UX writing is a growing area that generally pays well and is specialised without being impossible to break into. So what is it and could it be for you?

What is UX writing? 

UX stands for usability or user experience, which is basically about how easy it is for people to use a website or app. UX writing basically refers to all the little bits of copy that guide people through processes on apps, websites, games consoles, software and more: instructional text, calls to action, labels, buttons, menu items, error messages, Help text and acknowledgment messages.

Why is it growing in importance?

More and more of us are carrying out tasks online, from registering to vote to joining a dating app to buying foreign currency. All these interactive processes, or user journeys, involve an interface between a human and a computer. Increased use of apps and mobile has created many more such interfaces. All the big players like Google, Facebook and Apple have UX writers in their design teams.

If people (users) don’t have a user-friendly experience when they try to navigate a business’s processes, lost customers and money could result. Businesses have realised that it’s not just the design of these journeys that matters; it’s also the words that are used to steer people on their way, explaining what happens next and what they need to do, and putting them back on the right track when something goes wrong.

How does the UX writer work?

Typically the UX writer, whether freelance, contract or in-house, will be part of a multidisciplinary team, alongside designers and UX specialists, working on developing all the key user journeys for a specific app or service. They will be given prototypes or wireframes, and will need to provide the relevant copy for each step.

The process is often iterative, which means that it is refined through testing on sample users. Where people stumble in a process, you will step in with new words to help the team solve the problem.

Do you need specialist skills or qualifications?

In one way, UX writing is harder than it looks. We have experience of web forms and online processes that don’t work, and coming up with words to help businesses to do better is partly common sense.

On the other hand, there’s a skill in writing that makes user journeys completely intuitive – setting expectations, removing ambiguity and writing with tremendous clarity in often very small spaces – and on brand too. UX writers aren’t there to sell or write lengthy content; it’s a very ego-less discipline that’s about getting people where they want to go as quickly and easily as possible. This means you have to understand the product or service inside out yourself too.

Many UX writers have a background in copywriting, IT development or e-learning. Bigger jobs and brands look for proven experience, but in smaller businesses the UX writing work may be part of the general digital-writing requirement. Many do not have a specialist qualification, but have developed a proven aptitude for the job.

How do I get into it?

UX writing is developing rapidly. There are loads of great resources, from great books like Don’t Make Me Think to titles such as UX Collective. Here’s a good list of UX-related books, and another of UX writing articles. You can find UX writer jobs here, on LinkedIn and wherever else you look for writing jobs.  

Start by getting some experience, and you’ll gradually be able to trade smaller names for bigger ones. And with new developments all the time, such as UX writing for chatbots and voice assistants, this fascinating area is only set to grow.

BIO: Read more of Dan Brotzel’s articles about writing on Medium and Dan Brotzel’s debut collection of short stories is Hotel du Jack (Sandstone Press)