7 Tips To Get The Most Out Of The 15-Day UX Writing Challenge
Are you trying to participate in the UX writing challenge to kickstart your UX writing journey? Yes?
I wrote this article to help you get the best out of the UX writing challenge and see how it can help you build your confidence as you enter the space.
I learned these personal tips while partaking in the challenge, so feel free to tweak them as they apply to you.
7 Tips To Help You Enjoy The UX writing challenge
#Tip 1: Take a Deep, Deep Breath
Yes, you’ll need it.
Deep breaths will help you feel centered (calm and collected); this calmness, in turn, keeps you alert and enables you to think better.
In my experience, transitioning into a new field can be daunting. You worry about not being good enough, and if you know what you are doing, participating in the challenge will help to build your knowledge.
So take a deep breath; you got this; whatever you do, there is always room to improve. Now dive in!
#Tip 2: Get Inspired
I was confused and blank when I got the first email for Day 1 of the challenge. Everything I had learned from class felt wiped off my head.
So, I took deep breaths and got inspired; thank you, Google. I searched for existing information, did this for every day of the challenge, and read the accompanying articles that came with the emails.
Remember never to underestimate the power of inspiration!
#Tip 3: User Story
A user story is a fantastic, imaginative way to define your “why.”
So, for all 15 days, I always wrote down a goal for the copy, a short story (persona) of whom the content was meant for, and its importance.
User story made me have someone, though imaginary, at the back of my mind that I was creating the copy for, so I had to make it concise and useful.
#Tip 4: Document your process
Always write down the process involved in developing your ideas and why you chose that idea over another.
Feel free to use any platform of your choice for your documentation.
I recommend Google Docs; this is a personal bias. I find it easy to write anything and everything quickly, plus I always have access to it anytime, and I transfer my thoughts from the Doc to any other platform.
But feel free to use other platforms like Medium, as many writers do; you can document each daily challenge as you work on it. You can also try Notion and Miro, whatever works for you.
The bottom line is to document your process; it’ll help you understand your thought process on making decisions in the long run.
Please document as you go, don’t wait until the project is over before you start racking your brains to remember what you did. You can always fine-tune the details later.
#Tip 5: Make use of the Daily UX writing community
In tech communities, you benefit from constructive feedback and support. In my experience, feedback from the community members broadened my thoughts on what the user journey might feel like.
You benefit from the experience of other members and learn from questions asked in the community. Additionally, you also get to help others, you learn better when you share information. So don’t be afraid to share the little you know.
I’ll give this advice, don’t allow your fear of social media to prevent you from posting in the community. Posting on social media was an issue for me, but it was worth it when I finally published in the community.
#Tip 6: Be open to feedback
In the book Strategic Writing, Torrey Podmajersky says, “humans can’t improve when they don’t have feedback.”
Do you want to get better at this? Then it would be best if you were open to feedback; in my experience, when I get feedback from the community or anyone else, I ask these questions:
- Does this feedback approach help me create a better copy?
- The reasons given for improvement are they personal biases or based on facts?
Asking these questions helps me get clarity on why I should accept feedback.
#Tip 7: Create a Visual Mockup
When you use visual mockups for your copy, it makes it feel real. Your audience can relate to the copy. For non-designers, creating visuals might be daunting, but trust me, it doesn’t have to be something fancy.
The most important thing is to have a visual aid for your audience to understand the function of your copy.
I use Figma to create my visuals because I have some UI.UX experience, so I am familiar with the Figma interface. Other tools like Adobe, Canva, and Miro can help you create visuals, find a tool you are comfortable with, and use.
If you don’t know how to use any, watch a video or two to learn the basics.
Fellow newbie UX writers and aspiring UX writers, these are my tips to get the most out of the 15-Day Daily UX writing challenge.
Sign up for the UX Daily Writing Challenge and get creative. Feel free to reach out if you hit a rut; I am always glad to help.
Suppose you liked this article; comment below and feel free to give feedback. Let’s connect on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Till next time, keep creating😍.