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 Indigo—Canada’s leading book and lifestyle retailer, and logistics giant Purolator. My UX writing for this project included product and solution pages, “about” pages, blog posts, white papers, and press releases.
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 SaaS product launches.
Approach
At Tulip, despite having a UX-related role, I was part of the marketing team as the company didn’t have an experience design (XD) team. I started by getting aquainted with my team members, which included the Demand Generation Manager, the Digital Marketing Manager, a Senior Graphic Designer, and my manager, the Senior VP of Marketing and Business Development. For this website redesign project, I:
Helped develop the information architecture (IA) and content backbone of the site, and designed the resulting navigation.
Worked with multiple SaaS product and solution owners to gather and prioritize content for static webpages
Rewrote and/or edited ALL product, solution, and "about" copy while achieving buy-in on the company's desired new brand voice
Ensured all copy was written so it was easily understood by users of all reading levels, including English as a second language (ESL)—while maintaining flawless grammar.
Wrote concise, informative microcopy, helper text, and CTAs to encourage users to take the next step in the journey to conversion.
Established an iterative process with stakeholders to accurately communicate their ideas while keeping user experience as the top priority
Successfully defended content choices and and worked with legal and compliance teams to produce fully accurate and accessible content
I was also able to leverage AI to brainstorm variations, proof for consistency, and speed the process.
Impact
Once complete, the new website was an informative, compelling tool that showcased all things Tulip with structure and content designed to keep growing.
Every SaaS product and solution was given its own page and content design to communicate details, benefits, statistics, FAQs, video, related blog posts, and an opportunity to book a demo—no more shared pages.
Each product and service owner now has their own page to direct/link potential new clients to without having to add cumbersome instructions about where to find relevant content
Google is now able to index pages more accurately and display them in search engine results pages (SERPs)—SEO became the byproduct of good IA and content design
The content was designed mobile-first using Figma to ensure readability and an exceptional user experience on all devices
My suggestion to use "eyebrow" copy for product and service names allowed for more impactful headings
With the new structure and navigation, Tulip is able to easily add new pages and content as new products and solutions roll out.
There's now a logical online home to showcase its numerous awards, along with all the benefits and perks of becoming a Tulip employee.
The new website gives this massively successful, Canadian-based SaaS company, room to keep growing.
Final thoughts
Tulip was my first opportunity to work for a SaaS company—and my first exposure to what a genuinely progressive organization can look like in practice. It was also the first place I’d worked where supporting work–life balance wasn’t a perk or a slogan, but a deeply embedded part of the company’s culture.
As a remote-first company with a true Work From Anywhere program, generous vacation policies from day one, and thoughtful benefits like an extra day off for your birthday, Tulip was doing these things well before the pandemic—and continued even as many organizations reverted to measuring productivity by proximity. At Tulip, putting employees first wasn’t reactive or performative; it was foundational.
Just as importantly, I had the chance to collaborate with an exceptionally talented and passionate group of people, working on products and services that are genuinely reshaping the retail experience. I ultimately left Tulip for reasons unrelated to the work itself, and I’d welcome the opportunity to be part of that team again in the future.
"I had the pleasure of working with Colin at Tulip, where his content expertise made my job as a demand generation manager significantly easier. Colin was my go-to partner for campaign copy, website content, and email writing. What set him apart was his ability to quickly understand what I needed and deliver copy that actually worked (no endless revision cycles, no missing the mark). He had a knack for providing me direction when I wasn't sure where to go next. Someone who is always willing to listen and share their thoughts. Beyond the quality of his work, Colin was simply easy to collaborate with. He was responsive, reliable, and always willing to jump in when deadlines were tight. Any experience design team would be lucky to have someone with his combination of writing skill and collaborative approach. I'd happily work with Colin again and recommend him without reservation."
Jackson Tarrant – Demand Generation Manager @ Tulip