Fixing 6K errors in 31
languages for WhatsApp

High-level synopsis

250

The approximate number of errors addressed in every sprint through the content quality review program.

2 Billion

Global monthly platform users affected by our quality program improvements to the in-app, desktop, and web-based UX.

60+

Potential instances and variants for each content source. Including platform, language, use case bucket, channel.

The problem

Content quality issues lead to higher customer support costs

One in-app response may cause problems for users in Brazil. Another may show quality concerns for Android users. Other content may have universal issues. Our CMS needs to be updated every time there is an interface update on a third-party platform. We needed to log, analyze, fix, and scale solutions for these issues.
What's causing specific content to perform with less success than other content? Is it technical, grammatical, is it unclear to different reader groups? How severe are issues that are driving these poor performance metrics? Do they need to be addressed immediately? How can we create a continuous improvement workflow for documenting, prioritizing, addressing, and testing help center content? 

My role

A contingent contractor integrated within  the internal team. I edited and scored the content, managed collaborative review, and  drove the quality review  revisions so that the workflow could scale.

We launched the project from the content strategist perspective. I reviewed the content, scored it, managed the SME and stakeholder tasks and epics (ex. localization scheduling). I also helped define useful metrics, develop and execute  a priority matrix, and present the project to management.
Update the XML, style, grammar, metadata, and platform-specific content types and relationships. Update content to adhere to the style guide and, when necessary, update the style guide (AI icons for instance).  Update to reflect UI updates on different platforms. Rewrite UX copy to accommodate new product iterations, user flows, and updates to application interfaces.

Adaptable, collaborative, detailed

Meaningful contributions to the project goal

Driven by engagement and performance metrics, we systematically addressed content: Where were the most issues by our metrics? That seemed like the best place to start. But, as a new process, we didn't get it perfect the first try. It took several iterations.  Also, input from several team members. Working with content strategy and business analyst managers, I updated the audit scope and launched improvements. My input made the process more efficient and thorough.

Audit process for cleaning up help center content

Grammar: Adherence to style guide and rules of grammar.
User Interface: The steps laid out in the article actually work, are accurate. Changed icons, labels are correct. Functionality vetted.
Readability: Adherence to  in-house readability and sentence-length rules.
XML: Content components populate correctly. Headings, alt text follow prtotocols. Also, the bolds are bolded and not emphasized.
Metadata: Keywords are applied and the right template is used.

Manage stakeholders, collaborate with SMEs

Different changes to different composable content pieces required different approvals. Managing approvals from privacy, legal, integrity, product, design, operations, engineering, and localization as a contingent worker without authority took tact, respect, resourcefulness, and persistence.  

Cross-channel CCMS 
structured workflow

We worked with several applications to complete the audit, edit, review, and publish process—from Google Forms to cross-platform UI testing tools. Mostly, we worked with proprietary apps like the CCMS that WhatsApp uses to localize, componentize, and model content across different outputs.

Impact & lessons learned

As a content strategist and designer, this was an enriching experience. I learned new content frameworks from a powerhouse tech firm and am able to integrate new ways of content optimization into my current workflow.  I also got to work with some very smart people who were gracious and taught me a lot.
Through this project, I improved my localization skills and workflow understanding. I added new areas to my collaborative workflow, like integrity and privacy reviews. I also learned how to manage without authority, getting approvals and sign-offs so projects stayed on schedule.

"Matthew and I worked together for over 2 years at WhatsApp, specifically focusing on Content Quality Evaluation. As the Program Manager for this program, I was impressed at the level of detail, high standards and flexibility he displayed at all times. His principles and professionalism were always evident, and he pushed the program further by providing really actionable feedback when needed. Last but not least, Matt is a great person to work with, and I would not hesitate to work with him in the future again or recommend him for positions he would be a good fit for!"

Ana Charuff

Quality Ops Program Manager, Meta

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