Ryan M. Whitehurst
Content Designer, State government
Sacramento, CA · (916) 555 0109 · name@example.com · linkedin.com/in/ryanmwhitehurst
Key Qualifications
EXPERIENCE
Seven years in content design, five in state benefits delivery
INDUSTRIES
State government, public benefits, health coverage
SPECIALTIES
Notice and letter redesign, form content, plain language editing, content audits
SYSTEMS
Figma, Drupal, Google Analytics, Optimal Workshop, Jira, Confluence
CREDENTIALS
Section 508 trusted tester, member of the Center for Plain Language
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in rhetoric, University of California, Davis
Results at a Glance
900,000
Residents and cut
54%
Percent by rewriting
400
Page content library
20
Pages from grade
Executive Summary
Content designer with seven years on public benefits products, five of them inside a state agency. Rewrites the letters, forms and screens that decide whether a resident keeps coverage. Works from usability testing and call center data rather than opinion, and holds every page to Section 508 and plain language standards.
Signature Achievements
- Rewrote the annual renewal notice for a coverage program serving 900,000 residents and cut calls about that notice by 31 percent in the first quarter after release.
- Raised the completion rate on the online application from 54 percent to 72 percent by rewriting question labels and error messages after eight rounds of testing.
- Brought a 400 page content library down to 160 pages by retiring duplicates and merging near identical guidance.
- Moved reading level on the top 20 pages from grade 14 to grade 8 without losing a single legal requirement.
- Wrote the agency content standard now used by four product teams and referenced in every new statement of work.
Professional Experience
Content Designer
California Benefits Access Agency, Sacramento, CA 2021 to present
Digital services division of 60 staff supporting the statewide eligibility and enrollment platform
- Own content for the application, renewal and appeals journeys, working in a team with a designer, a researcher and two engineers.
- Run moderated usability sessions with residents and front line eligibility workers, then bring findings back as concrete wording changes.
- Check every release against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines at level AA and test with screen readers before launch.
- Negotiate wording with program counsel so notices meet due process requirements and still read like a letter from a person.
Content Strategist
Sutter Ridge Communications, Sacramento, CA 2019 to 2021
Agency of 30 people serving hospital systems and county programs in northern California
- Ran content audits for six county web properties and delivered migration plans for each.
- Wrote patient facing instructions for a hospital scheduling tool used at nine clinics.
- Set up a shared style guide that stopped three writers from making the same terminology choices differently.
Licensure and Certification
Section 508 trusted tester certification
Member, Center for Plain Language
Education
Bachelor of Arts in rhetoric, University of California, Davis, 2019
Core Skills
Plain language writing · Notice and letter design · Usability testing · Content audits · Section 508 accessibility · Figma · Drupal · Content standards · Editing for reading level · Working with program counsel