Dez Lezotte — principal content designer
I'm a principal-level content designer with 10+ years working at the intersection of complex software and human understanding.
Most of my career has been defined by arriving somewhere with no content design function and creating one that works without me. I've done that four times, in cybersecurity, AI/ML, data platforms, and enterprise SaaS. Each time, the challenge wasn't just producing good copy. It was defining what "good" meant for the product, team, and user, then building the infrastructure to maintain it.
Core focus
Content systems: taxonomy, terminology, and models that scale across products
Product clarity: language that reduces cognitive load and improves decisions
AI integration: prompt design, automated review, and governance
Cross-functional alignment: product, design, and engineering operating from shared language
How I work
I operate as a strategic IC, embedded in product and design and influencing at the org level. I prioritize systems over surface-level fixes, clarity over cleverness, and decisions that are durable, not just correct in the moment.
I build cross-functional alignment across engineering, PM, legal, and documentation that survives team changes and roadmap pivots. The goal is always scale: content infrastructure that works without me in the room.
Domain depth
My deepest experience is in cybersecurity and AI-native products. I understand the mental models, the user anxiety, and the terminology stakes in these domains in ways that take years to develop. That fluency lets me move fast without sacrificing precision.
Impact
4× first content designer hired
70+ products
30% navigation findability improvement
20% increase in engagement and downloads through content strategy
From colleagues
"Dez is such an amazing employee, I hired her twice. She not only did the job asked of her — she set up systems and processes to improve the content, the creation process, and the review process. I hope to eventually hire her for a third time."
— Rhyne Armstrong, Sr. Manager, Pisco (Visa)
"Her attention to detail and ability to identify user behavior patterns were impressive. Her ability to suggest actionable plans for making iterative changes to test our assumptions was incredibly valuable."
— Jiefang Zhang, Senior Product Manager, SimplePractice