Hello again.
Before I break for the holidays, I wanted to briefly look ahead to 2024 and suggest one area where you might want to invest more of your energies. I want to encourage you to improve your UX writing skills.
What is UX Writing
To clarify what I mean by UX writing, I am referring to the practice of crafting the text that appears throughout a user interface, such as button labels, error messages, and onboarding instructions. However, I believe it also includes ensuring that all copy is accessible and easy to scan.
Why UX Writing Matters
Copy in its many forms makes up most of our online experience, so if you care about the user experience, you must care about copy.
UX writing recognizes that writing for the web is different from other mediums. People only read a fraction of the copy on the page, so it needs to be written to allow people to efficiently hone in on the specific piece of information they require and to understand what is being said.
Also, microcopy, such as button labels, error messages, etc, is essential as users attempt to navigate and use both websites and web apps. Unless this copy is clear, users will quickly become frustrated.
Why You Need to Focus on This Area
If we don’t care about UX writing, others will pick up the slack, which will not always lead to the best results.
If we ignore microcopy, developers will have to write it themselves, and although highly skilled, copywriting is not their strength.
As for general copy, I am not suggesting you can replace a good copywriter, but somebody focused explicitly on accessibility and scannability is invaluable. You can make the most compelling and engaging copy, but people will get frustrated if it is hard to read.
In addition, all too often, the copy is not written by experienced web copywriters. Somebody must ensure it is rewritten to suit the web in those cases.
How You Learn More About UX Writing
Grasping the basics of UX writing is not that tough. Ultimately, it comes down to:
- being clear and concise,
- keeping the reading level low,
- favoring short sentences,
- using bullet lists,
- writing in an active voice,
- organizing into easy-to-digest content blocks.
Also, Chat GPT can be incredibly helpful in writing with UX in mind. I have written in the past about how you can use AI to help create content blocks. However, even asking Chat GPT to “make this content as clear and concise as possible” can improve any copy, especially microcopy.
I have even been working on a custom GPT for writing better web copy that you are welcome to try if you have a Chat GPT pro account. It is far from perfect yet, so use it with caution.
What I can thoroughly recommend is Hemingway App. This is an invaluable tool for making any copy more web-friendly. Although it won’t create content blocks or use bullets, it will show you how to reduce the reading level, favor an active tone of voice, and use shorter sentences.
Learning to Strike a Balance
Of course, grasping the basics and using AI tools won’t make you an expert copywriter. You must balance the “rules” of UX writing with other factors such as personality, empathy, and engagement. That is why we will still need professional copywriters.
An Essential Skill
But, I believe that whether you are a UX designer or digital marketer, you must have a good grasp of UX writing to do your job correctly. If you are seeking to move from being a UI designer to a UX designer, UX writing is one of the essential skills that will allow you to make the transition.
So, as you think about your New Year’s resolutions, perhaps consider adding “improve my UX writing skills” to the list. And, maybe, just maybe, you might want to make this a New Year’s resolution you actually do!
