• Content Strategy Playbook

  • A scalable system for unified content standards at uwmedicine.org

Quick snapshot

  • Role: Lead Content Strategist

  • Team: Digital Experience, Marketing, WebOps, SEO
    Duration: Oct 2024 – June 2025

  • Role: Lead Content Strategist

  • Team: Digital Experience, Marketing, WebOps, SEO
    Duration: Oct 2024 – May 2025

Summary

A system-wide content strategy framework built to align teams, standardize guidance, and support scalable, inclusive UX writing across UW Medicine’s digital ecosystem.

Key impact

  • Referenced in 25+ projects in the first 3 months

  • Used by 5+ cross-functional teams to guide strategy and standards

  • Reduced content review cycle time by ~30%

  • Now used in onboarding and training across the UX content team

Overview

As uwmedicine.org scaled to support more clinics, specialties, and system-level goals, content fragmentation became a risk to clarity, trust, and operational efficiency. I led the creation of a unified Content Strategy Playbook — a modular, system-level guide that defines how we write, who we write for, and how we measure success.


This living resource helps teams produce accessible, aligned, and user-first content — without reinventing standards for every project. It has become a central tool for onboarding, triaging requests, and cross-team collaboration.

The Challenge

01

No centralized standards or shared goals for digital content

02

Style, tone, and editorial decisions varied across teams

03

No clear metrics framework for measuring content success

My Role

  • Structured and authored the playbook’s five core sections

  • Synthesized inputs from brand, SEO, accessibility, analytics, and design systems

  • Led alignment workshops and async reviews across 10+ stakeholder groups

  • Designed modular sections that could function as training, reference, and strategy foundation

  • Integrated inclusive language principles and WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards

  • Positioned the playbook as both content infrastructure and governance tool

Process

1. Define the Compass

Mapped business goals to content objectives for four key audiences: Patients & Families, Medical Professionals, Job Seekers, Students & Faculty.


2. Codify the Standards

Established rules for tone, accuracy, accessibility, review, and legal compliance — balancing flexibility with clarity.


3. Build Measurement Models

Developed frameworks that connect KPIs, metrics, and measurement methods (analytics, heuristics, user feedback) for each core audience.


4. Establish Core Principles

Authored values-based guidance around inclusion, health equity, voice, and content consistency — aligned with brand and accessibility teams.


5. Collaborate + Launch

Facilitated cross-functional reviews, integrated stakeholder feedback, and released the playbook in modular, digestible chapters.

Results

Outcome

Detail

Projects referencing Playbook (first 3 months)

Projects referencing Playbook

(first 3 months)

25+

25+

Internal teams using Playbook

Internal teams using Playbook

5+ (UX, WebOps, SEO, Marketing, Strategy)

5+ (UX, WebOps, SEO,

Marketing, Strategy)

Reduction in content review/approval time

Reduction in content

review/approval time

~30%

~30%

New hires onboarded using Playbook

New hires onboarded using Playbook

100% of new content team members since launch

100% of new content team

members since launch

“This gave us a shared language for content. It’s become our team’s source of truth.” — UX Lead, Design Systems

Takeaways

01

Scalable content systems require both shared values and clear workflows

02

Standards succeed when they're built with flexibility and real-world context

03

A content playbook isn’t documentation — it’s infrastructure for how your org communicates

alix.medler@gmail.com

Alix Medler © 2025 All rights reserved.

alix.medler@gmail.com

Alix Medler © 2025 All rights reserved.

alix.medler@gmail.com

Alix Medler © 2025 All rights reserved.