UX Writer. Is there any other kind?

UX Writing is a new thing. Yet, I'm an old hand at it.

Below are examples of usability and UX writing. And here are more.

At the core of UX writing is the interest of the reader. If it isn't easy to follow, or doesn't speak to the reader's interest, it's not a great experience, and may be unusable. That's true whether you're writing app microcopy or a technical paper. Even a magazine article can be "unusable."

First, the user needs a reason to read it. Or instead of reading it, it could be a video, or audio. (I do those, too.) Then, if he or she bails before acting, either the writing wasn't reader/user-friendly, or it didn't clearly explain what's in it for them.

In terms of copy length, here's the long and the short of it …

• Long-form, dense technical information

I've long said, "The language of the prospect, not a bit more technical than that." This doesn't rule out techspeak, but it does mean that every bit of jargon and every technical detail should be there for a reason. After all, businesspeople and engineers (to take the most common examples) are people first.

Make the text seem as clear as Common Sense. Don't just cut. Simplify. And whether the writing is digital or print, use classic readability principles (e.g., espoused by David Ogilvy) and new test findings (e.g., taught by Jakob Nielsen) to make the copy easy to skim. Make key points easy to see and understand.

The most important key point being: what's in it for them?

Samples (will open in new tab or window):

• Earbuds and earplugs -- A heads-up on hearing health
• Efficiency in folio-size sheeting... (Advanced MES software and machine design)
• KLM Services Manual (excerpt)
• New, simplified hip replacement procedure... (press release)


• Apps, forms and other microcopy

With everything riding on an app's or microsite's usability, it's even more important to make the copy and layout clear and relevant. Yet, here, too, the principles of intuitive use have many roots in traditional media. Gaze motion. Color. White space. Font selection, size and relative weights. Concise, efficient wording. To these, add new techniques (such as hover tips, conventional formats, universal icons, and various tools), and you're in pretty good shape.

If you can add formal user testing, so much the better. But there are ways of informally (and inexpensively) doing basic user testing. And many of these principles are already confirmed by previous testing, even if they go back 50 years. Over time, many usability techniques have been forgotten, or were not learned. The same is true of some collaboration practices I professionally "grew up" with.

I gladly help developers, marketers and publishers return to these proven practices.

Samples (will open in new tab or window):

• Microcopy and other UX thinking

Exactly what do YOU need?

• Press release
• Advertorial
• White paper (various, editor)
• White paper (health club assets management software)
• Editorial content (quaintly called an "article")

These pages are also UX and web-related:

You can also interactively search for UX among my Samples.