Lynsey Vallandingham, HubSpot
My name is Lynsey Vallandingham and I’m a UX Writer at HubSpot, a software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts (right next to Boston). Outside of work, I enjoy playing video games, going to boxing classes, and eating at my favorite restaurants.
How did you get into UX writing?
My first career in writing started at HubSpot, but actually as a technical writer. I started in support and worked on our help documentation, which helped sharpen my writing skills and gain invaluable customer insight. So when the first UX writer position opened at HubSpot, I immediately applied. I knew I wanted to continue writing and solving for HubSpot’s customers.
What does a normal day look like?
My day begins by catching up on email and reviewing any changes made to language files in our product. I usually have an hour and a half to two hours of just writing time blocked off on my calendar — this helps me catch up on any requests I haven’t gotten to yet. I’ll also attend meetings with designers on new concepts or sit in on some user testing interviews.
What are the top 3 apps you use?
I just recently made the switch to Bear for writing and I’m obsessed. Fantastical is my go-to calendar and task app. Tweetbot is what I use for Twitter, which essentially acts as my news feed.
Where do you go and what do you do for inspiration?
I love being on my bicycle — taking a ride along the Charles River in Boston is incredibly relaxing.
Are there any books or blogs you’d recommend?
I’d recommend almost anything by Margaret Atwood (especially her poetry), Rant by Chuck Palahniuk, and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.
What have you worked on that you’re most proud of?
Every time I write a poem, I’m incredibly proud. Each one is so cathartic to get out in the world, even if it only ever exists as a file on my computer.
How do you approach getting stakeholders on board?
I make sure that my introduction to a process or a team is as frictionless as possible. I’ve found that creating a process for stakeholders and setting clear expectations from the start is something my co-workers really appreciate — it clears their mind to really get into the work and not worry about how to start or who is responsible for what.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a UX writer?
I think it can be easy to spend way too much time on a small copy request. I try to lean on my resources as much as possible so I can handle the volume of copy requests I get. If I spent as much time on words as I wanted to, I’d never be able to help everyone that comes to me. And words are never going to be perfect, anyway. I really love that about them.
What’s your biggest content pet peeve?
Capitalization on words in the middle of sentences that 100% don’t need to be capitalized.
Do you have any advice for aspiring UX writers?
Only being in this field for about 7 months now, I think the best advice I could give is to stay open-minded. Sometimes you can be married to an idea, a word, or a phrase, but I bet there’s always a good reason to write that copy a different way that you didn’t think of.
Is there anything you want to promote?
Yes! HubSpot is currently hiring a UX Writer for our Dublin office. If you’re not a writer, our UX team is almost always hiring for some position and I can’t say enough great things about this team. Work at Hubspot.
Where can people find and follow you?
If you liked this article, let us know by giving it a clap 👏 It’ll also help others find it.
Want more? Follow every word matters for more interviews and insight into content design and UX writing.
every word matters is curated by Dominic Warren.
Thanks again to Lynsey Vallandingham for taking the time to answer these questions.
