Content design & UX writing for Tulip
I was the lead content designer/UX writer during Tulip’s website redesign. The entire site was being rebuilt to coincide with a number of new product launches and new clients coming on board. Tulip was in a period of rapid growth and wanted a more professional method of showcasing their work and company awards.
Tulip is a Canadian software as a service (SaaS) company based in Kitchener, Ontario. They supply retail software solutions such as clienteling, point-of-sale, and online assisted selling to high end fashion retailers like Jimmy Choo and Saks Fifth Avenue, plus other retailers like Indigo and logistics companies like Purolator. My UX writing for this project included product and solution pages, “about” pages, blog posts, and press releases.
The site has changed some since I worked there, but the bulk of my UX writing is still working for them.
Challenges
- Designing navigation and gaining agreement on page headings from marketing stakeholders while keeping UX as the highest priority.
- Writing while balancing the communication styles of multiple SaaS product owners.
- Encouraging subject matter experts to submit draft content in time for rewriting, editing, and publishing during a phased launch.
- Making sure all site content was fully accessible and WCAG compliant.
- Maintaining a consistent brand voice across all Saas products and solutions.
All of this had to be balanced with tight deadlines and multiple new product launches.
Approach
I started by meeting with underwriters (the subject matter experts), and the two UX designers I’d be working with daily, as well as the legal/compliance team and an accessibilty expert to understand direction. Then I:
Helped prioritize content and streamline the applicant's potentially long journey
Worked with the development team to negate the need for gender neutrality by using the applicant's name throughout the process
Rewrote ALL of the application's previously existing copy to be concise, accessible, empathetic, and grammatically perfect
Added microcopy—button labels, error messages, field instructions—and helper text wherever the applicant might need assistance
Created opportunities for the applicant to pause and pick up the application process at a later time
I was also able to leverage AI to brainstorm variations, proof for consistency, and speed the process.
Impact
The resulting EOI application is a product that benefits applicants, their employers, and Sun Life itself.
Applicants now have a streamlined journey to seeking employer-sponsored benefits.
The process of determining eligibility is now a personalized, accessible, and empathetic experience.
Much of the content logic and copy was unexpectedly carried over to the paper EOI application.
Sun Life has enabled 50,000+ organizations and tens of millions of potential applicants with a smoother EOI process.
The online EOI application is now is use by organizations across all 50 states in the U.S.
Final thoughts
With teammates in Boston, Dallas, and New York City, and me in Peterborough, this project proved how powerful true remote collaboration can be. We synced almost daily, problem-solved in real time, and kept momentum high through weekly stakeholder reviews.
The team’s skill, speed, and commitment made the work a joy. Sun Life set the bar for what great collaboration feels like, and I’d gladly partner with them again.
“I had the pleasure of working with Colin on a very large project - think 100+ copy heavy screens. We had two designers on the project, working as fast as we could. The subject matter was lots of medical questions, some of which could be very sensitive. We knew that we needed a writer to come in and help us to make sense of it all. Colin was able to join the project, get up to speed quickly, and start contributing almost right away. We were working against the clock and for every hour Colin put in he probably saved us 2 hours that it would have taken us to do the same thing.”
Nathan Renihan – User Experience Designer @ Sun Life