UX Designers who also write for the web
Tags: Microcopy, User Experience Design, Ux Writing, User Experience

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The majority of designers who are not working with content designers are writing for the web themselves. Perhaps you are a generalist UX designer and writing is one of your tasks, or maybe you are working with a content writer. In any case, UX writing is as important as user experience.

I came across the term ‘UX Writing’ a few months ago and it immediately caught my attention. During my research, I realized that user experience and writing are intertwined. Experience and writing must work together. The combination is what makes a product successful. As mentioned in the article by Jory MacKay — An award-winning freelance writer:

“Words and designs are meant to be together”

What is UX Writing actually? UX writing is the act of writing copy for user-facing touchpoints. This copy must not only embody the voice of the organization but must also be considerate and useful for the user- A definition by Kristina Bjoran

I have been reading books, articles, and taking courses on UX writing. I gathered some knowledge especially from the book Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose, by Kate Kiefer Lee and Nicole Fenton, and here are some lessons I learned that you may also find useful if you are a designer or writer. First things first:

Where to Start

You can start by thinking as if you are having a conversation with a friend or telling them a story. It’s not easy to communicate outside the head. You should always keep in mind that you are the expert and know your business better than users. There are some points to keep in mind before writing for the users on the web. You need to:

Be Clear

Use simple, short words and avoid using jargon. Explain in plain language. Keep it as close to the speech as possible. Don’t forget you’re talking to your user. For example

2. Be Specific

Clearly label all instructions and give names. Labels are useful for improving understanding, like road signs. For example, avoid writing

Avoid using, instead use

Tell them what’s next.

Don’t just stop at specific information. For instance don’t just say: Your membership is activated. Instead, inform what they can expect next:

Tell them what’s next

3. Be Consistent

Use consistent names and labels all-around your website. Don’t write ‘Signin’ in one place and ‘Login’ in other places. Make sure you use the right pronouns. In the case of writing ‘My account’ and referring to the user as ‘you’, this can cause confusion. You may be tempted to shorten words and use acronyms to save space, but try to resist doing so. Be clear at all times, but do not sacrifice clarity. Be careful with the confusing ones if you must use them.

4. Be Concise

It’s best to keep it short. Prioritize your information. Make sure the most important information is at the top. Start with the point instead of getting to the point. Make it scannable and easy for them to skim, find the information they need, and move on. Make sure to use simple words and cut the unnecessary ones.

For example:

Avoid using, instead use

5. Be Direct

As said in the book by Nicole and Kate:

“Talk to your readers, not at them”.

Don’t be too vague or flowery. Be direct and nice. Keep both in balance. Cut the bullshit if I say it in simple words.

For example:

Avoid using, instead use

Be careful with negative language.

Avoid telling users what they can’t do instead tell what they can. For Instance:

Avoid using, instead use

6. Be Honest

Being honest means always telling the truth. Maintaining honesty and integrity in your company. If you lie, people will know. If you are sending an offer to thousands of users, do not say that it is “just for you.” Or, if you’re specifying how many customers you have, don’t lie about the number. Don’t overpromise or exaggerate. Be polite. Bring a smile to the reader. A simple “please” or “thank you” is all you need if the user has to wait for a moment or fill in extra fields.

Watch Your Tone

Empathize, empathize and empathize.

This should be your mantra for writing as well. Take into account the situation your users are in. What brought them here? How did they get here? Is it because it is a blog? Are they here for a service you’re providing? Consider different content types and consider the purpose behind each. This will help you to make the writing more useful and appropriate. Consider the context of your message, don’t try to be funny when you are writing an instructional message to help the user. There’s always a time and place for everything.

Understand the Emotions

Plutchik’s wheel of emotions.

Figure: A variation onPlutchik’swheel of emotions. ( Credit: http://www.nicelysaid.co/)

Knowing what your users are feeling and what kind of message to send to them is crucial. Consider their emotional state. Is it good, happy, exciting news? How will they react to this message? Are they angry, frustrated, or upset? Are they likely to be put off by this or will it cheer them up? For instance:

If you’re writing an error message, the user’s emotions may be anger, frustration, confusion, and the tone of the message should be gentle, calm, and serious. If you’re writing good news, the emotional state can be joy, relief, delight and the writing tone can be positive, friendly, and enthusiastic.

Don’t be too formal

It’s a fact that formality can make readers feel anxious, especially when they’re already uncomfortable. You may end up being too formal if you focus too much on grammar. Empathize with the user, put yourself in their shoes. Consider these questions:

Is it Useful? Is it nice? Is it true?

You are not quite done if any of them is no. Be considerate of the emotional state and be nice.

Finally, remember that we are all in marketing

As David Packard famously said,

“Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.”

In his book To Sell Is Human, Daniel Pink says:

To sell well is to convince someone else to part with resources — not to deprive that person, but to leave him better off in the end. That is also what, say, a good algebra teacher does. At the beginning of a term, students don’t know much about the subject. But the teacher works to convince his class to part with resources — time, attention, effort — and if they do, they will be better off when the term ends than they were when it began.1

1 Daniel H. Pink, To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others (New York: Riverhead Books, 2013), 38.

Anyone who writes for the web needs to understand the importance of marketing. Irrespective of whether you’re on a marketing team or not, you’re working on something that people buy, read, or use. All of us have something to sell.

Therefore, UX writing should be learned and practiced as much as user experience. As I learn to improve my users’ experience through writing I hope you will all take a look at it too.

Further Reading:

Some Website for Good UX Writing Examples:

Really Good Emails

Styleguide.com

Lapaninja

SwipedWorthy

Milled

My tools for UX Writing:

Grammarly

Medium

Notion

Instapaper