Content Author
Responsibilities Mapping
Content Authoring
Content Creation is often used in marketing, but can also be a task assigned to a role within a product team. Content creation involves defining a content strategy, the writing or creation of the content or media for a product. The person who authors the content is responsible for making sure that content is accessible to people with disabilities.
Key Deliverables
- Body copy, managed content, scripts
- Taxonomies
- Writing guidelines
- Media files, including PDF, audio and video
- Etc.
Tasks include
- Content authoring
- Media and documentation creation
- Content strategies definition
- Etc.
Example job titles for this role
Content Strategist, Content Creator, Content Designer, Content Author, Digital Copywriter, UX Writer, Content Producer, Technical Writer, Information Developer, Content Developer
Content Author Checkpoints: Starter List
Here is a list of checkpoints for Content Authors to get started. If these design checkpoints aren't met, your content - and lack of accessible content like alt text, captions, transcripts etc. - can cause significant barriers to users.
This list is taken from the full list of Content Author checkpoints.
For all role checkpoints, see the [Checkpoint Full List].
| ID | WCAG SC | Conformance Level | Content Type | Checkpoint | Main Role | Role Ownership | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Secondary | Contributor(s) | ||||||
| IMG-002 | 1.1.1 | A | Images and Graphs | Informative images are described with a clear and meaningful text equivalent (alt attribute or other equivalent means). | Author | Content Authoring | none | none |
| IMG-008 | 1.1.1 | A | Images and Graphs | The purpose or function of complex images is accurately described in text. | Author | Content Authoring | UX Design | none |
| IMG-010 | 1.1.1 | A | Images and Graphs | The full explanation of complex images is accurately described in text. | Author | Content Authoring | none | none |
| TAB-015 | 1.3.1 | A | Data Tables | A meaningful description of the structure of data tables is provided. | Author | Content Authoring | UX Design | none |
| SCT-007 | 1.3.1 | A | Static Content | The headings used in a page provide a logical outline for the document. | Author | Content Authoring | UX Design | none |
| SEM-023 | 2.4.6 | AA | Document Structure | The main heading of the page describes the content of the page. | Author | Content Authoring | none | none |
| SEM-022 | 2.4.6 | AA | Document Structure | Heading text meaningfully describes the content's topic or purpose. | Author | Content Authoring | none | none |
| SEM-020 | 2.4.2 | A | Document Structure | Pages are described using unique and descriptive page title values. | Author | Content Authoring | none | none |
| NAV-018 | 2.4.4 | A | Navigation | Link text and alternate text for images, when used as links, describe the destination or purpose of the link. | Author | Content Authoring | none | none |
| FRM-016 | 2.4.6 | AA | Form Interactions | The purpose of the form control is clearly described in text. | Author | Content Authoring | UX Design | none |
| FRM-033 | 3.3.3 | AA | Images and Graphs | Error messages returned provide clear instructions on how to fix them. | Author | Content Authoring | UX Design | none |
| ANM-007 | 1.2.2 | A | Animations | Synchronized captions are provided for all prerecorded video content. | Author | Content Authoring | UX Design | none |
| ANM-001 | 1.2.1 | A | Animations | Text transcripts are provided for prerecorded audio files. | Author | Content Authoring | UX Design | none |
| ANM-002 | 1.2.1 | A | Animations | Text transcripts are provided for prerecorded video-only files. | Author | Content Authoring | UX Design | none |
| ANM-010 | 1.2.3 | A | Animations | Text transcripts report all significant information from the audio track. | Author | Content Authoring | none | none |
Case Study: How to use the Starter List
A good way to get familiar with the checkpoints is to do a short case study. Think about how you might tackle the checkpoint in your role.
Then, think of how meeting this checkpoint impacts an end user.
Checkpoint:
IMG-002: Informative images are described with a clear and meaningful text equivalent (alt attribute or other equivalent means).
Primary Role: Content Author
"As the primary owner of this checkpoint, I will ensure that any images that contain information or represent an action or a symbol for the user, and are not just decorative - have a descriptive and meaningful text alternative that will be announced by screen reader software."
Secondary Role: None
There is no secondary owner of this checkpoint.
Contributor Role: None
There is no additional contributor for this checkpoint.
End user persona: Ilya, a senior staff member who is blind
Ilya is blind and uses a screen reader (speech-to-text software) and keyboard to navigate web pages. She uses websites daily for research and financial transactions. This design checkpoint ensures she isn't confused by an unexpected behaviour, i.e., when her keyboard focus lands on a button for the first time and content is announced automatically or the button automatically opens another page.
The intent of the checkpoint is to ensure that functionality is predictable as visitors navigate their way through a document.
This checkpoint helps people with visual disabilities, cognitive limitations, and motor impairments by reducing the chance that a change of context will occur unexpectedly.
Read Ilya's full story and learn about other design checkpoints that benefit users like her.
Resources
- Use the Alt Text Decision Tree to help decide if an image needs a description.
- Use the Tips for Writing to get started.
- Review the Images Tutorial for guidance on different types of images.
Exercise: Role-based Decision Tree Example
Who is the primary owner of checkpoint IMG-002?
Let's get started on IMG-002: Informative images are described with a clear and meaningful text equivalent (alt attribute or other equivalent means).
Using the Role-based Decision Tree, let's see how we might assign ownership.
No. Business Analysts are not concerned with such issues.
Step B: Is this checkpoint about content authoring?
Yes. This checkpoint is to ensure that visual content - graphics, icons, images, logos, etc. - have a descriptive and meaningful text alternative to convey the same information that's being presented visually. A Content Author is also sometimes responsible for a copy deck, spreadsheet or document that outlines the alt text for images and ideally they will store this in the same place as the images (i.e. an asset library) so it's readily available.
Step C: Is this checkpoint about UX design?
No.
Step D: Is this checkpoint about visual design?
No. Though these checkpoints are about images presented, it is clearly about the text describing them. It's not the Visual Designer's role to author the text or in this case; they would have chosen the image, but it's not their responsibility to manage text alternatives.
Step E: Is this checkpoint about front-end development?
No.
Step F: Is this checkpoint about testing?
No.
This exercise ends at Step B because it's been determined that the primary owner of the checkpoint is the Content Author.
Does this checkpoint require a secondary owner?
No. This checkpoint is specifically about selecting descriptive text for images that have already been chosen by the Visual Designer. This is a task solely for the Content Author.
Does this checkpoint require a contributor?
no.
Try it for yourself!
Try the exercise with another checkpoint from the Starter List above.
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