Why Content Design is like baking chocolate chip cookies
Preface
I’ve come to appreciate an unintended ritual at home. When I head downstairs, I often find my wife watching cooking or baking-related shows on TV. Her favorite is watching YouTube segments from Bon Appetit. On one particular day, I sat down on the couch next to her, curious to see what she was watching.
It was a segment on how to bake chocolate chip cookies. It featured Rick Martinez (former senior food editor, Bon Appetit) passionately explaining his recipe for his “favorite cookie on this earth.”
I watched and listened intently.
The next segment featured Chris Morocco (former senior food editor, Bon Appetit), who expressed his conviction for striving to achieve a “crispy, chewy, having like a crisp edge… that fades into a gooey-chewy center” cookie (whew!).
But what drew me in was the segment with Claire Saffitz (former senior food editor, Bon Appetit). Unlike the other recipes, Claire’s approach connected most with me. That’s because her recipe included milk chocolate alongside the usual dark or semisweet varieties. She didn’t care that chocolate purists may “look down” on milk chocolate. That “twist” had me nodding and agreeing with what she said. It also got me thinking about how the smallest, most thoughtful details can transform something familiar into something extraordinary.
Content design and baking chocolate chip cookies may seem worlds apart, but they share striking parallels in process, creativity, and outcome. Both require a blend of precision and artistry to produce something delicious (I mean, delightful), whether it’s a perfectly written piece of content, or a batch of warm, gooey cookies. Let’s dive into why content design is like baking chocolate chip cookies.
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1. The recipe is your strategy
In both baking and content design, a good result starts with a well-thought-out plan. For cookies, it’s a recipe: A step-by-step guide outlining the ingredients and their proportions. In content design, the recipe is the strategy: Understanding the problem, business goals, target audience, and constraints. A solid strategy ensures consistency and sets the foundation for success.
2. Ingredients = content elements
Every chocolate chip cookie requires a mix of ingredients: Flour, sugar, butter, eggs, chocolate chips, and so on. Each ingredient has a specific purpose—flour provides structure, butter adds richness, and chocolate chips elevate the flavor. In content design, the elements like voice, tone, and information architecture each play a crucial role in shaping the product experience. The real magic happens when the elements all work together in harmony.
3. Quality matters
Would you use stale chocolate chips or low-quality butter? Okay, maybe you would if you weren’t going for quality; but generally speaking, most wouldn’t (fingers crossed). The same principle applies to content design. Quality inputs lead to quality outcomes. Whether it’s user research, brand voice attributes, customer feedback—the ingredients you use in content design affects the final result. Skimping on quality will likely lead to a product experience that doesn’t connect with your audience.
4. Measure and mix thoughtfully
In baking chocolate chip cookies, carefully measuring and mixing the dry and wet ingredients ensures the cookie dough comes together just right. Over mix, and you might get tough cookies; under mix your browned butter with heavy whipping cream that’s over an ice bowl, and you get solid chunks—which isn’t a good thing, by the way. Similarly, content design requires a balanced approach. Overloading a page with information will overwhelm the user, while not enough content or context could leave them running for the hills.
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5. Iteration is key
The first time you bake cookies, they might not be perfect. Too crispy, a tad undercooked, not butterscotch-y enough. No need to fret. Next time, just tweak the recipe and try again. Content design thrives on iteration. For example, user feedback and testing can help refine the content until it meets user needs and achieves your business goals. Both cookies and content improve when you’re open to making adjustments.
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Side note: When I was creating my cookie dough, I had to iterate because I didn’t have enough brown sugar. So I ended up using mostly white granulated sugar. After baking (see the image I used for this article), the cookies still tasted delicious! And I’m not tooting my own horn. That’s according to three different neighbors to whom I gave the cookies. Next time, we’ll see how they taste after I iterate again and use more brown sugar.
6. The finished product is delightful
When done right, chocolate chip cookies bring smiles to faces. They’re satisfying and memorable. With great content design, your content solves a user’s problem, answers their questions, or guides them effortlessly—creating a positive experience that builds trust and loyalty with customers.
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YouTube video segment links
Here they are in case you’re interested in checking them out. They inspired me to draw a connection between baking chocolate chip cookies and content design.