“What’s the point?”

Always start with this.

Clarity

Use simple, common language. Don’t let technical accuracy get in the way of language that users can actually understand.

Simplicity

Make it efficient. Use the least amount of words you can. Edit, then edit again. But don’t compromise on clarity.

Consistent

Consistency is your users’ friend. It’s less work for them. Don’t expect users to make connections that aren’t clear.

Responsible

Avoid ‘dark patterns’ like confirm-shaming. Be better.

First draft is bad draft — experiment

You’re never right the first time. Approach all work as an experiment.

If in doubt, say “I don’t know”

Be open. Use your lack of understanding to dig into what needs to be said.

These principles are fluid…

How did you get into content design?

I studied design at art school but fell into copywriting. I ended up in editorial and government. There, I joined the Government Digital Service at beta stage. I wanted to change the conversation about what content people were doing. At that time, content editors were very limited in what they could do. GDS removed all of that. So I took advantage of our multidisciplinary team, took all the best bits, considered all my design and content training and expanded the team’s remit.

We went from limited to almost limitless. We could present content in whatever format made sense for the…

Hej! I’m Amy Johansson, Senior UX writer at IKEA. You might also know me by my Instagram handle, The Microcopy Enthusiast.

How did you get into UX writing?

Basically, there was a hole covered in leaves and I fell into it. Well that’s the story I like to tell. But the truth is that I’d spent years (oh, about 20, so I’m not young and I’m not a noob) working as a copywriter and in public affairs so UX writing was a natural evolution forward. It was Writing’s answer to Darwin.

What does your UX writing process look like?

Fortunately, IKEA is smart about their digital experience process and as a UX writer (the sole…

Hello, hello — I’m Kickstarter’s Senior UX Writer. I support all of our product teams and collaborate within research, design, and editorial functions. I was a journalist, editor, publicist, event promoter, and booking agent before I ever heard the term UX, so there was a good amount of practice to harness the power of words with a heaping spoonful of nuance before I got here.

How did you get into UX writing?

I capped off a 12-year career in the music industry as an editorial director for a music startup, which introduced me to web usability around 2015. The following year, I enrolled in an immersive bootcamp…

Hey hi I’m Scott Kubie. I’m a writer and designer from Minneapolis, MN. I lead the consulting practice at Brain Traffic, the content strategy consultancy founded by Kristina Halvorson. I’m the author of Writing for Designers, a brief from A Book Apart about how to get the writing done in a design context.

How did you get into UX writing?

Begrudgingly. (I kid, I kid.) But for real, I was fine before “UX Writing” was coined. I was also fine with my flip phone, but sometimes the world moves on regardless of my feelings. (Rude!)

To me, writing has always been part of designing and building digital…

With any writing, editing is an important part of the process — but also one of the most difficult parts. For UX design, there’s a similar process. Getting stakeholders involved and ready to sign off on work involves a similar back-and-forth of feedback and changes. So when it comes to UX writing, it can be a challenging part of the job.

So, what techniques are there that can help us understand and accept feedback?

Take a moment

When you first get feedback, it’s really easy to respond straight away with a knee-jerk reaction. Try not to.

Stop. Breathe. Think.

Once you’ve received the…

Howdy! I’m Jonathon Colman and I lead the global content design team at Intercom. I’m a Webby Award-winning content designer and a keynote speaker who’s appeared at over 80 events in 8 countries on 5 continents.

Before joining Intercom, I led UX content strategy for Facebook’s Platform and Marketplace teams for over 5 years. I was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

I’ve been working on the web since 1994, so I’m grumpy it’s not done yet.

How did you get into UX writing?

I’d never written a lick of interface copy prior to joining Facebook in 2013. I was really open about…

My name’s Camille Ricketts and I run marketing at Notion, the all-in-one workspace for notes, docs, databases, wikis, and more. Prior to Notion, I ran marketing at First Round Capital, where I pioneered First Round Review, a site that shared extremely tactical advice from operators at major tech companies. I’ve always been a writer and storyteller, which I suppose is how I got into marketing.

How did you get into UX writing?

I’m not necessarily a UX writer, though it’s among the things I do. I was a journalist for many years, where I learned a strong sense of narrative, and how to clearly explain complex concepts…