6 things I’ve learned during my first 6 months UX writing

The term ‘UX Writer’ was first brought to my attention towards the end of last year, when a design colleague of mine asked whether I’d heard of the role and if it’s something I would consider. As the go-to copywriter at MOBGEN | Accenture Interactive for a few years by this point, I’d never once imagined the possibility of taking my skillset into the field of product design.

I learned very quickly that this was something new, exciting and that I truly wanted to give it a go. The only question was — how was I going to get there? I started simple by continuing my research, connecting with designers to learn more about UI/UX and gradually began to experiment with internal projects along the way.

Looking back, taking this unique turn in my career was the best decision I could have made for myself and it came at exactly the right time. I now spend over half of my working hours fulfilling the role of UX writer as part of our design team in Amsterdam. Being a writer who designs experiences is something that I now consider as one of my most valuable skills and I have learned so much about myself, my strengths and what I love to do in the past 6 months. It really has been a journey of self-discovery as much as a period of professional growth. Most importantly, I am learning new things every day and can say with certainty that being a UX writer is something that excites me moving forward into the future.

UX writing is not all about you

Sometimes, when analysing two different pieces of microcopy, your intuition can be the first thing that comes into play. You naturally put yourself in the shoes of the user and think ‘yes, this makes things clear to me’. This is an extremely useful skill to have as a UX’er. However, quite often, just because you like one way of saying something, does not mean that it is ultimately better for the entire audience of the product or service.

Many other elements must be considered when creating great platforms and applications. Geographical preferences when crafting content for global users, for example. A project I‘m working on at the moment runs in over 25 countries and writing for the UK, US and Canada applications are all very different experiences. As a British writer, it can be difficult to know if what I have written for one location is going to be well-received in another, so communication is key. Make use of your project team, connect with people located in those geographical areas and get their two cents. Your intuition is extremely useful, but you’ll never know if there’s a better solution out there unless you consider the perspectives of others.

“Even if you design a product based on your gut feeling, you use some kind of data which is based on your past experiences as a human being.” - Yuval Keshtcher

User testing is key

While I am advising you to understand others, I’m very aware that this is easier said than done. User testing is one way to navigate this ambition, as it puts you directly in touch with the user and helps you to understand how others perceive your choices.

Every product or service is different. Whether they’re in the same industry or otherwise, there’s always going to be different elements, functionalities and ways of working. For this reason, user testing is one of the most important steps of a UX writer’s process. Understanding your user, taking that extra time to truly understand their needs, doubts and frustrations can only lead to an overall better result. Then, not only can you use your existing skills and tools to create something delightful, but you can also incorporate your new learnings to build something practical and efficient.

Learn from the experience of others

This is a new field; everyone is laying down the groundwork. We’re all figuring out exactly what works and what simply does not. It just so happens that someone might have figured it out before you.

Using other people’s knowledge and experience to better your product is not something that should be avoided. Go ahead and search ‘good landing page examples’ in Google and see what comes up. Join the UX Writing & Microcopy Facebook group for support. Ask questions. Snap screenshots. Take notes. Analyse what is used frequently and build yourself a good portfolio of examples that work. This way, you can move forward feeling confident in your copy and knowing better for the next time you encounter a similar flow.

“Oh don’t use big words. They mean so little.” - Oscar Wilde

Just because you’re a professional writer, doesn’t mean you always have to write professionally

First, what I mean by this is that your daily efforts do not always have to reflect your writing capabilities. When writing a tweet, sending a Slack message or even emailing a colleague, it doesn’t matter. I have to admit that I have spent far too much time worrying about what people think when I use anything other than perfect language.

I’m from the North of England and if we’re going to keep it simple, my daily use of language is far from perfect. I’ve grown up ‘saying things the wrong way’. This doesn’t mean I don’t know right from wrong, and it certainly doesn’t mean that I am not qualified to do the work I do. Take this article for example, it’s not perfect. It’s conversational and informal for a reason. In my line of work, use of language changes dependent on the focus and I evolve my style to fit the task-at-hand. UX writing is no different. My purpose is not to see how many buzzwords I can squeeze into my articles and make myself seem like something I’m not. Do I know what those big words mean? Yes. Does it make me seem smarter if I use them? No.

This leads me directly into my second point. When writing for UX, keep it simple. No one is impressed by words that make things difficult to digest. Users want to know what they have to do quickly and straight to the point. There’s no use in trying to make the product or service ‘sound smart’. Instead, focus on making it human. Write like you are having conversation with a colleague, for example. If there’s a simpler way to say it, then do so. At the end of the day, no one has ever been frustrated with a product or service for being too easy to understand.

A content first approach always wins

Throughout my UX journey so far, a lot of my work has also included proving myself in a new field that not too many understand or even accept. It’s not uncommon to talk with designers or stakeholders who think they know better (and every now and again, they do). They almost always have more experience with the brand or product, especially in longstanding projects that you have been introduced to later in the process, and this should be respected.

However, if a UX writer enters a project at the ‘ideal time’, there’s no denying that it would be at the very beginning. The importance of the content first approach is untold. Let’s continue to put Lorem ipsum behind us. Researching a project from the beginning and understanding the decisions made from the get-go has great benefit for us writers. It allows us to understand the entire context, challenge and target audience, which results in more efficient, tailored language. Further, creating a content style guide and some first drafts for potential screens will help your fellow designers in their creative process, not hinder them.

Write, and then write again

I very rarely end up going with my first draft of anything. Whether it’s one word on a button, a simple call to action or an entire piece of content. Write multiple options. Deliberate over one or two words for 30 minutes. Consider which one works better and for who. Does it fit the real needs of your user? Does it answer their questions quickly? Is there a simpler way to say the same thing? There are so many things to consider before making your final decision. I almost always choose my second, third or even tenth attempt at a piece of microcopy, so don’t call it a day on the first try.

“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it.” - Octavia E. Butler

If you think about it, being a UX writer is pretty cool. In fact, if it wouldn’t mess up the title of this article, I’d add this as my seventh and final point. We’re designing great user experiences for people all over the world. We’re, quite literally, making products and services more accessible for all. We’re working with creative minds who inspire us every day and, to top it all off, we’re continually learning new things that can be directly implemented into a product or service and show us the kind of results we like to see.

Should you be lucky enough to try your hand at UX writing, all I can say is — go for it! If you’re anything like me, you’re going to fall in love with this new, thriving discipline and discover a whole new meaning to being a writer.

Some of my favourite UX writing resources:

• Top UX and Product Design Resources by Yuval Keshtcher
• Copywriting by Mark Shaw
• Design Words with Data by John Saito
• UX Writing: How to do it like Google by Guy Ligertwood
• Mailchimp Content Style Guide

Just getting started? Try the free UX writing mini course by the UX Writing Hub.

And if that’s not enough, here’s a mega list of UX writing resources courtesy of Katherine Bradshaw-Jones. Enjoy!

I’m Loren, Lead Marketer & UX Writer at Accenture Interactive Amsterdam. If you have any feedback or would like to connect, please do say hello! 👋