
#Ux writer how to#
Understanding data and how to use it for content strategy.Creating a long-term strategy for content.Creating and maintaining guidelines and style guides that include tone of voice.Creating copy within products and on web experiences and flows (One job at Netflix even asked for experience with fiction or screenplays-which just goes to show that narrative and design appears in many forms).Some typical UX writer responsiblities might be: UX writing is not simply receiving a design and then add copy at the last minute, barely interacting with design teams. Related: The evolution of UX research at the Wall Street Journal They conduct research, understand best UX practices, and create entire user experiences from end-to-end. UX writers are those who write copy for products and web experiences and collaborate with design teams. “It’s fair to say that UX writers should be content strategists, but not all content strategists should be UX writers.” All of these interactions need to be written and designed.Īs Susan Stuart writes, “A core skill of the interaction designer is imagining users (characters), motivations, actions, reactions, obstacles, successes, and a complete set of ‘what if’ scenarios. Crafting the right words to accompany the right designs with the right word choice is as much a design exercise as an illustration or animation.Īnd the future world runs on copy: virtual assistants, chatbots, Alexa skills, even phone calls with robots. There’s an old quote often attributed to Mark Twain: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” This is exactly why UX writers are becoming more deeply-integrated into design teams. And with such an emphasis on visual design-and fewer words-choosing the right words becomes even more important. Design teams are now fully realizing that words embody just as much design ethic as a wireframe. This is exactly why copy is being called Silicon Valley’s “unicorn” skill: It has more importance than you think. What’s going to be one of the main differentiators between brands in the future? Still important, still a skill to develop, but a profession that’s well established. But the growing number of coders is making it easier to find good talent. So as a creative, a business owner, or a producer, it’s important for you to understand what makes a good UX writer: How are they different from a content strategist, and what value can they bring to your team? Why are UX writers so important?Ĭritical thinking, writing, and planning are necessary skills in today’s job market.Ĭoding is an important skill.

This title isn’t going away, and what happens in the tech industry soon filters through to other businesses. Even blogs are talking about UX writing, and what it means, more frequently. There’s a dedicated newsletter for locating UX writers and getting updates on the latest job postings. All up, as of July 2018, there are dozens of openings for dedicated UX writers, and that’s just in the United States.

For those in the UX community, it might be old news, but for others, it’s a completely new term: the UX writer.Ī quick LinkedIn search will show you the types of companies searching for UX writers: Spotify, Netflix, Dropbox, Nordstrom, Uber, Patreon. Over the past few years, a fairly new term has started popping up on job advertisements and descriptions.
