How can I make my article better?
By: Ux Collective Editors
Tags: Product Design, User Experience, Startup, Design, Product Management

How can I make my article better?

Tips to improve your article’s structure, formatting, takeaway — and increase the chances your message will resonate with your audience.

We have been editing and curating content for 13+years and we truly believe that knowledge sharing can make our design community stronger. If you decide to publish your article with us, you will:

Be part of a community that values purpose and impartiality

Reach an audience of 380k+ followers on Medium

Great stories are featured on our Homepage, which gets high exposure

Best stories are also featured on our Twitter, Linkedin, and Newsletter

Publishing your first article with us

Review this checklist. Email hello@uxdesign.cc a link to your Medium draft or published article with a one-sentence description. We don’t accept articles in other formats or through other channels. We will review all submissions and if your article is a good fit for our publication, we will get back to you within 2 business days. We rarely take longer than that to respond, but if we do, please forgive us — we’re just having a hectic week. The best articles are not time-sensitive, so this shouldn’t be an issue. After being accepted and reviewed, your article is added to the queue to be published. Once your article is published with us, we ask you to keep it in our publication for at least 6 months.

Make sure the article is a good fit

We publish articles, lists, opinions, tutorials and essays on User Experience Design, Usability, Interaction Design, Prototyping, Product Design, Branding, Visual Design, Research, Diversity in Design, and any other topic that directly relates to designing and building digital products.

articles, lists, opinions, tutorials and essays on User Experience Design, Usability, Interaction Design, Prototyping, Product Design, Branding, Visual Design, Research, Diversity in Design, and any other topic that directly relates to designing and building digital products. We don’t publish articles strictly focused on business and coding.

articles strictly focused on business and coding. We don’t publish portfolio pieces or case studies without a strong case behind it and/or based just on the author’s experience;

portfolio pieces or case studies without a strong case behind it and/or based just on the author’s experience; We don’t publish reviews of a product’s UX without a deep analysis; we don’t publish destructive feedback or articles that promote fear.

reviews of a product’s UX without a deep analysis; we don’t publish destructive feedback or articles that promote fear. We don’t publish content marketing pieces; articles with affiliate links. Articles not submitted by the original author; articles focused on anything other than adding value to the UX community.

content marketing pieces; articles with affiliate links. Articles not submitted by the original author; articles focused on anything other than adding value to the UX community. Need inspiration? Not sure if it’s a good fit? Check our top stories to see the types of articles we prioritize.

Provide references and examples

Before you start writing your article, search extensively on our platform and on the web about the topic you are writing about. It’s very likely that someone has written about this topic before, and giving them credit will help you validate your ideas and make your argument stronger.

about the topic you are writing about. It’s very likely that someone has written about this topic before, and giving them credit will help you validate your ideas and make your argument stronger. Link to all sources found in your research and used in your article. It’s extremely important to acknowledge and reference to all sources, whether it is simply to give credit to the author or to provide a counterargument to one of their thoughts.

found in your research and used in your article. It’s extremely important to acknowledge and reference to all sources, whether it is simply to give credit to the author or to provide a counterargument to one of their thoughts. Use different sources . This is crucial to make your argument valid and to build a solid article, making sure you highlight different perspectives.

. This is crucial to make your argument valid and to build a solid article, making sure you highlight different perspectives. Do not include links from affiliate programs or that are promoting a specific product or service.

Follow a cohesive structure

Use Medium’s formatting tools for the title, subtitle, and headings. Don’t use bold, italic or all-caps for headings. Titles should be sentence-case.

Don’t use bold, italic or all-caps for headings. Titles should be sentence-case. Give your article a good title and subtitle. Make them short and compelling. The beginning of the article is really what’s going to make people decide to continue to read or not.

Make them short and compelling. The beginning of the article is really what’s going to make people decide to continue to read or not. Break the article into sections. Use headings between sections and keep paragraphs short — clear headings help readers a lot.

Use headings between sections and keep paragraphs short — clear headings help readers a lot. Don’t break your content in several articles (Part 1, Part 2, etc.). Each article should work as a standalone piece.

Write clearly and thoroughly

Proofread before submitting it. Run your article by services such as Grammarly or Google Docs to fix spelling and grammar errors.

Run your article by services such as Grammarly or Google Docs to fix spelling and grammar errors. If your article has less than 5 minutes of reading time: are you sure you covered everything your readership expects? Remember that you’re talking to professional product makers (designers, developers, product managers), and there’s a chance they are looking for something deeper.

are you sure you covered everything your readership expects? Remember that you’re talking to professional product makers (designers, developers, product managers), and there’s a chance they are looking for something deeper. Act professionally. Don’t overuse emojis, GIFs, memes. Remember we’re talking to a global audience, so not everyone knows about American TV series. Don’t use more than 2 exclamation marks in your entire article.

Give credit where credit is due

Google the topic you’re writing about before you start. Chances are that other people have written about this topic before. When you don’t take time to add links and references to other people, you are essentially erasing their work — as well as positioning yourself as someone who doesn’t usually research things / don’t value about other people’s work.

Chances are that other people have written about this topic before. When you don’t take time to add links and references to other people, you are essentially erasing their work — as well as positioning yourself as someone who doesn’t usually research things / don’t value about other people’s work. Add notes, credits, and links, including inspiration and references. If you did your homework and researched the topic properly, you will have at least a few links to add throughout your article.

including inspiration and references. If you did your homework and researched the topic properly, you will have at least a few links to add throughout your article. Give credit to the author of the image. Even if the image/illustration is free or CreativeCommons.

Re-read your story from another perspective

Challenge every sentence you wrote. Distance yourself from the writing for a moment, and read your story another time imagining you are a reader who has no idea what the article is about. How would someone challenge your argument after every sentence?

Distance yourself from the writing for a moment, and read your story another time imagining you are a reader who has no idea what the article is about. How would someone challenge your argument after every sentence? Read the story aloud. Make changes. Read the story aloud again. You’ll notice areas where your writing flows and where it clashes. Your story will improve. It will become clearer, the structure will improve, and new ideas will surface.

Make changes. Read the story aloud again. You’ll notice areas where your writing flows and where it clashes. Your story will improve. It will become clearer, the structure will improve, and new ideas will surface. Share your story with a peer. Find someone you can share your story with, and someone who is willing to give you brutally honest feedback. Ask them 1. how they would define your story in one sentence, and 2. what was their main takeaway. Compare their answer with what you’re actually trying to convey.

Find someone you can share your story with, and someone who is willing to give you brutally honest feedback. Ask them 1. how they would define your story in one sentence, and 2. what was their main takeaway. Compare their answer with what you’re actually trying to convey. For more tips like this, check out this article by Medium: How to Hear What Your Story Is Actually Saying

Add images (and alt text)

Add at least one image . Your article must have at least one good quality image that will be used as the cover image. If you don’t have a custom image to add, try free stock photo websites like Unsplash, Pexels, Burst, The Stocks, or Pixabay.

. Your article must have at least one good quality image that will be used as the cover image. If you don’t have a custom image to add, try free stock photo websites like Unsplash, Pexels, Burst, The Stocks, or Pixabay. Don’t add content to the image. We strongly recommend images to be simple, merely supportive (without text or dense information on it).

We strongly recommend images to be simple, merely supportive (without text or dense information on it). Add alt text to all your images. This will ensure your image is understandable by screen readers, making your story accessible for users with visual impairments. To add an alt text, click on an image and on “Alt text”, then type a one-sentence description of what your image contains.

Do not ask for claps

You don’t have to beg for claps. Great content sells itself. If people like what they read, they will naturally clap, comment, and share your story with their peers.

Great content sells itself. If people like what they read, they will naturally clap, comment, and share your story with their peers. Medium has recently changed its algorithm to prioritize reading time instead of number of claps when deciding which story to promote to other users.

Remove promotional content

Remove any paragraph about you or links to personal sites. Use your Medium bio for any personal link or information.

Use your Medium bio for any personal link or information. Remove any affiliate links or links with paywalls (including email paywalls).

Have a clear purpose

Is the theme a good fit for our publication?

What’s the takeaway for our readers? Is it clear?

Does it provide enough examples and references to validate the point?

Is it adding value to the UX community? Is it a new perspective? Is it a current theme or is it too saturated?

Is it promoting a healthier design community?

Be nice and give back to the community

We love publishing articles from all sort of authors — new designers, experienced ones, professionals from different fields, backgrounds, locations. We want to create a place for all voices and audiences about UX.