UX Writing vs Copywriting
Write First, Design Later
(This article was originally published in Prototypr Magazine, on Medium) 
I recently stumbled across the term, “UX Writer” and since then I’ve had plenty of questions- the most important one being, “what exactly is UX writing and how is it different from copy-writing?” UX writing in and of itself is not a new concept, but it is a new title that came about as recently as a few years ago. From what I gather from Google’s job description, the job of a UX writer is to:
“Convey brand voice and shape the product experience by crafting copy that helps users complete the task at hand.”
Traditionally, how things have typically progressed is that the design team would design a product and send it over to the the development team who would then build it. Finally this product would arrive to the marketing/advertising team who would then have to use words (copy) to advocate the product and brand to customers. This is where the copy-writing comes in and is defined as:
“The process of writing promotional materials often aimed to get the user to take action.”
In this model, UX and Copywriting are on two opposite sides of the product design process, but as more and more things are shifted to an online platform, the need to have well written copy at the beginning of the process becomes more and more apparent. As UX designers, we are taught that when we design a product, app, or a website, it needs to be user friendly. In fact, it should be more than just “user friendly” it should be intuitive. The fundamental principles of design — structure, simplicity, clarity, visibility, and feedback- all play a huge role in how we build designs, iterate on them, conduct product research, do testing, and all other aspects of UX design. So why is it that copy is not a priority earlier in the project sequence? How many companies put out designs that still have Lorem Ipsum to show their teams? Or draft quick copy to add on the site during the testing phase? The answer: too many, and that’s to their detriment.
User Experience as a Conversation.
Users desire more than just pretty colors and nice pictures on their screen. They want more than just functionality and usability. Users want to be understood, and the only way to understand is by having a conversation. The purpose of the entire research process is to understand what it is our users want- what problem they have, and how are we solving it. This conversation cannot just end at the user research phase- as it often does. We can’t just say, ‘Well, thanks so much for all the input, we will see you again during the A/B tests!” We have to continue to keep the user in mind through the entire design process, and this includes the copy that they will be reading. Keep in mind that the copy is often the most human part of the entire interaction with your product. It’s the part where the site or the app is speaking to the user, answering their questions, giving them feedback and prompting them to take action. But this voice cannot just manifest itself on its own. It needs to develop with the design, seamlessly integrated, instead of an afterthought.
Example of Great Copy- Not only does the customer get feedback about the task (mail will go out shortly) but it also eases the anxiety of the user by offering a friendly high five.
A growing field
There are so many UX designers who work in places that don’t really have a ‘big design culture.’ A company or startup that doesn’t understand what exactly it is a UX designer does, or why it’s relevant. In these workplaces, the designers have to constantly show their worth, demonstrate their importance, and advocate for user centered designs in a way they would never have to in a workplace where the importance of good UX/UI is understood. This is going to be the same for UX Writers. Only recently, companies like Google, Amazon, and Paypal have started posting for UX writers, which means naturally, other companies will follow suite.
Amazon, Paypal and Dropbox advertising for UX writer positions- go apply!
However, just because a company is hiring for a UX writer, doesn’t mean that they know exactly what a UX writer does, or their value on the team. It’s going to be an uphill battle for a few more years, edging a place in the design community and finding a way to balance copy with meaningful and interactive design. It will mean having writers who use less words (as we all know, people don’t like to read on the internet), but with more meaning. Having writers who can defend their word choice, and make a user feel guided and reassured that when they interact with the product, they will not be lost and frustrated.
Who will work these jobs?
The beauty with the tech world is that it grows so quickly and is constantly changing that even qualifications that we think may not be a good fit initially, end up being the most desired down the line. In the beginning, most people trying to get into UX felt they needed some sort of background in design or computer science- and granted that’s a great help. But now we also know and acknowledge that UX designers from diverse career and education backgrounds are also perfectly capable of learning the tools and concepts of UX design and executing them in a workplace. There is a high demand for UX designers with backgrounds in Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology and other social sciences. I imagine this will be the same for UX writers. Currently it seems they are hiring those with training in Journalism or Creative Writing - I suspect those backgrounds will come to be less homogeneous, allowing room for creativity and new ideas in how best to communicate with an audience in a tech-focused world.
