Crafting user-friendly experiences has become vital in developing any product or online service worldwide. When things are easy to use and understand, customers are more likely to come back for future purchases and recommend you to others. While UX designers play a significant role in interface development and design analysis, ensuring a content strategy that’s clear and enhances the user experience, they’re not alone in this mission. Another crucial player in this realm is the UX writer.
This article will teach you everything you need to know about the UX writing process, whether you want to become a UX writer or consider hiring one.
UX Writing Definition
UX writing is crafting clear, understandable, and concise messaging that improves user experience, whether when navigating a website, reading instructions, or anything similar.
The user experience writing is present everywhere, not being restricted to websites or apps. It is used in various digital products and can be found in instruction manuals, security notes, error messages, menu labels, and numerous other places.
What Does a UX Writer Do
Similar to UX designers, technical writers focusing on UX strive to optimize content to ensure the target audience can easily understand the text and complete tasks without difficulty. The primary goal of effective UX writing is to assist users in navigating digital environments, such as user interfaces and locating desired information.
Thanks to the user feedback on these aspects, the professional can also enhance the experience by acknowledging the main pain points of the users and addressing these problems so they don’t happen again in the future. Similar to a UX designer, the work of a UX writer also involves conducting user research to understand these issues so they can solve these problems.
It’s not just about clarity; it’s also about choosing words that fit the space and situation. This aspect is crucial for any digital product, highlighting the importance of never underestimating the role of the UX writer. In addition to their UX writing duties, a good UX writer may share their suggestions regarding the user interface with the product designer.
UX Writing vs. Copywriting
One common source of confusion lies in understanding the difference between the work of copywriters and the UX writer’s role. While both involve writing and crafting communication elements, they differ in their approach and focus.
UX writers tend to write their UX copy and text pieces based on the product and its functionality, while the copywriter aims to sell or promote a product or service, highlighting its quality. UX writers create their texts considering usability testing and many other aspects directly related to the product and its experience. On the other hand, copywriters will write copy based on what they want the users to think of the product and how the brand’s business goals.
A highly effective UX writing may involve adopting a conversational tone to ensure users understand the message. This entails being clear and concise, avoiding unnecessary words, and communicating directly with the user.
However, this approach doesn’t extend to technical writing or traditional copywriting, which often requires crafting a compelling narrative. Through storytelling, copywriters aim to persuade customers of the value of a particular product or service. While emotional elements are commonly used in social media posts, they are typically absent in UX writing for user interfaces.
UX Writer Salary
Thinking of becoming a professional UX writer? Here are some crucial pieces of data regarding average salary for UX writing positions.
The salary for this role can vary significantly based on factors like the country and the specific position within UX writing. Similar to the standard UX design process, you might be a senior UX writer with a prominent role in the design team, deeply involved in every stage of the process. Conversely, there are junior UX writers who have more entry-level responsibilities, handling smaller tasks within the process. If you develop user interfaces and also do the copy part, you’ll usually earn more than many UX writers who only create the menu texts, for example.
According to Glassdoor, the salary of a senior UX writer is 80 thousand dollars per year in the US, but there are cases where copywriters earn up to 110k in a year. Notice that this is the salary for the top tier of job roles of this kind. As a junior UX writer, the average salary is 15 thousand dollars per year, with cases where this value goes up to 23k.
How to Improve Your Writing Skills
If you want to shine among the UX writers and become a professional in this industry, practicing and constantly improving your skills is very important. Here, we will show you some tips that can take your writing skills to the next level and help you achieve your dream UX writing job.
Make sure to look at each of them to see how they can help enhance writing skills and take the UX writer’s portfolio to the next level. Here are some of the UX writing best practices you should follow:
Understand the Writing Principles of User Experience
UX writing principles are one of the most important parts of becoming a successful professional in this matter. Understanding them and applying each item helps improve your writing quality and shows business owners and recruiters your experience.
The principles play a pivotal role in guiding actions, so it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with them and consistently practice writing while adhering to UX writing processes. This practice is fundamental for aspiring professional writers, whether their interests lie in UX research process or related fields.
Understand Your Audience
Tailoring your approach and communication style to suit each audience is essential. When writing for a particular niche or audience, it’s crucial to consider their preferences to ensure your text resonates effectively. As a UX writer, you’re likely to engage with diverse and sizable audiences, spanning various profiles. Therefore, it’s vital to conduct user research and craft communication that’s easy to comprehend and engage with.
Understanding the audience helps you generate insights on how to write a specific part of the interface or text box. It is very similar to what graphic designers do when developing the looks of the interface or any kind of project.
The audience impacts various project aspects, from content strategy to word choice. User interviews help understand the audience profile, whereas data from these interviews guides the content strategist in determining the writing style and interface for the digital solution.
Do a UX Writing Course
As UX writers constantly work with technological trends, there is always something new to learn, whether you’re a beginner or a professional in the area. Thus, taking UX writing lessons is a great way to improve your skills and knowledge.
You can find courses on this topic on dozens of platforms, like Udemy, Domestika, and YouTube. Here are some UX writing courses that you can check right now and practice UX writing:
- Introduction to UX Writing – Paid course is recommended for beginners who want to learn the essential skills for efficient microcopy writing.
- Building Your UX Writing Portfolio – Paid course dedicated to teaching how to create a solid portfolio for UX writers that will help them find jobs more quickly and highlight their qualities.
- UX Writing Course by UXWritingHub – Free course containing all the basics regarding the profession and what you can do to improve as a professional. Includes lessons and tips regarding UX writing tools and many other aspects.
Use Good UX Writing Tools
Even though the most important thing for a successful career is good writing skills, having the right tools also helps a lot. You can use hundreds of tools to improve your writing skills and ensure every text is in the best way possible.
Tools like Grammarly help create flawless texts when it comes to grammar and punctuation, making your copy error-free. Along with that, you also have Readable, which measures how readable your text is in terms of comprehension and accessibility.
Want to do research on how you can improve an already-started project? There’s also a tool for that. User Interviews provides multiple interview pools ready for research, so you don’t need to go after participants or users for a specific part of the project. These interviews help you generate insight and see aspects of the digital solution from a different perspective.
There are hundreds of tools that can help you become a better writer. You can also check out our article on the best tools for UX researchers and writers so you can find the perfect one for your needs.
Find Your Own Writing Style
We all know that UX has its own writing style and rules, but this doesn’t mean you can’t infuse your brand with its own distinct voice as well. As long as you adhere to the major UX writing principles, you can still incorporate your brand’s personality into the text, ensuring it remains clear, accessible, and resonant with your audience.
Following the is essential and should never be overlooked. Whether you’re a content designer or a member of the marketing team, injecting elements of your brand’s style is inevitable and commonplace among other UX writers. This adds more personality to your brand’s text, making it feel more authentic and engaging rather than robotic.
Remember that even as you infuse your brand’s personality into the text, maintaining a concise, objective writing style that effectively communicates with all audiences is crucial. Whether you’re working with UXW in software development or any other digital realm, your brand’s content will be encountered by thousands or even millions of users. It’s imperative that your text remains clear and understandable to every single one of these individuals.
If you’re looking for examples of that, you can check Duolingo’s social media channels and other platforms. Even though it is an educational app, its communication and writing style is unique and informal. They mix memes and mainstream elements to engage with the audience and promote their platform.
This informal and funny way of communicating is also present inside the app as the users do their lessons, showing how memorable an original voice can be. Duo became one of the most successful and known mascots inside and outside the platform, mainly thanks to the way it communicates.
Look at Competitors and Other Examples
One of the best ways to learn and improve is by observation. Looking at competitors and other UX writers can generate insights and help you improve numerous aspects of your work.
It is always important to observe things critically so you know how this can impact the user journey and why it is a good or bad idea. Writing copy is not only about knowledge and study but also experience; looking at the UX content from professionals in the field can teach a lot.
The same goes for looking at competitors. Analyzing other companies is one of the most common research methods for copy, content design, and many other project parts. Doing this allows you to generate insights and identify industry trends, needs, and actions you can take to improve your project. You can’t base the entire user experience on your competitors’ actions, but they can surely help you with great ideas. If you’re struggling with getting ideas for your UX writing project, you can check our article on numerous examples of UX writing that will inspire you and help develop your next text.
Stay Up to Date With UX News
No matter if you’re a beginner or a professional, it is crucial to keep up with the main news about the UX world, whether tools, tips, or anything else. This is the best way to become the best writer and be ready for whatever project you request.
There’s always something new happening in this world. UX is a relatively new discipline, and new solutions are being launched daily. Studying new platforms and tools, writing styles, and reading more about the subject will always bring benefits and is an excellent investment of time.
There’s an infinite amount of material from various sources to study on the subject and get to know the new arrivals in the industry. It is a new market, and keeping up with it is indispensable for job growth. It will also help you find new UX writing opportunities way easier.
It is also a great idea to subscribe to newsletters from industry experts and media channels about UX and UX writing. This way, you’re always learning something new about it.
Don’t know any option? Here are some suggestions of newsletters and channels that you and any UX writer might find useful for improving your UX writing skills and taking notes to inspire your next project.
Looking for a UX Writer for Your Project?
There is no doubt that UX writing is a vital part of any digital project and is not something you learn from one day to another. If you want the best results with your project and your users to have the best experience when navigating through your website, app, or any digital creation, hiring professional UX writers is the best option.
GamerSEO boasts the best writers with years of experience working on the most diverse types of projects. Whether you need a UX writer for your app or a complete UX analysis of your systems, our team ensures the best results for you. We develop strategies aiming directly at your objectives and goals, ensuring positive results in the most optimized way. Join us, and let’s create quality experiences together.
Conclusion on What Is UX Writing
UX writing is a promising role in the industry that has been growing lately. With the ascension of digital solutions in almost every industry in the world, the need for quality copy in apps is indispensable for delivering a satisfying experience for the users navigating through these digital spaces.
Now that you know everything you need, it is time to start studying the world of UX design and writing. Follow all the steps and tips above, and you’ll surely have success in this career.
Professional writer and designer graduating from Marketing and Advertisement at PUCRS. Lucciano has been working in the industry for over 6 years and, throughout his journey, has accomplished many achievements, including a SET Award in the entrepreneur category. His main goal as a designer and writer is to create marketing that impacts people’s lives through user experience, emotional connection, or any way that generates positive changes. Along with his work, Lucciano shares a passion for video games, especially horror titles, and playing bass.