User Experience writing is a little-known but very important aspect of web design. In the event that users can’t easily track down what they’re searching for or don’t understand how to navigate your site, they’ll leave — and you’ll risk losing potential customers.
Despite its importance, many small business owners are unsure of what user experience writing is or how to go about incorporating it into their website. This comprehensive guide will introduce you to the basics of UX writing and show you how to apply it to your own website. With just a few simple changes, you’ll be able to create engaging and user-friendly interfaces that keep your customers coming back for more!
What is UX Writing?
We should start off really simple.
- Fundamentally, UX stands for User Experience and is the crux of the entire UX design process.
- UX design is all about the creation and, indeed, design of a great user experience with a digital item — UX writing fills the same need, but instead achieves it with words!
- A UX writer is in charge of planning and forming microcopy for sites, apps, and other digital interfaces to assist with coordinating users through the item and have a great time doing it.
The two components, writing, and design rely upon collaboration with each other to achieve their goal of, you got it, a great user experience.
What is Microcopy?
The expression “microcopy” alludes to the bite-sized bits of writing you see all around sites and apps and items. They assist a user with understanding how to navigate an interface, give information on a situation, direct a user on what to do straightaway, speak to potential user issues, and help express and convey the overall identity of who your brand is, what the item is, and how you do business.
What does a UX Writer do?
A UX writer writes the duplicate for an item’s interface to guide users on how to use that item. Commonly, UX writers are in charge of writing almost any interaction a user has with the item, for example,
- Navigation buttons
- Push notifications
- Instructions
- Error messages
- Onboarding processes
- Form fields
In certain situations, a UX writer is also alluded to as a content strategist, however a content strategist is not necessarily a UX writer. While content strategists typically focus on more overarching layouts of information and UX writing is all about concise details, there is an amazing amount of overlap in the skills both expect to do the individual work well.
Why does good UX writing matter?
The development of UX writing has been begun detonating in the past several years thanks to ongoing hard proof from studies demonstrating how remarkably powerful it can be.
A popular example is of a review showing an inn booking site changing its microcopy from “Book a room” (too chose sounding and like a commitment, users explained) to “Really look at availability” (substantially more approachable and less committed). The site’s engagement bounced by a full 17% with just this one simple change in UX language.
What makes good UX writing?
Good UX writing follows a few simple but distinct standards.
- Use simple, familiar terms
- Write in an active voice
- Keep text and characters minimal
- Be clear, direct, and concise
- Speak the user’s language (assuming your audience is of a particular nationality or of a certain generational demographic, speak such that that particular audience will understand)
- Maintain consistent wording
- Always prioritize empathy for your users
Amusingly enough, the less a user sees UX writing, the better the UX was written.
Is UX writing the same as copywriting?
All things considered, not quite. Simplistically, the greatest distinction between the two is marketing: copywriting is marketing while UX writing is anything but marketing. Indeed, UX writers write duplicate, but the reason for their duplicate is to assist users with using an item rather than to offer that item to the user.
What skills do you need as a UX writer?
Powerful UX writers will more often than not put these skills to use most in their work
- Web Design
- Content Planning and Management
- Consumer Psychology
- Project Management
- Brand and Product Development
Is UX writing creative?
Considering the bulk of the task is based on verbal problem solving, we’d say it’s definitely creative. on the off chance that you know how to do it well! It probably won’t call for elegant language, but imagining user scenarios and excursions and how you could assist with solving the problem before it’s an actual problem for a real user AND solving it all with just language? A job like UX writer is definitely all about creating ways to make an item interface simple and joyous to use!
UX writing can be an interesting and exceptionally nuanced expertise, but with a few time and effort, you can be writing engaging duplicate to assist with working on your users’ experience with your digital item. Short on schedule or effort? Let the team at Agency Partner take over the task for you! Contact us today to get everything rolling.
