What is UX Writing
Nowadays UX writers are as desired as technical writers. Google, Amazon, Dropbox, Paypal, and other big companies are looking for professional UX writers. However, what is UX writing? Why is it so important? In this post, I will answer popular questions about technical writing.
What is UX writing?
UX writing (UX stands for User Experience) is writing and designing elements of software to make the conversation between a product and its user effective. It differs from other kinds of writing by its specialization. UX writing is so special because of its context (software) and the environment in which it’s produced (technology companies). As it exists in the context of software, content should be concise, but at the same time, it should communicate a lot of meaning. Moreover, the content should be accessible to people with different abilities and also be easily translatable for users from other linguistic, geographical, and cultural environments.
So, generally speaking, UX writing is the process of creating content (that should be clear, consistent, and audience-oriented) for different products like apps, and software. It aims to help companies and users achieve their goals.
Why is UX Writing Important?
“…design teams are now fully realizing that words embody just as much design ethic as a wireframe.”
~ Patrick Stafford
Every user needs some sort of help while using a website, an app, or a software. And a UX writer creates a bridge between a user and the product. So, creating such content that will help users feel confident while using an app, for example, is essential part of a quality product development.
Examples
In order to help you understand better what UX writers do, here are some examples.
Hello message by Slack — before and after rewriting
A warning by Tumblr whether it can access your photos and camera or not.
Preparations before meditation by Simple Habit
Incognito mode in Google Chrome
Funny 404 page by Invision
The login page of Simple Habit motivates to continue
A feedback page by Slack (concise and really motivates to leave the feedback)
As you see, UX writing is about creating high-quality content that will encourage and motivate users to continue using an app or a software tool. However, not all UX writers achieve this goal. Here are some bad UX writing examples with “confirmshaming”:
Conclusion
UX writing is still writing, don’t get thrown off by the name — it just shows the aim of content creation. However, if it’s writing, can anybody who creates content start their career in this sphere? You’ll learn this from another article of mine ;) Subscribe not to miss the next post!
However, If you really want to know what UX Writing is, here is an article that I recommend you “What is UX Writing”.
How did I become a technical writer? What skills do you need? Read FAQ on Technical Writing.
