Open to senior content design roles
Open to senior content design roles
I make complex products make sense.
I make complex products make sense.
I make complex products make sense.
I am Content Designer at IBM working on webMethods API Gateway and IBM integration platform. In 4 years, I've shipped UX writing, technical documentation and content strategy for developer and enterprise tools, contributed to the Carbon Design System, and built systems (guidelines, audit, IA models, terminology standards) so quality becomes the norm.
I am Content Designer at IBM working on webMethods API Gateway and IBM integration platform. In 4 years, I've shipped UX writing, technical documentation and content strategy for developer and enterprise tools, contributed to the Carbon Design System, and built systems (guidelines, audit, IA models, terminology standards) so quality becomes the norm.
01
↗
400+ pages
Documentation restructured and remediated across two merged webMethods libraries
02
↗
45+ terms
Entries in the terminology and inclusive-language standard I wrote and own
03
↗
28-person team
Writers and designers working to that standard, enforced by templates rather than reminders
04
↗
10+ teams
Product writing teams across the webMethods suite that adopted the task-based IA model I built
Selected work
Some of the things
I've worked on.
Some of the things
I've worked on.
IBM WEBMETHODS · POST-MERGER
Building an accessibility and inclusive content system
A full content audit across 400+ pages, a short set of IA principles the team could apply without me, then a rebuild organised around user tasks instead of legacy product boundaries, shipped without pausing active documentation work.
IBM WEBMETHODS · POST-MERGER
Building an accessibility and inclusive content system
A full content audit across 400+ pages, a short set of IA principles the team could apply without me, then a rebuild organised around user tasks instead of legacy product boundaries, shipped without pausing active documentation work.
IBM WEBMETHODS · POST-MERGER
Building an accessibility and inclusive content system
A full content audit across 400+ pages, a short set of IA principles the team could apply without me, then a rebuild organised around user tasks instead of legacy product boundaries, shipped without pausing active documentation work.
IBM WEBMETHODS · ACCESSIBILITY
Rebuilding information architecture for scannability
Fix the language in existing text first, then build alt text, colour, icon and ARIA conventions into how new visuals get made, so accessibility stopped being a page-by-page judgement call and became the default.
IBM WEBMETHODS · ACCESSIBILITY
Rebuilding information architecture for scannability
Fix the language in existing text first, then build alt text, colour, icon and ARIA conventions into how new visuals get made, so accessibility stopped being a page-by-page judgement call and became the default.
IBM WEBMETHODS · ACCESSIBILITY
Rebuilding information architecture for scannability
Fix the language in existing text first, then build alt text, colour, icon and ARIA conventions into how new visuals get made, so accessibility stopped being a page-by-page judgement call and became the default.
IBM API CONTROL PLANE · ONBOARDING
Explaining an invisible product with a 15-panel comic
The old intro was an architecture diagram. I replaced it with a 15-panel comic: three personas, engineer, PM and architect, each getting a named payoff in the final panel, in fewer words than the onboarding page it fronts.
IBM API CONTROL PLANE · ONBOARDING
Explaining an invisible product with a 15-panel comic
The old intro was an architecture diagram. I replaced it with a 15-panel comic: three personas, engineer, PM and architect, each getting a named payoff in the final panel, in fewer words than the onboarding page it fronts.
IBM API CONTROL PLANE · ONBOARDING
Explaining an invisible product with a 15-panel comic
The old intro was an architecture diagram. I replaced it with a 15-panel comic: three personas, engineer, PM and architect, each getting a named payoff in the final panel, in fewer words than the onboarding page it fronts.
Language decisions, up close
Three patterns from the terminology and accessibility standard I wrote for webMethods. The case studies tell you how I think. These tell you how I write, and what I do when a change is technically correct but politically annoying.
Terminology · replication settings
BEFORE
Configure the master node to push changes to all slave nodes.
AFTER
Configure the primary node to push changes to all replica nodes.
WHY IT MATTERED
Industry-standard replacements, chosen because they are also more accurate: a replica is defined by what it does, a slave by a relationship it doesn't have. This became one of 45+ entries in the terminology table, so writers stopped deciding case by case.
Pronouns · procedure steps
BEFORE
The administrator must ensure that he has configured his gateway before he deploys an API.
AFTER
Configure your gateway before you deploy an API.
WHY IT MATTERED
The inclusive fix and the clarity fix were the same edit. Second person removed the gendered pronoun, cut fourteen words to nine, and turned a description of a person into an instruction to the reader.
Alt text · architecture diagram
BEFORE
alt=“Diagram”
AFTER
alt=“API requests pass from the gateway to three backend services; the control plane monitors all three and reports failures back to the gateway.”
WHY IT MATTERED
“Diagram” passes an automated check and tells a screen-reader user nothing. The rule I wrote into the standard: describe what the diagram argues, not what it contains, and never make alt text the only place information lives.
Language decisions, up close
Three patterns from the terminology and accessibility standard I wrote for webMethods. The case studies tell you how I think. These tell you how I write, and what I do when a change is technically correct but politically annoying.
Terminology · replication settings
BEFORE
Configure the master node to push changes to all slave nodes.
AFTER
Configure the primary node to push changes to all replica nodes.
WHY IT MATTERED
Industry-standard replacements, chosen because they are also more accurate: a replica is defined by what it does, a slave by a relationship it doesn't have. This became one of 45+ entries in the terminology table, so writers stopped deciding case by case.
Pronouns · procedure steps
BEFORE
The administrator must ensure that he has configured his gateway before he deploys an API.
AFTER
Configure your gateway before you deploy an API.
WHY IT MATTERED
The inclusive fix and the clarity fix were the same edit. Second person removed the gendered pronoun, cut fourteen words to nine, and turned a description of a person into an instruction to the reader.
03 — Output
BEFORE
alt=“Diagram”
AFTER
alt=“API requests pass from the gateway to three backend services; the control plane monitors all three and reports failures back to the gateway.”
WHY IT MATTERED
“Diagram” passes an automated check and tells a screen-reader user nothing. The rule I wrote into the standard: describe what the diagram argues, not what it contains, and never make alt text the only place information lives.
Language decisions, up close
Three patterns from the terminology and accessibility standard I wrote for webMethods. The case studies tell you how I think. These tell you how I write, and what I do when a change is technically correct but politically annoying.
Terminology · replication settings
BEFORE
Configure the master node to push changes to all slave nodes.
AFTER
Configure the primary node to push changes to all replica nodes.
WHY IT MATTERED
Industry-standard replacements, chosen because they are also more accurate: a replica is defined by what it does, a slave by a relationship it doesn't have. This became one of 45+ entries in the terminology table, so writers stopped deciding case by case.
Pronouns · procedure steps
BEFORE
The administrator must ensure that he has configured his gateway before he deploys an API.
AFTER
Configure your gateway before you deploy an API.
WHY IT MATTERED
The inclusive fix and the clarity fix were the same edit. Second person removed the gendered pronoun, cut fourteen words to nine, and turned a description of a person into an instruction to the reader.
Alt text · architecture diagram
BEFORE
alt=“Diagram”
AFTER
alt=“API requests pass from the gateway to three backend services; the control plane monitors all three and reports failures back to the gateway.”
WHY IT MATTERED
“Diagram” passes an automated check and tells a screen-reader user nothing. The rule I wrote into the standard: describe what the diagram argues, not what it contains, and never make alt text the only place information lives.
A bit about me
A bit about me
A bit about me
I started as a technical writer, got frustrated that the best documentation in the world can't rescue a confusing interface, and moved upstream into the product. Now I work where the decisions happen: naming, structure, flows, error states, the words that decide whether someone finishes the task or files a ticket.
Enterprise software is my favourite kind of hard. Nobody reads it for fun, so every word has to earn attention. I like arguing about a single label for twenty minutes, and then writing the guideline so nobody has to argue about it again.
I'm looking for the next hard problem, ideally one with a lot of users and not enough words yet.
I started as a technical writer, got frustrated that the best documentation in the world can't rescue a confusing interface, and moved upstream into the product. Now I work where the decisions happen: naming, structure, flows, error states, the words that decide whether someone finishes the task or files a ticket.
Enterprise software is my favourite kind of hard. Nobody reads it for fun, so every word has to earn attention. I like arguing about a single label for twenty minutes, and then writing the guideline so nobody has to argue about it again.
I'm looking for the next hard problem, ideally one with a lot of users and not enough words yet.
Know more about me
Get in touch
How I use AI
AI is my fastest intern. It doesn't get the final say.
Volume work, done in minutes. Terminology audits across hundreds of pages, first-pass alt text, consistency sweeps, twenty variants of a label I want to pressure-test. Work that used to eat a week now takes an afternoon.
A sparring partner for structure. I use it to stress-test an IA model, poke holes in my own reasoning, and draft the boring scaffolding, so my thinking goes to the hard 20% instead of the obvious 80%.
Judgement stays mine. Every output gets checked against user research, support tickets, accessibility standards and the product's real constraints. AI speeds up the doing. It does not decide what's right.
How I use AI
AI is my fastest intern. It doesn't get the final say.
Volume work, done in minutes. Terminology audits across hundreds of pages, first-pass alt text, consistency sweeps, twenty variants of a label I want to pressure-test. Work that used to eat a week now takes an afternoon.
A sparring partner for structure. I use it to stress-test an IA model, poke holes in my own reasoning, and draft the boring scaffolding, so my thinking goes to the hard 20% instead of the obvious 80%.
Judgement stays mine. Every output gets checked against user research, support tickets, accessibility standards and the product's real constraints. AI speeds up the doing. It does not decide what's right.
How I use AI
AI is my fastest intern. It doesn't get the final say.
Volume work, done in minutes. Terminology audits across hundreds of pages, first-pass alt text, consistency sweeps, twenty variants of a label I want to pressure-test. Work that used to eat a week now takes an afternoon.
A sparring partner for structure. I use it to stress-test an IA model, poke holes in my own reasoning, and draft the boring scaffolding, so my thinking goes to the hard 20% instead of the obvious 80%.
Judgement stays mine. Every output gets checked against user research, support tickets, accessibility standards and the product's real constraints. AI speeds up the doing. It does not decide what's right.
Capabilities, with the version of each I've actually shipped
What I bring to the table
What I bring to the table
What I bring to the table
UX writing
Interface and instructional copy: onboarding, procedures, labels, empty states, error messages.
Information architecture
Audits, taxonomy, navigation models and task-based structures for dense product suites.
Content strategy
End-to-end ownership from audit to rollout, with principles stakeholders can apply without me.
Accessibility
Alt text, ARIA labelling conventions, colour and icon standards, plain language, WCAG 2.1 AA.
Inclusive language
Terminology audits and replacements at scale, baked into templates and style guidance.
Content systems & governance
Guidelines, terminology standards and contribution models that hold after the project ends.
Visual storytelling
Comics, diagrams and figures used as explanation, with comprehension as the success measure
AI-assisted workflows
Audits, sweeps and variant generation at volume, with human judgement on every call.
Developer experience
API Gateway and Control Plane content for engineers, architects and admins who distrust a fourth tool.
UX writing
Interface and instructional copy: onboarding, procedures, labels, empty states, error messages.
Information architecture
Audits, taxonomy, navigation models and task-based structures for dense product suites.
Content strategy
End-to-end ownership from audit to rollout, with principles stakeholders can apply without me.
Accessibility
Alt text, ARIA labelling conventions, colour and icon standards, plain language, WCAG 2.1 AA.
Inclusive language
Terminology audits and replacements at scale, baked into templates and style guidance.
Content systems & governance
Guidelines, terminology standards and contribution models that hold after the project ends.
Visual storytelling
Comics, diagrams and figures used as explanation, with comprehension as the success measure
AI-assisted workflows
Audits, sweeps and variant generation at volume, with human judgement on every call.
Developer experience
API Gateway and Control Plane content for engineers, architects and admins who distrust a fourth tool.
UX writing
Interface and instructional copy: onboarding, procedures, labels, empty states, error messages.
Information architecture
Audits, taxonomy, navigation models and task-based structures for dense product suites.
Content strategy
End-to-end ownership from audit to rollout, with principles stakeholders can apply without me.
Accessibility
Alt text, ARIA labelling conventions, colour and icon standards, plain language, WCAG 2.1 AA.
Inclusive language
Terminology audits and replacements at scale, baked into templates and style guidance.
Content systems & governance
Guidelines, terminology standards and contribution models that hold after the project ends.
Visual storytelling
Comics, diagrams and figures used as explanation, with comprehension as the success measure
AI-assisted workflows
Audits, sweeps and variant generation at volume, with human judgement on every call.
Developer experience
API Gateway and Control Plane content for engineers, architects and admins who distrust a fourth tool.
Four habits that show up in every project on this page
How I work
How I work
How I work
- 1
Find the root cause, not the symptom
Exclusionary terms and missing alt text looked like two problems. They were one: nobody owned the standard. Fix the ownership and the pages start fixing themselves.
- 2
Structure is content
The best copy edit is often a structure edit. Merging duplicates, separating concepts from procedures, and putting setup next to troubleshooting did more than any rewrite could.
- 3
Set a comprehension bar, then check against it
A first-time user should be able to explain the product in one sentence after one sitting. I put work in front of people who have never seen it and listen to where they stall, before it ships rather than after.
- 4
Ship the system, not just the fix
Anyone can rewrite a page. I leave behind the principle, the template and the terminology entry, so the next fifty pages get written right by default and nobody needs to ask me.
- 1
Find the root cause, not the symptom
Exclusionary terms and missing alt text looked like two problems. They were one: nobody owned the standard. Fix the ownership and the pages start fixing themselves.
- 2
Structure is content
The best copy edit is often a structure edit. Merging duplicates, separating concepts from procedures, and putting setup next to troubleshooting did more than any rewrite could.
- 3
Set a comprehension bar, then check against it
A first-time user should be able to explain the product in one sentence after one sitting. I put work in front of people who have never seen it and listen to where they stall, before it ships rather than after.
- 4
Ship the system, not just the fix
Anyone can rewrite a page. I leave behind the principle, the template and the terminology entry, so the next fifty pages get written right by default and nobody needs to ask me.
Get in touch
OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Let's talk about what's next.
mahimashastryux@gmail.com
Get in touch
OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Let's talk about what's next.
mahimashastryux@gmail.com
Get in touch
OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Find my work interesting? Let's talk
mahimashastryux@gmail.com
MAHIMA SHASTRY
BANGALORE, INDIA
MAHIMA
Mahima. All rights reserved.
No templates were harmed in the process of making this portfolio
MAHIMA SHASTRY
BANGALORE, INDIA
MAHIMA
Mahima. All rights reserved.
No templates were harmed in the process of making this portfolio
MAHIMA SHASTRY
BANGALORE, INDIA
MAHIMA
Mahima. All rights reserved.
No templates were harmed in the process of making this portfolio