Six key lessons I’ve learned about UX writing

In the spirit of keeping things concise, we’re just going to dive straight into this one.

1) Be clear, concise, and considerate

It’s best to keep your content bite-sized. Users may not have the patience to read long form text on their devices when they’re navigating through your app/website.We’re used to writing text to make it sound impressive. I can’t stress the importance of being clear, concise, and considerate.

We’re the ones speaking to our users from behind a screen. We also know our app and website, so it’s important to write how you speak, and keep it simple. It’s not okay to use words because they ‘sound’ nice. For instance, don’t use the word ‘discover’ when you mean ‘find.

This helps in avoiding ambiguity. Being explicit is vital, as this is how you instruct and guide your users. UX Writing is friendly minimalism. When I’ve done a good job, few or no-one thinks about the user flow or the words I wrote, they just leave a happy customer.

2) Consistency is key

I understood the importance of this when I realised users get confused if you use different terminology for the same purpose. For instance, when you’re asking them to ‘Book a Table’ online, don’t change it to ‘Reserve a Table’ elsewhere. This includes the text, labels, buttons etc.

It’s not just about confusing the user – by using the same terminology across your product, you are conditioning them to your voice, tone, and language. It helps in creating a dialogue with them, especially if you want them to come back.

3) A/B test your copy

Bounce your copy off other people and make sure you split test it. If it’s confusing to someone, it probably needs to be reworked. It’s also quite beneficial if you ask someone whose first language isn’t English. If they don’t understand you, it’s most certainly not going to work for your users.

4) Trust your instincts

If it doesn’t sound right, or if you’re not happy with what you’ve written, it’s very likely your users will feel the same way. Trust your instincts.

5) Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate

UX writers have to be involved at an earlier stage. We need to know who we’re writing for, to get the voice and tone right, and to ensure that important messages are delivered to our users.

We also need context, which is why we need to sit with the product teams. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve received requests to write copy for something or just fix grammar – that’s not what we’re here for. We need to push to get user flows, goals, character limits etc. This just makes our jobs easier when we’re racing against time to meet deadlines. Better yet, create a process that ensures you receive all the information you need to get sh*t done.

6) Learn basic design software

Designers are busy people. We don’t need to learn everything they do, but it’s good to know the basics of tools such as Figma or Sketch. Put your copy on a mock-up, see how it looks and reads, and if it fits on the screen. We need to see this to make sure we’re doing our jobs right.