Hello! You can call me Vern.
I'm a Content Designer who fixes the words in SaaS products so their users actually know how to use them. Then I build the content systems to make sure it stays fixed.
Work I've done
Goal Types & OKR Modeling
Atlassian
A new goal type system that brought OKR support to Atlassian's Goals app.
Teamwork Collection Onboarding
Atlassian
End-to-end onboarding content for the launch of a new multi-app bundle.
Risk Agent Workflow
Atlassian
An agentic Rovo workflow that turns logged risks into actionable, auto-generated summaries.
Behavioral Load-Shaping Emails
Opower
An email series designed to shift real-world energy use for utility customers.
Textbook Solutions
Course Hero
Search-optimized textbook descriptions written without access to the source texts.
Copywriting Samples
QuinStreet
A selection of banners, emails, social media posts, and landing pages I wrote for a performance marketing agency.
Skills I've developed
Content & Writing
Strategy & Systems
Research & Leadership
AI & Emerging Tech
Tools I've used
Figma
- Worked with designers to insert UX writing into screens and flows
- Iterated on UI screens with different interactions and content
- Created click-through prototypes and presentation materials
Replit
- Used to prototype flows and UI contexts
- Created interactive visuals to convey complicated concepts
v0
- Used to prototype flows and UI contexts
Claude
- Built agents with context to perform specific actions
- Used MCP connections to build automation triggers and flows
- Refined this portfolio using Claude Code and deployed changes to repo
Atlassian Suite
- Extensive experience using Jira, Confluence, Goals, Projects, Teams, Bitbucket, and Focus
- Have an innate understanding of how apps connect
- Intimately familiar with Admin and End User surfaces
Google Suite
- Career-long experience using Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Drive
Notion
- Used to build portfolio site
- Crafted relational databases in Notion in personal settings
Contentful
- Owned the full Platform Experiences support document set.
- Led a content uplift program that resolved 50+ feedback tickets and increased overall helpfulness rating by 18%.
- Drove a 60+ document migration from Intercom to Contentful.
VS Code
- Experience using VS Code to edit text strings and other minor UI elements
- Familiarity with basic git usage, plus the commit and PR processes
Github
- Viewed and managed files in a repo
- Reviewed pull requests and commits
- Light git work editing files in a repository
Places I've worked
01A
AtlassianSenior Content Designer, Content DesignerJul 2021 – Mar 2026
Owned content strategy and wrote all UX content for four platform apps: Home, Goals, Projects, and Teams.
Drove content for internal resources and procedures for products onboarding to the Atlassian platform. Later, moved to the Teams feature team and eventually Atlas.
02O
Opower / Oracle UtilitiesWeb Content Specialist (Contract), UX WriterApr 2017 – Jun 2025
Part-time contract role brought on to help a former colleague with content quality checks and management for Opower's tip library of 300+ existing energy efficiency tips.
Led content strategy in a regulated utilities environment, applying behavioral science to drive energy-saving behavior.
03CH
Course HeroWeb/SEO Content Writer (Contract)Oct 2019 – Apr 2020
Wrote SEO-driven content for the Textbook Solutions product, plus question revisions to improve search rankings for the solutions.
04Q
QuinStreetCopywriting Manager, UX CopywriterFeb 2014 – Mar 2017
Continued copywriting duties, while managing team workflows and mentoring other copywriters.
Developed content experience for several energy efficiency products designed to encourage behavior change, including the flagship Home Energy Report and the Behavior Load-Shaping email series.
More about me
I have been in the UX Writing / Content Design space for over 12 years, working mostly at B2B SaaS companies. I've had several titles over the years, but at the core of it, I translate complex software language in clear, consistent content that scales.
I did this most recently at Atlassian, where I built content systems for their platform apps (FKA Atlas). I was responsible for content across the Home, Goals, Projects, and Teams platform apps, and had to build systems that were rigid enough to create consistency across the experiences but flexible enough to suit each app's needs.
When I'm not doing content stuff, I'm a father/butler to two small children for a majority of my time. I enjoy cooking both as a hobby and a survival skill, often cooking with my daughters on the weekend. When I find some free time, I like to enjoy a good couch RPG or a meaty puzzle game I can sink my teeth into.
In any case, I'm open and ready to work. Just give me a shout and let me know how I can help.
