Writing & Content Strategy Portfolio

Mac McDonough

Bryan, TX [email protected]

I'm a writer and content strategist with a background in language, rhetoric, and content operations.  At ProQuest I built UX documentation, internal knowledge bases, and content systems for cross-functional teams — including a SharePoint site, an Airtable database for accessibility workflows, and structured documentation that made complex internal processes navigable for non-technical colleagues. These samples demonstrate how I think about language, structure, and audience across different content contexts — all oriented toward SaaS and tech products.

01
UX Copy Rewrite

LibreOffice First-Launch Experience

Context: Real first-launch onboarding dialog from LibreOffice — analyzing how copy and interface structure fail new users before they've written a single word, and rewriting for clarity and low friction
Before
Welcome to LibreOffice!

Options: Standard Toolbar / Tabbed / Single Toolbar / Sidebar / Tabbed Compact / Groupedbar Compact / Contextual Single

Preview: a three-item menu bar. Buttons: Apply / Next.
After
How do you want your toolbar to look?

Pick what feels right — you can change this any time in View → User Interface.

Classic / Tabbed / Minimal / Not sure (we'll use Classic for now)
What changed: Seven jargon-labeled options became four plain-language choices. Labels name what each option does for the user, not what it's called in the codebase. A reversibility signal ("you can change this any time") converts a commitment into a preference. A "not sure" option removes pressure entirely.
View full rewrite: LibreOffice Onboarding →
02
Content Audit

Ubuntu Official Documentation Audit

Context: Real content audit of Ubuntu's official documentation — examining content currency, plain language, and information architecture across the upgrade docs and landing page
Ubuntu Official Documentation — Upgrade Docs & Landing Page

This audit examines the Ubuntu documentation landing page and upgrade documentation — a high-traffic entry point for users making consequential decisions about their systems. Five findings across three categories: content currency, plain language clarity, and information architecture.

  • Broken PDF links on the documentation landing page — immediate trust erosion at the entry point
  • Last-edited timestamps revealing years of neglect, including a 2019 date on upgrade-critical content
  • Upgrade instructions referencing end-of-life versions as current examples — actively misleading for users on current releases
  • Writing that assumes a technical baseline mismatched to the likely audience
  • Page naming that reflects internal taxonomy rather than user intent
View full audit: Ubuntu Official Documentation →
03
Research Brief

The Blank Slate Problem: Why Feature-Rich Tools Lose Users Before They Begin

Context: UX research brief analyzing Obsidian's first-launch experience and the broader pattern of onboarding failure in complex productivity software — drawing on direct observation and behavioral research
Research Brief — Obsidian Onboarding
Primary subject
Obsidian (v1.x)
Scope
First-launch UX + behavioral research
Output
Five actionable recommendations

The Problem

New users don't know what they want from a tool until they've had a chance to figure it out. Onboarding that front-loads configuration assumes the opposite — and loses users at the exact moment they most need to succeed. Obsidian is a powerful, genuinely useful note-taking tool. It's also a near-perfect case study in what happens when a product is built by and for people who already know what they want — and the onboarding reflects that.

Key findings

  • "Where do you want to save your vault?" — The first question Obsidian asks uses unexplained internal jargon before the user has any context for it. "Vault" means something specific here — and something different in other tools the user may have encountered.
  • The blank interface. After the vault question, the user lands in an empty workspace with no prompt and no suggested first action. Customization requires knowing what you want, which requires knowing what's possible — neither of which the new user has been given.
  • The graph view. One of Obsidian's most compelling features is meaningless until the user has a body of notes to connect. Showing it to a new user generates interest the product can't yet deliver on.
  • The folder problem. Basic organizational tasks require more time to figure out than the tasks themselves justify. The interface isn't broken — it's not explained.

Recommendations

  • Replace "vault" with plain language at first launch — introduce the concept after the user has a working environment
  • Give the blank slate a starting point — a single suggested first action closes the gap between landing and doing
  • Defer the graph view until the user has enough notes for it to mean something
  • Name the learning curve honestly — frame it as an investment, not a tax
  • Design the first-launch experience for the user who just installed it, not the one who's been using it for six months
Welcome the user you have. Not the one you wish had shown up.
View full brief: The Blank Slate Problem →
04
Style Guide

Scrivener: Voice, Structure & Content

Context: A content style guide prepared as a consultant review for Literature & Latte's Scrivener product site — addressing voice consistency, audience positioning, structural problems, and recommended rewrites across nine sections
Current — heading as label
Piece it Together

Switch instantly between editing your manuscript one section at a time and together as a whole...
Recommended — heading as proposition
Piece it Together: See the Forest, the Trees, and Everything in Between

Switch instantly between editing your writing one section at a time and together as a whole...
Core proposition: Every word should be load-bearing. If it can be removed without losing meaning, remove it. The guide covers nine areas — voice consistency, terminology, audience positioning, metaphor, headings, the SEO section, structure, and typography — each with findings and specific recommendations.
View full style guide: Scrivener →
05
UX Copy Analysis

Thumbtack for Pros: Talking About Users vs. Talking to Them

Context: Speculative analysis of Thumbtack's pro-facing marketing page — identifying where the copy performs understanding of its users without demonstrating it, with a before/after rewrite of the core benefit section
Current copy
We limit competition for each job among pros.
Easily request and receive payments from customers.
We match you with jobs that exactly fit your preferences.
You get conversations with real customers. Not just views.
Proposed rewrite
Fair terms for you, the customer, and the platform. No surprises.
Leads for the kind of work you want. Consistently.
Quote, message, and close jobs from one place.
You get conversations with real customers. Not just views.
The diagnosis: The page talks about what pros get. It doesn't talk about what pros need to hear to sign up and stick around. Each proposed line answers a question a pro is asking: will the terms be fair, will I get real work, can I figure this thing out, can I get paid.
View full analysis: Thumbtack for Pros →