on how best to convert their monthly printed journal, Kai Tiaki, into an online PDF for members.

In December 2019 we were invited to design, build and content-load an issue-based WordPress site that mirrored the print version of the journal. The latest issue would be uploaded to the site and published each month at the same time as the print version came out. The website would be accessible via login to members, with the news articles accessible to everyone. Member organisations would have an IP address-based login system for their employees.

I was responsible for the selection and re-styling of the WordPress theme and associated plugins, CSS3, some PHP wrangling, building the site, site hosting management, browser and device testing, content design - writing help pages and technical documentation, QA and client support; and content-loading, web editing and proof-reading for the first year of publication.

We produced an absolutely beautiful and pixel-perfect online journal every month for the first year of publication, getting everything done exactly right, following my very comprehensive style guide for the editing team, and making sure every macron was in place, every t crossed and i dotted. We published the online issue just a day or so after the print edition went out to members each month. Find out more about the NZNO - Kai Tiaki project

Categories: Content designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Webmaster, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, e-govt/WCAG compliance, WordPress, Large sites

MacDiarmid Institute

Website: macdiarmid.ac.nz
Client: The MacDiarmid Institute
Dates: January - March 2017 and August 2018 - July 2019 with ongoing support after launch
Government status: Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE)
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology is one of New Zealand's oldest Centres of Research Excellence (CoREs). It brings together almost 100 research investigators along with graduate and PhD students from seven institutions across Aotearoa. Their research focus is materials science and new technology, especially the unexplored territory where chemistry, physics, biology and engineering meet.

Their existing website was old, messy, out-of-date and hard to maintain. The navigation architecture wasn't well organised and it had become difficult for visitors to find the information they were looking for. It was time for a new website with a new logical architecture and a much stronger focus on the institute's researchers, with the majority of the pages being re-written prior to launch. We also wanted to migrate and incorporate news articles and magazine items from the old site, as much of this content was valuable as an ongoing archive of the Institution's research projects and progress.

I was responsible for the initial proposal and quote, client liaison, project management, information architecture and UX design, content design, responsive design development and front-end development, browser and device testing, content-loading, post-integration testing, QA, proof-reading, web editor training and ongoing support. I loaded all 800 pages of new content with the help of my developer, and reformatted over 500 news articles migrated from the old site. Find out more about the MacDiarmid Institute project

Categories: Showcase sites, Scoping/pitching/quoting, Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, jQuery/JavaScript, e-govt/WCAG compliance, SilverStripe, Government websites, Large sites

Transpower GOL

Website: internal Transpower access only
Client: Transpower
Dates: June 2016 - March 2017
Government status: State-Owned Enterprise
My professional status: contractor at Transpower

Transpower’s Grid Operators who manage the National Grid were using an old application that had been co-opted from another team and wasn’t entirely fit for purpose in its new environment. They wanted a new custom-made application – based on the original but reinvented to match exactly what they needed. They felt it would be useful to have a UX designer on the team, to help them figure out how to turn their requirements into reality. Several processes had to be integrated with other Transpower applications, sharing and updating information/data between apps, which added another layer of complexity to the project.

I was responsible for information architecture, UX consultation and design, content design, wireframes and schematics (keeping these updated on an ongoing basis), responsive application design, and front-end development of the application screens. I collaborated and consulted closely with the developer, working on the integrated application within Visual Studio once she had built the app, then did post-integration testing and QA. I also helped the BA to maintain and update the requirements.

The project was carried out within an Agile work environment. The process was highly consultative, with expert opinions being sought daily from our two SMEs (Grid Operators from Auckland and Christchurch) and also from the rest of the team, particularly our BA, our chief tester, our developer, and our system integration and security specialist. Find out more about the Transpower GOL project

Categories: IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, ASP or ASP.NET, Government websites, Small sites

Grosvenor KiwiSaver

Website: in-house online forms, not available to the public
Client: Grosvenor KiwiSaver
Dates: October - November 2015
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

Grosvenor Investment Management Limited is one of the Government's official KiwiSaver providers, with a dedicated KiwiSaver website to cater for their 94,000 members. They wanted to prototype a complete online joining/transfer process, which would initially be used by their KiwiSaver advisers, and which could be rolled out to all users on the website at a later date.

They asked me if I could help them to wireframe and design the various pages and screens that would be required (responsive design), including content design, and then to build these ready for integration by their in-house developers. I ended up working alongside the developer as we restyled his .asp forms together. Find out more about the Grosvenor KiwiSaver project

Categories: Scoping/pitching/quoting, Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, ASP or ASP.NET, E-commerce, Small sites

Govt.nz

Website: govt.nz (site has since been redesigned)
Client: Department of Internal Affairs
Dates: December 2013 - June 2014
Government status: Government Department
My professional status: contractor at DIA

Govt.nz is a ground-breaking project run by the Department of Internal Affairs, that seeks to improve the way that government communicates with citizens online. Govt.nz aims to enable visitors to find the government information they are seeking, quickly and easily. It is based on the UK all-of-government website, gov.uk, and both sites are user-focused, with user testing as their foundation.

I was taken on to replace the original designer/front-end developer halfway through the Beta phase. I was responsible for UX research, UX proposal-writing and UX design, content design, responsive web design, responsive front-end development within an instance of the Government's Common Web Platform (CWP), browser and device testing, government web standards accessibility compliance and testing to the very highest level, post-integration testing and QA, attending regular team meetings and doing regular "show and tell" updates for the major stakeholders within DIA.

The project was run using Agile methods, with daily standups and two-week sprints, the team being managed by experienced scrum masters. This Agile methodology was completely new to DIA. The website was on-line and available to the public throughout the Beta phase, and we welcomed feedback and comments from visitors, all of which we investigated further and acted upon as necessary. Find out more about the Govt.nz project

Categories: Showcase sites, Client liaison, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Govt web standards tester, Writing for the web, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, jQuery/JavaScript, e-govt/WCAG compliance, SilverStripe, Government websites, Medium sites

Hearts n Roses

Website: no longer online
Client: Deborah Harris
Dates: November 2013 - April 2015
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

Deborah Harris made and sold handmade heart pendants and felt the time was right to branch out and put her artwork online. The website needed to be a fully-functioning e-commerce site where she could display and sell the individual heart pendants. She also wanted a weddings section where she could showcase her custom-made bespoke hearts that were made to order to match the flowers and colours chosen by the wedding and bridal party.

I was responsible for client liaison, project management, hosting and Domain name management, scoping, information architecture, site schematics, content design, selection and re-styling of the WordPress e-commerce theme, HTML5, CSS3, LESS, some PHP wrangling, building the skeleton site, testing, CMS training, QA and ongoing support, some content production management, writing and editing, creating product and portfolio graphics. Find out more about the Hearts n Roses project

Categories: Scoping/pitching/quoting, Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, WordPress, E-commerce, Small sites

WebWeaver Productions

Website: webweaver.co.nz (site has since been redesigned)
Client: me
Dates: August 2013 - April 2015 onwards until September 2024
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

Commissioned, designed, architecture-d, developed, built, written, edited and project-managed by me. The site is designed to be fully accessible, is written in valid HTML5 and CSS3, and has been fully tested and displays consistently across a wide range of operating systems, browsers and devices.

The latest iteration of the site is responsive, designed for ease of reading in whatever device it's being viewed, and fully tested across a range of devices and platforms. It runs on the SilverStripe Content Management System, built and integrated by my WebWeaver colleague, Tom St George. Find out more about the WebWeaver Productions project

Categories: Showcase sites, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Govt web standards tester, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Webmaster, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, HTML5, jQuery/JavaScript, e-govt/WCAG compliance, SilverStripe, Large sites

Zumo Coffee

Website: zumo.co.nz (responsive web design wireframes)
Client: Zumo Coffee Roasters
Dates: February 2013
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

Zumo is a coffee roasting company and coffee house based in Nelson. I was approached to put together a quote for an online web application which would allow Nelsonians to order their cup of Zumo coffee via their smartphone, tablet or desktop computer, ready for pickup/takeaway, in-house enjoyment or home delivery.

As part of the quote, I put together a full set of wireframes to demonstrate the responsive layout, the web app's functionality, and the ordering process itself; across the 11 templates that I had identified as being necessary for the app to function as required. This included doing the content design for the whole application. The project was put on hold a short while after I delivered my wireframes, but I'm including it in my portfolio because it was a great piece of work! Find out more about the Zumo Coffee project

Categories: Scoping/pitching/quoting, Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Responsive web design/dev, E-commerce, Small sites

Wellington Batucada

Website: batucada.org.nz
Client: Wellington Batucada
Dates: July - December 2011 (site build) and ongoing work as the site's webmaster and writer
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

I'm a very proud member of Wellington Batucada, Wellington's community-based street samba band. The band's Director, Tim Cooke - who's also a web designer - provided me with a completely new design for the website, and it was my job to translate that into a standalone WordPress website - and to populate all the pages, editing existing stuff and writing new stuff as necessary.

I was responsible for webhost management, design development, HTML/CSS (including some CSS3), jQuery, photo and video archiving, testing, QA, content design, writing and editing. I am the website's webmaster, writing most of the blog posts and gig reviews and sorting out our huge and ever-growing collection of photos and videos. In Phase Two I added a members' only section to the website. Find out more about the Wellington Batucada project

Categories: Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Webmaster, Responsive web design/dev, CSS-based layout, CSS3, jQuery/JavaScript, WordPress, Large sites

HealthEd

Website: healthed.govt.nz (site has since been redesigned)
Client: Ministry of Health
Dates: January - June 2011, with the bulk of the work being carried out in May and June
Government status: Government Ministry
My professional status: contractor at Learning Media

The Ministry of Health wanted a complete restructure, redesign, and rebuild of their existing HeathEd website. The new site had been designed by DNA and was being built in Drupal 7 by Catalyst. Learning Media was in charge of the content, and it was my job as web editor and content designer to ensure that all 600 resources were titled and described consistently and with Seach Engine Optimisation (SEO) in mind; that the 200+ resources with HTML versions were formatted correctly; and that Catalyst's build matched DNA's design pixel-perfectly.

Resources on the HealthEd website were available in Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Cambodian-Khmer, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Cook Islands Māori, English, Fijian, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Māori, Niuean, Persian (Farsi), Pushto Afghani, Sāmoan, Somali, Thai, Tokelauan, Tongan, Tuvaluan and Vietnamese. Find out more about the HealthEd project

Categories: Content designer, Govt web standards tester, Writing for the web, Content-loader, CSS-based layout, e-govt/WCAG compliance, Drupal, E-commerce, Government websites, Large sites

Snapper

Website: snapper.co.nz
Client: Snapper
Dates: December 2010 - March 2011
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

Snapper is New Zealand's leading contactless payment system and can be used for a wide range of transactions including shopping, taxis and public transport. Registered Snapper users have online access to their Snapper transaction history and current balance.

The Snapper team wanted to upgrade the functionality of the transaction history page, and asked me to design and build a new version with enhanced functionality and ease of use. I was responsible for client liaison, project management, reviewing and refining the information architecture, content design, visual design, XHTML and CSS, jQuery, testing, QA and ongoing support. Find out more about the Snapper project

Categories: Scoping/pitching/quoting, Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, CSS-based layout, jQuery/JavaScript, Other CMS, E-commerce, Small sites

SPARC HPSD

Website: internal SPARC access only
Client: SPARC (now re-named Sport New Zealand)
Dates: June - October 2010
Government status: Crown Entity
My professional status: contractor at Datacraft

One of SPARC's roles is to support athletes and teams that can win at international level, and the coaches and organisations that are behind them - using their High Performance Sport Database (HPSDB) to administer this.

Datacraft had been asked to redesign and rebuild the HPSD, and I was responsible for doing the information architecture, content design, visual design and XHTML/CSS for a set of five templates, and then styling, restructuring and bug-fixing a large number of multi-functional screens within the app. Find out more about the SPARC HPSD project

Categories: Client liaison, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Govt web standards tester, CSS-based layout, jQuery/JavaScript, e-govt/WCAG compliance, ASP or ASP.NET, Government websites, Medium sites

Master Plumbers

Website: masterplumbers.org.nz (site has since been redesigned)
Client: Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Inc
Dates: April - October 2009, with regular ongoing support until March 2016
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

Master Plumbers had an old website that needed redesigning and integrating within a more user-friendly CMS. We identified three main sections of the site - Public, Trade and Members - which led to a four-colourway design solution.

I was responsible for the initial quote, information architecture, site schematics, content design, ongoing project management and client liaison, web design, HTML and CSS, jQuery, accessibility compliance, testing, content-loading, CMS training and ongoing support. Find out more about the Master Plumbers project

Categories: Scoping/pitching/quoting, Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, CSS-based layout, jQuery/JavaScript, SilverStripe, Large sites

The Gathering Archives

Website: thegathering.co.nz
Client: me
Dates: October 2006 - present
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

In October 2006 I began creating, designing, building and writing The Gathering Archives website and accompanying WordPress blog, with the aim of becoming the authoritative source of information on the history and background of iconic New Zealand dance party, The Gathering. The site is divided into different sections for each of the six Gatherings, and includes facts & figures, media coverage, Gathering artwork, photos, video and film footage, Gatherer stories and maps of the venue for each party. The design for each section is based on the official Gathering artwork from that year. Find out more about the The Gathering Archives project

Categories: Showcase sites, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Webmaster, CSS-based layout, WordPress, No CMS, Large sites

WebWeaver's World

Website: webweaversworld.blogspot.co.nz
Client: me
Dates: May 2006 - present
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

A blog about my passions. May include some or all of the following: geek stuff (web design & development, CSS, accessibility, usability), environmental activism, my adopted home of New Zealand, international & green politics, gardening, cats, literature, rugby, and much more. Find out more about the WebWeaver's World project

Categories: Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Webmaster, CSS-based layout, Blogger, Large sites

WebWeaver Productions (2000-2015)

Website: webweaver.co.nz (site has since been redesigned)
Client: me
Dates: September 2000 - April 2015
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

Commissioned, designed, architecture-d, developed, built, written, edited and project-managed by me. In July 2005 I rebuilt the original tables-based site in pure CSS. It was designed to be fully accessible, displayed a liquid layout with min-width, was written in valid HTML 4.01 Transitional and CSS, and was fully accessibility-tested and displayed consistently across 13 browsers in Mac and PC. I built it using templates and Dreamweaver library items so that I could easily update it and make alterations. Find out more about the WebWeaver Productions (2000-2015) project

Categories: Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Govt web standards tester, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Webmaster, CSS-based layout, jQuery/JavaScript, e-govt/WCAG compliance, No CMS, Large sites

Monkey Records

Website: monkeyrecords.co.nz (site has since been redesigned)
Client: Monkey Records
Dates: July - October 2000
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

The Monkey Records website was an e-commerce venture, with the record label relying on it to provide a large proportion of their CD sales. I designed and built the site, which includes information on all Monkey's recording artists, and a simple shopping cart where visitors could listen to and buy CDs. Find out more about the Monkey Records project

Categories: Scoping/pitching/quoting, Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Content-loader, jQuery/JavaScript, Old-school table layout, No CMS, E-commerce, Small sites

The Gathering

Website: no longer online
Client: The Gathering
Dates: September 1997 - September 2000
My professional status: independent web designer/developer

The Gathering was New Zealand's largest and most well-respected annual dance party. I created, designed, wrote, built and maintained the 900-page multi-award-winning website, giving Gatherers as much information as possible about every aspect of The Gathering, as well as archiving previous parties. Find out more about the The Gathering project

Categories: Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Webmaster, Old-school table layout, No CMS, E-commerce, Large sites

InterLink

Website: no longer online
Client: The British Council
Dates: September 1996 - July 1997
My professional status: contractor at CWA New Media

I developed, designed, built and constantly updated this multi-award-winning website for a ground-breaking project linking 12 pairs of schools in New Zealand and the UK, who worked for 6 months on a range of 70 projects using the internet for trans-global communication - and I also managed the InterLink project itself. Find out more about the InterLink project

Categories: Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Content designer, Website designer, Front-end developer, Writing for the web, Content-loader, Webmaster, Old-school table layout, No CMS, Large sites