UX writing plays an important role in helping your users interact with your product or service. Great UX writing combined with a great UI can make a user’s experience seamless and fun.
What is UX writing?
UX writing is the words and language used in a digital product or service that helps guide the user through the experience. It’s the voice of the product, the friendly face that greets you when you first log in. And, as you can imagine, it’s important. Imagine going to a party where no one speaks your language. That’s what it’s like when you encounter bad UX writing.
The importance of UX writing
It helps to create a seamless user experience. Think about it: if you’re trying to use a new app or website, and you don’t understand what it’s telling you to do, you’re going to get frustrated quickly. And frustration leads a user not using your product. UX writing is the key to making sure that users can easily navigate and use your product without getting lost or confused.
Make your UX writing great
All content, but especially UX content, should be clear and concise. This isn’t the time to show off your extensive vocabulary or wax poetic about the beauty of your product. Save that for your blog. When it comes to UX writing, less is more. You want to give users just enough information to get them where they need to go, without overwhelming them with too much text.
But good UX writing is more than just brevity. It’s also about being conversational and friendly. Think about it: if you’re using a product and it feels like you’re being talked down to or lectured, you’re not going to enjoy the experience. But if it feels like you’re being helped along by a friend, that’s a whole different story. That’s where personality comes in.
Add personality to your writing
To add personality to your writing you need to know your audience. Who are the people using your product, and what do they care about? If you’re designing a game for kids, your UX writing is probably going to be a lot more playful and sillier than if you’re designing a banking app for adults. But no matter who your audience is, remember to keep it authentic. Don’t try to be something you’re not. If you’re not funny, don’t try to make jokes. If you’re not sarcastic, don’t try to be snarky. Just be yourself and let your personality shine through.
Good UX writing doesn’t just happen by accident. It takes work, and a lot of it. You must be willing to iterate and test your writing to see what works and what doesn’t. And that’s where the real fun begins.
Personally, I love the process of writing and testing UX copy. It’s like a puzzle, trying to figure out the perfect combination of words that will get users where they need to go. I use a writing process like the game of Jenga, but instead of blocks I see how many words I can remove from my copy, while ensuring it still makes sense.
Great UX writing works with the UI to ensure a seamless user experience, navigating them through your product with ease. Remember, less is more and plain language will help your users.
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