UX Writing: the common thread of the user’s journey
As technology becomes more used to solve any daily matter, the need for adapting to a new reality has taken over everything, including the content, now restructured in several aspects to reach the new audience. Only then could one find out what this audience wants, and understand how to establish effective communication from this moment on.
To get in sync with this logic, we had to understand that, more than ever, there was a need for instantly satisfying wishes, curiosities, doubts, etc. Other issues thus became subject for authors to write on, and new textual patterns were established. Little by little, we were distancing ourselves from previously known niches, though facing the demand to define what we were becoming. After all, digital experience texts did not fit in in any of the previous standards.
We are not dealing with readers anymore. Interacting with technology becomes a rather sensory and dynamic practice by the second, allowing for a simpler, and more pleasant experience, now more compatible to the current daily life. Therefore it is crucial that texts follow this exact same flow, as we rediscover texts as they emerge from these changes.
Within this universe of reinvention, UX Writing was born: roughly, the leading-text of the user’s experience which, alongside the layout, attempts at creating the ideal context for digital interaction. Writing for the user means to offer clear, straightforward responses for the user’s own actions; it means to compose a friendly environment, safe for the user to finish their tasks in the most quickly, and effective manner. UX Writing is precisely the common thread of this user’s journey towards their goal, a facilitator of the route.
But what makes UX Writing different from everything else? And what must we understand to produce a leading and useful text?
In order to answer these questions, I will highlight a few things that may seem obvious, but might be interesting for those who are launching a UX Writing career.
“Look for the bare necessities. The simple bare necessities.” — The Jungle Book
1. When in doubt, follow Mowgli.
UX Writing results from Microcopy (micro-text), which was born with the understanding that the content for this interface should be useful, relevant, original, and concise. Every single word must thus be carefully chosen as to inform only what is necessary.
Creating a functional text — which, despite written with only a few words, is also humanized — can seem easy, but it is not always like this. Sometimes the shallow pieces we cut throughout the process are what turns the text into a less robotic, and more friendly composition. The important thing, however, is that we can do it, if we do it carefully. Some companies are doing an amazing job, and can be used as examples.
Spotify
Uber
2. If the text is a facilitator, it must be 100% accessible to its audience.
Formalisms should be left for another moment. Understanding the audience you are addressing, and the complexity of the project you are involved in is essential for developing the best strategy for content creation, and for adapting the language you use according to your company’s tone, and to the user’s needs.
Not so long ago, I have participated in the construction of an app in which the entire process was very confusing. The only thing that would bring any sense to that would be the text — the easiest, and most objective text, so that the user could explore it through the end without feeling lost. The challenge is to try and simplify the interaction as much as possible. You should also remind yourself of this: do not force the user into thinking. Cut the text short; find an easy, and friendly way of saying only what is crucial; work with a thesaurus at your disposal. In the end, everything works out just fine.
3. Text and layout are one / UX Writer and UX Designer are friends ♥
It would be a dream if the simplicity of it all could be applied to the real world, hahaha. But this partnership is essential for everything to work out in the best way possible. Several times pretty much always I got involved in projects in the middle of the process: a screen full of lorem ipsum, a shallow explanation for what was going on there. And still I had to create content with no consistent ground to work on. I like the Content First idea, but it goes beyond that. It really is a mutual construction, where you learn the briefing correctly, as well as the designer’s motivations during the process. Then you can give your opinions so that, from this exchange, both layout and text interact with one another, content and layout merge as naturally as possible, and both of them compose an inseparable unity.
4. Empathy is the key.
How do people feel as they interact with the interface, and what does it have to do with what you are about to write? Everything. Your text affects the user’s reaction, and defines the progress of the experience. Therefore, understanding what the user needs must guide your entire creative process. Though being a cliché, you could ask yourself: “What would I like to find here?” It might help you discover obvious solutions which had been shut down by your despair, haha. If I can give you a tip: go beyond what is obvious. If you cannot, do not deliver only what the user needs; give the user a bonus, something extra that makes the user feel better at that moment. (I will address it a bit further in the next topic.)
Obviously, despite our good will of putting ourselves in the user’s shoes, sometimes it will not be enough. Our specialized little eyes end up developing a few habits, which allow for some details to go unnoticed. Only a usability test can rub these details in our faces. So test everything, always test. When in doubt, ask for a colleague to come by –even better if it is a colleague from another department –, explain the flow of your work, and make a quick evaluation before the final test. It works a lot for me.
5. Learn how to explore your text’s potential in each situation.
As I have already said, go beyond the obvious — without losing the Microcopy spirit, right? Try to imagine, within each situation, what could transform an ok, well-succeed interaction into something really good, and original; into something that will put a smile in the user’s face by the end of the process, or that will make the user praise the app or the website in social media or app store. But remember: balance is everything; so neither should you try to be funny in inappropriate times, nor get all creative all the time. Have the feeling to understand the right time to invest in something groundbreaking.
There are lots of ways to make that happen. You might give a textual reward, being kind, making a nice comment, or showing that you understand the user’s pain. Your text can turn an exhausting flow of cancelling into something softer; it can present a piece of easiness that the user was not expecting to meet, or make the user feel more confident and safe in that environment (which completely transforms the user’s opinion on the company, but this is a topic for another article).
Mental note: your goal with creating is to make someone else’s life easier. You can be proud of your work.
Do your best.
