8 misconceptions about UX writing and how we’re breaking them at Qonto
Change your life. Learn to code.
— Le Wagon
That’s exactly what I set out to do in late 2019. I decided to make a major career change, just before the first COVID-19 lockdown put a giant question mark next to all our plans.
After bootcamps at Le Wagon and the Design Crew, I stumbled across UX writing. I quickly realized that this field would bring together all my interests and aspirations.
With UX writing, I could cultivate my love of language and affinity for design, while benefitting from the client mindset and management skills I had developed in my previous professional life.
Since making this pivot to tech almost 3 years ago and joining Qonto in the summer of 2021, I’ve noticed that we, as UX writers, are confronted with a bunch of misconceptions about our craft.
Here are 8 common misconceptions I feel are worth debunking together. I’ll also take you behind the scenes to show you how we do things differently at Qonto.
It’s just copy, so it’s fast…
It can be ready by the end of the day, right?
This is probably the most common misconception out there. Because UX writers are working with words — and most people tend to write on a daily basis, in some form or another — it can be tempting to think that copy creation is quick and easy.
This misunderstanding highlights the very fact that UX writers are, first and foremost, designers. Just like any design discipline, it’s an iterative process with both divergent and convergent phases, requiring just as much preparation and reflection as actual production.
I often need “to sleep on it,” because the next morning I usually see my copy differently with fresh eyes, and find ways to improve it.
So, unfortunately we do sometimes have to explain that there’s no way the copy will be ready by the end of the day.
Luckily for us at Qonto, we can push back when needed and our stakeholders understand. One of the main principles of the ‘Qonto Way’ is to deliver quality “right first time,” rather than rushing and then having to rework it later.
Anyone can write product copy
Some companies tend to get in-app copy written by their product managers, product designers, engineers, or some mix of the above.
Technically speaking, I guess it’s true that anyone could write product copy. However, UX writing is so much more than just writing.
It’s an expertise that, just like any other, requires training and the development of specific skills. For example, UX writers leverage UX design principles to take complicated concepts and express them in conversational, plain language that guides the user, while adapting the tone of voice according to the context. We prioritize working on projects where content strategy can bring the most value.
So, to add a little caveat to the title of this section, anyone can (indeed) write product copy…but only with the right training and tools!
We currently have a team of 20 UX writers at Qonto. This allows us to assign a dedicated team member to each new feature and product improvement, working in what we call a “one-piece flow”. Taken from lean manufacturing, this principle organizes the way we function as a feature team, with all team members working on the same project at the same time, and on only one project at a time.
Don’t worry, copy can fix it
Historically, UX writing was often seen as the last step after designs were finalized, just before the engineers started their delivery. UX writers were asked to add copy to various components (without changing the design or “messing anything up”) and were sometimes expected to use their copy to work miracles, or at least serve as a bandaid.
At Qonto, however, UX writing is an integral part of the design process. We work hand-in-hand with product managers and product designers to define the solution, rather than simply adding our copy to a flow that was decided by others beforehand.
We take a holistic and team-driven approach, always keeping in mind that the user experience is equally defined by visual, functional, and textual elements.
Less is more… and easier
To be completely honest, the first part of this statement isn’t really a misconception.
When I was a liberal arts undergraduate student, writing essays in an intricate, even verbose manner was a sign of dedication and intelligence. Fast forward 20 years, and one of the things I appreciate most is that we now strive for copy that’s simple and straightforward!
In terms of UX writing, less is definitely more — but not always easier. If any of you are like me, and you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in a cold, character-count sweat, then I’m sure you can relate.
Because we’re designers, not just writers, we need our copy to appear within a given context, interface, or component that’s sometimes no larger than the width of a couple thumbnails.
When we were revamping the Qonto Dashboard — our cash flow analysis product — I had to make it clear that the numerical value to the right of the microcopy I was working on (“Change over period”) was equal to the evolution of the balance shown above, over the time period mentioned in the card title. And all this in just 20 characters or less… being both clear and concise isn’t as easy as it looks.
You can localize content with an online translation tool
It’s true that technology is getting better and better, offering countless new possibilities at a breathtaking pace. However, online translation tools still can’t catch all the subtleties that make languages so beautiful — not to mention the intricacies of tone of voice.
Operating in different international markets isn’t about translating content literally. There’s the constant need to adapt to local specificities and client expectations.
Rather than outsourcing to an agency, we took on localization in-house to learn how to manage it in the best way, with team members based in all 4 of our markets. Once we’ve mastered it as a team, we might outsource the process again in the future. If we do, we’ll have the necessary experience and expertise under our belts to guide our partners and maintain quality.
You need to follow the rules
I was a true grammar geek growing up. I loved diagramming sentences almost more than playing video games.
“Subject, verb, direct object, indirect object…” I really enjoyed learning the rules and sticking to them.
Please don’t tell my high school teachers, but now I find it extremely satisfying that UX writing allows us to break some long-standing rules!
At Qonto, for example, one of the pillars of our tone of voice is “snappy”. This means that it’s ok for us to write short, incomplete sentences when needed. If it adds rhythm and pace.
Inclusive language is also very important to us. So, we use gender-neutral pronouns in English, such as “they” or “their”, when referring to individuals.
Tech skills aren’t needed
UX writers don’t need to know how to code. However, having some general knowledge can be quite useful. UX writing can get more technical than you might think!
At Qonto, UX writers take ownership of managing copy — in all 5 of our market languages — in our translation software, Lokalise.
This means that we need to know how to correctly format things like variables, pluralized copy, links, stylized text, and line breaks.
Just before the build phase starts, we work hand-in-hand with the tech team to name our Lokalise keys and confirm that our formatting will make sense in the code base.
So, even though it’s not required, having a bit of tech knowledge helps streamline communication with engineers. And it also helps us get a better overall understanding of how the product works from a functional perspective.
You must be a subject-matter expert
Let me reassure you. You don’t have to be a financial services whizz to work as a UX writer in FinTech.
During Qonto’s onboarding weeks, there are sessions about the FinTech industry and the specificities of our product and positioning.
This onboarding brings new recruits up to speed. Fast.
However, we do need to be comfortable doing our own research. To know how and when to go digging for extra information on a topic we’re not that familiar with.
This could be, for example, learning the ins and outs of 3DSV2 authentication. Or which types of authorizations are granted to a 3rd party app when a user sets up an integration on their Qonto account.
Luckily, we always have the support of product managers — and even legal teams — if needed.
To conclude
It’s hard to ignore that our field is full of misconceptions. Perhaps because it is a somewhat new discipline.
Luckily for us at Qonto, we’re usually able to steer clear of these pitfalls. Our craft is recognized as an integral part of the design and development process.
We’re included in projects early on, working with product managers, product designers, engineers, product marketers, and even sometimes CRM, on a regular basis.
The ‘Qonto Way’ allows us to focus on one project at a time, so we don’t spread ourselves too thin with constant multitasking. We see challenges as opportunities to learn and we improve our skills on a daily basis, thanks to regular feedback from our leads and fellow team members.
And it all happens in a fast-paced, international environment.
If this sounds exciting to you, consider joining our UX writing team!
About Qonto Qonto is a finance solution designed for SMEs and freelancers founded in 2016 by Steve Anavi and Alexandre Prot. Since our launch in July 2017, Qonto has made business financing easy for more than 350,000 companies.
Business owners save time thanks to Qonto’s streamlined account set-up, an intuitive day-to-day user experience with unlimited transaction history, accounting exports, and a practical expense management feature.
They stay in control while being able to give their teams more autonomy via real-time notifications and a user-rights management system.
They benefit from improved cash-flow visibility by means of smart dashboards, transaction auto-tagging, and cash-flow monitoring tools.
They also enjoy stellar customer support at a fair and transparent price.
Interested in joining a challenging and game-changing company? Consult our job offers!
