What does a UX Writer do?
Credit: UX PlanetSo, you’re convinced that you need a UX Writer on your team.
But what does a UX Writer actually do?
If you’re unfamiliar with the discipline, the answer might seem simple — UX Writers write copy for apps and websites.
While that’s true, UX writing is so much more than just writing copy.
In fact, I typically spend around just 10% of my time writing words.
In this post, I’m going to break down:
What UX writing is
What UX Writers do
How it’s different from marketing writing
What is UX writing?
Companies large and small are increasingly believing in the power of UX writing.
Just take these numbers (pulled May 22, 2021):
Facebook: 1,800 Content Designers
Google: 548 UX Writers
Robinhood: 37 Content Strategists
Intuit: 424 Content Designers
Squarespace: 16 UX Content Strategists
That’s because, as time goes on, the apps and websites we use are becoming increasingly complex.
Not to mention, text makes up a significant part of mobile design and up to 95% of web design.
Gone are the days of simply swiping left and right — now apps like Tinder layer on entire interactive experiences, like Swipe Night, and profile “anthems.”
And as these apps and websites grow in complexity, the need for crystal clear and intuitive guidance grows with it.
And it’s not just the growing complexity that should be on our minds — in today’s competitive landscape where, as of July 2017, an average of 5,092 new apps are released every day in the iOS App Store, people are looking for the *most* natural and fluid experiences.
Because options are plentiful, if you’re not serving a pleasant, low-cognitive-load experience, your competition is.
That’s where UX writing comes in.
UX writing creates the conversation between the product and the users.
Through the art of crafting the texts that appear throughout the interface of digital products, UX writing creates clear, concise, and useful experiences.
What does a UX Writer do?
A UX Writer designs with words.
UX Writers are responsible for crafting useful and meaningful experiences that help users complete different tasks within a product.
To do so, a UX Writer thinks about:
Layout
Content hierarchy
Information architecture
Voice and tone
Mircocopy (small bits of copy used for labels, buttons, menus, etc.,)
Macrocopy (informative messages, invitations, confirmation pages, etc.)
To accomplish this, UX Writers acquire a deep and thorough understanding of users.
UX Writers also can’t work in isolation — they’re full-time members of the multi-disciplinary product team. They build deep relationships with other members of the product team, which is integral to gaining a thorough understanding of the product and bridging the gap between knowledge areas.
Along with Product Designers, Product Managers, and Developers, UX Writers shape product experiences and take an active role in user research and usability testing.
Because UX Writers are so integrated, one of the most common mistakes is side-lining bringing a UX Writer in until much too late in the design process.
Product design isn’t the most important, and a UX Writer can’t join the project at the very end and fill in the blanks.
Design and content inform each other. Because of that, it’s imperative to think about the content as early as possible to avoid making too many design changes as the product evolves.
How is UX Writing different from marketing writing?
Anastasiia Marushevska displays the difference between UX writing and marketing copywriting well in an article on UX Collective:
Not all copywriting is the same.
Marketing Writers focus on selling products, acquiring leads, and converting leads into real customers through tactics like email copywriting. To do this, Marketing Writers create snappy content heavy with brand voice.
UX Writers create content for existing customers to help them smoothly sail through the product experience, increasing and stabilizing retention, through tactics like user onboarding. To do this, UX Writers create clear UX copy that prioritizes being informative over brand voice.
As mentioned above, it’s essential for a UX Writer to be brought in early. On the other hand, a Marketing Writer can be brought in when all the specs are finalized and a product is ready to sell and promote.
A lot of Marketing Writers have transitioned into UX writing, and they’d be happy to tell you they’re two very different roles.
UX writing is growing at an accelerated pace, and you’re going to see more and more of us pop up.
If you don’t have one on your team, now’s the time to hire one. Because it’s likely your competition already has a UX Writer.
If you’re looking for a freelance UX Writer to prove the value of UX writing, send me a note. I’d be happy to chat about how words can transform your product.
