UX Writing – Is it a thing?

People can have heated debates about whether UX (user experience) writing is a thing. Or whether, you know, it’s just an unnecessary term for ‘writing’.

I can understand both arguments.

On the one hand, you can have writers with specialised skills in the area of UX. You’ll see UX Writer roles in large organisations that have big marketing departments and quite a few writers with different functions. But does that mean a generalist copywriter can’t write for UX? No, I think any writer is probably already using UX principles to create great copy.

So what’s the deal?

Getting to the crux of user experience

When we talk about ‘user experience’, we mean all the nuts and bolts of how a thing (like a product or service) works. The aim of UX is to make things as easy to understand and navigate as possible. It;s about ease and functionality, not necessarily about attractiveness.

This function applies to both design and communication.

Think of it like this: a UX designer serves quite a different function to a graphic designer. The UX designer will apply their design skills to ensure a product functions and appears as it should to help the user have a great experience. The graphic designer, on the other hand, is there to make things look pretty. They may not agree with a UX designer’s recommendation to make a button bright red so it’s easy for the reader to find, because a bright red button probably isn’t going to look very nice. The two roles need to work together to find a solution that meets the user’s needs but also meets the brand’s visual guidelines.

Writing for user experience

So it’s the same when it comes to text. A UX writer may want to use safe, simple, easy-to-understand words to explain a concept, whereas a marketing writer wants to make the text sound as sexy as possible, in line with the brand’s tone of voice. There needs to be a middle ground.

I particularly like how the roles of copywriting and UX writing are explored in a blog from RocketAir:

“Broadly speaking, copywriters are more “sales-oriented,” work with the marketing team, and “use sexy words to attract customers.” On the other hand, UX writers are “product-oriented,” work with the design team, and “use simple words to explain things.”

So are the two forms of writing mutually exclusive?

Is a copywriter a UX writer?

Not inherently, but probably yes.

I think a copywriter definitely needs to have UX writing skills. You need to have a deep understanding of who your audience is and what their needs are in order to use language they’ll understand. You also need to apply empathy on the regular so you’re not just writing stuff that sounds good, but that is useful and helpful too!

Let me put it like this: I’m a copywriter, and I think I could comfortably step into a dedicated UX Writer role for an organisation. (In fact, I keep getting contacted by recruiters for these kinds of roles! Heh.)

The role of research and testing

One more thing I should mention about UX and UX writing is that research and testing should play a big part in it. Research methods will be used to test and verify how a user actually responds to things.

I’ll give you a really simple example of this: the Highlighter Test.

Essentially, this involves giving the text to a group of people and asking them to highlight any areas that sound confusing to them. This allows a writer to identify any language that isn’t resonating with the target audience. 

Using insights like results from the Highlighter Test, a writer can more accurately ensure they’re creating content that’s user friendly AND delicious to read.

Interested in learning more about the role of UX in writing? Let’s get coffee and I’ll geek out about it to you :D