Case study
Redesigning the language and content paths in Meta's advertising tools so people spending their own money could do it with confidence.
Facebook's new profile experience let entrepreneurs and creators promote their brand through advertising. But small business owners were not confident about running ads. The language and structure of the product had been designed around Facebook's internal terminology, not around how business owners actually thought about advertising.
User research revealed business owners were confused by terminology and could not find advertising tools where they expected them.
Through research and interviews, I identified two core problems.
Creator-centric language did not resonate. A button that said "Promote" sounded vague and passive. Business owners who wanted to advertise were looking for direct, action-oriented language. They did not think of advertising as "promoting." They thought of it as creating an ad.
Navigation did not match mental models. Business admins expected to find ad tools under "Tools" and were frustrated not to find them there. The navigation did not match their expectation of where advertising belongs.
I contributed to this 8-week remote project and collaborated closely with product design and engineers.
The project moved from user interviews through friction identification, design exploration, and launch in 8 weeks.
I observed interviews with small businesses to understand their vocabulary and expectations. I then went through the advertising flow with engineers to identify different scenarios that would cause friction. Working with my product design partner, I proposed terminology changes, alternate paths to resolution, and education content during different parts of the flow.
The existing interface used language that did not match how business owners talked about advertising.
Working with my product design partner, I proposed four key changes.
Four targeted language and navigation changes removed the friction stopping business owners from acting.
Business owners should not have to be experts at advertising. Clear language and education helps them learn while doing.
When someone is deciding how to spend their money, the language around them needs to be clear, direct, and aligned with how they think. Content design is not just about clarity for its own sake. It is about building the confidence people need to act, especially when the stakes are financial and the person is not an expert.