If you’re a writer, you’re probably familiar with the tortured writer trope. Now indulge me in creating a new, nuanced edition of this stereotype.
As a highly sensitive person (HSP), I’m among the 15–20% of humans that were born with, well, a high level of sensitivity. And while this might not sound like the greatest quality to bring to work, I think it can be a great strength when brought to UX — if you know how to wield it.
If you’re skeptical, though, I get it. Just bear with me here.
Allow me to borrow a graph from my old positive psychology pal Csikszentmihalyi (chik·sent·mee·hai·ee!). AKA, the father of flow.
Let’s assume every possible state of human arousal during a task could be assigned a value and graphed.
In this scenario, your brain’s “flow zone” is everything on the graph settling between the two evils: under-stimulation and overstimulation. Basically, it’s any state where the feelings of boredom and anxiety completely cancel each other out.
Right down X and Y, we ride the just-right wave of flow. 🌊
One way I’d describe being an HSP, aside from being a deep thinker, is this: sadly, it can sometimes be a challenge for me to get into that sweet spot or “flow zone” I strive for.
But when I’m in there — whether I’m doing the input (research), or the output (writing/design) — I’m thriving. 🤓
A word for the sensitive: All of this is one person’s take. As you might suspect, all HSPs are different. And so, we can all have highly individual experiences related to this trait.
But according to Elaine Aaron in The Highly Sensitive Person (1996), HSPs have four main qualities for which we can use the acronym DOES.
Qualities of an HSP brain
- D: Depth of processing
- O: Overstimulation
- E: Emotional responsivity or empathy
- S: Sensitivity to subtleties
Yeah, don’t get it twisted — being highly sensitive can require a bit more damage control and insight to live consistently well in the day-to-day.
But learning how to do it is so worth it.
Okay, back to UX writers.
(AKA content designers, but are we really going to labor over semantics? Yes, obviously.)
UX writers are the folks that guide people through digital experiences using language. They help unlock a consistent brand voice across vast brand empires in a world where the line between human and digital realms is increasingly blurred.
Basically, they know words matter—a lot.
Since they help users recognize, like, and trust a product or brand, they know the right words can move mountains (or at least, help people climb one).
And they know the wrong words can be pretty darn costly.
So UX writers, like HSPs, can be caught thinking carefully before deciding on the words they use.
Let’s look at some other examples of how HSPs can make great UX writers, using the DOES trick.
1. They’re built for research.
Due to the “D,” depth of processing, HSPs tend to be highly perceptive and cautious researchers. We care about finding the just-right words to convey any new piece of information. When it comes to digging for the truth, HSPs go in with the heftiest of shovels.
So yeah, we’re really just deep like that.
And UX writers know that much of the time, there’s heaps of research to be done before a single word is written. We’re talking several hours or days of research for a single line of text. (And the toxic perfectionism of both HSPs and UX writers will be discussed another time, thank you very much.)
Sensitivity can breed clarity when it comes to complex topics like design, user experience, and how changing a few words can skyrocket conversion.
These are the kind of people that have a hard to ripping themselves away from the research. There’s always more to learn!
2. They REALLY look out for the user.
The “O” of highly sensitive is how it sounds: highly sensitive people get overstimulated or overwhelmed more easily than average folks.
Of course, even if you’re not highly sensitive though, it’s difficult to NOT get overwhelmed these days. Ten notifications pinging simultaneously, an email inbox we have no hope of conquering, consistent reminders about how the world is on fire — it’s all bad for our health. We know this.
And HSPs really know this. They often know great ways to manage overstimulation in different contexts because they navigate this process all the time internally. (And if you don’t know of any tips and tricks yet, you can check out some “grounding” techniques for work here.)
Understanding the pain of today’s human condition should enable us, as writers, to take even better care of our users.
And HSPs might be more likely to pick up on the microcopy that’s causing unneeded friction in a flow. Or, they might be well-equipped to find and destroy the contributors to cognitive overload on a site.
It’s estimated that 20% of folks are neurodivergent and 20% of people have a disability. So why not make things as easy and graceful as possible for our users? Otherwise, we’re getting people frustrated while simultaneously losing their engagement and dollars.
3. They’re “tuned in” on a team.
Let’s start with the bad news: HSPs are profound perceivers, so small talk might not be their #1 thing. (Though other times, it might be— a third of HSPs are extroverts!)
Sensitive folks live in a world of details and nuances that makes experiences richer and more fulfilling, but sometimes, too overstimulating.
But with our “E,” extra dose of empathy, we tend to seek harmony and fulfillment on a team whenever possible. HSPs are likely to be conscientious, supportive, and mindful of coworkers’ unique needs, even when working on remote teams.
And according to Melody Wilding, a social worker, author, and highly sensitive leader, HSPs are more likely to be considered top contributors by their bosses. Their passion and commitment to worthy causes, along with their skilled teamwork, shine bright!
4. They can unlock hidden levels (and pain points).
HSPs can often pick up on details that others might miss, especially when interacting with others. That’s our “S,” sensitivity to subtleties. Sensitive people may make more connections between seemingly unconnected concepts that non-HSPs might not consider.
Plus, as mentioned, when HSPs don’t pick up on things naturally, they’re well-suited to digging up the answers with sound user research.
Sensitivity doesn’t just mean noticing external details, though. It can also mean being more aware of your own inner world.
HSPs are better able to recognize and identify their feelings than non-HSPs, which gives them greater access to information they can use in creating content and working with others. As a UX writer, this can mean digging deeper to find the most impactful call-to-action or refining a notification that keeps a user informed without disrupting them too much.
Conclusion
Though writers in tech have been doing their thing for decades, “UX writing” as a field is still juvenile, with the term only gaining traction in 2016 according to the mother of microcopy herself.
Sensitive UX writers should relish and foster this innocent-adolescent stage of the industry, where it seems that sharing wisdom and positivity is still rampant, and gatekeeping remains fairly low.
So, if you’re a highly sensitive person with a way with words, but you think breaking into the tech field might be “too much” for you, I have two humble requests.
Start giving your special brain more respect, and consider UX writing.
