What does a UX writer do?
Hi, Habr! I present to you the translation of the article “What do UX writers do all day?” By Yael Ben-David.
Realizing the fact that the existence of such a post as a UX-writer is rather controversial, incomprehensible, and not just any project, I decided to take the risk and offer an article to the community that reveals the context of the work of UX-writers. Thank you in advance who will take the time to read.
Ten years ago, the creation of UX texts was not a special process. It can be assumed that even now not everyone understands what this work is. At parties, when people ask me about work, I love to laugh it off: "When you open the app ... the words you see on the screen ... I write them." But on the screens of most successful applications and programs there are not many words. Therefore, I can imagine that it is difficult for people to figure out how writing UX texts can take up all the working time.
')
This is the most important thing we do. After 2-3 weekly sprints (when developing according to the Agile method. I hope everyone now works this way), the products are overgrown with new functions, taking into account their business objectives and quantitative targets for the next release in their strategy.
Words are extremely important if we are talking about how to introduce new functions and explain them to users (with the interests of the UX-writer and user must be interconnected). We write these words. We write them quickly, taking into account information from all interested parties. We use our product to make sure that we understand the goals and context of our words; We work with designers to make sure that the product is suitable for use and organized most effectively; interacting with developers to make sure that we do not create unsubstantiated technical problems with our promises; with translators to make sure that the message is perceived in other languages in the same way. The list goes on and on. At the same time, the function is always not one, and each sprint must be written for many functions at once.
The development team usually includes a product manager, analysts, developers, QA engineers and designers. The team does not have its own UX writer; rather, the work resource of the writer is shared by several development teams. How many teams does the author work on? Well, it is different. In one company, I was the only UX-writer for 10 development teams. I did not eat, did not sleep, and did not go to the toilet, but then I got adrenaline for a year, and I will never forget that. In another company I wrote for 3 teams. I had so much free time that at first I was paralyzed from realizing the great opportunity to initiate my own projects. I managed to quickly cope with new realities and fill my watches with those projects that I always wanted to dive into, but were not given the opportunity.
To write a new text for a function:
This is repeated for each function, for each project manager, each sprint.
Let's take a closer look at steps 7 and 8.
When my version of the text goes into the product, it does not mean that I can forget about it. Never. I have already seen a huge difference in quality between the first iteration and the last, so I know that everything I wrote can always be improved. The main thing I do during the breaks between sprints: improving existing texts.
There are great tools to help us understand what works, what doesn't, and what can work better. We can observe how our users interact with our screens by viewing the Full Story posts. Based on this, we can hypothesize alternatives that can improve performance, and run them for the participants of usertesting.com. And, of course, we look at the numbers. MixPanel, Google Analytics and Tableau are services where you can get an idea of how effective texts and interfaces are and where we could make changes.
There are no limits to possible improvements. There are always key performance indicators that need to be improved; There are always exceptions that we do not do as well as we could; there is always space to move forward.
Work on the tone and voice of the product (Voice & Tone) is a much larger and less urgent type of task. If you are lucky enough to work in a young company, you can be responsible for creating and maintaining voice and tone. The project can take months and includes interviews, workshops, and more.
If you work for a company that continues to develop products, each of them may need its own policy of communicating with the outside world. If you work in a company that is undergoing rebranding, you can carry on doing a voice / tone upgrade. In any case, you will always be responsible for ensuring that all texts are consistent with the general idea.
Work on this requires a lot of time for thinking about, brainstorming, research, collecting information from managers and services that work directly with users, for example, technical support. This work is much slower than the description of new functions and their optimization, but it has a much greater impact than any function, moreover, continuously. This is what you (also) always do.
As the company grows, maintaining the unification of all parts of the product takes more and more time. To ensure that your product provides seamless user experience, consistency is important.
Combine the old with the new . When writing new texts it is best to maintain consistency with existing screens. But sometimes a new copy becomes much better, then it is better to pull up the old one to the level of the new one. You will probably start with a study to confirm that the improvement is indeed an improvement, and then verify with the project manager that the development teams have the ability to complete the task. However, to determine the size of the task, you first need to outline all the places in the product where the corresponding text exists. And then you start to unify.
Combine marketing with the product . The voice is the individuality of the product, and the tone is how you sound at different points of contact and scenarios while the user is working with the product. But the path of the user passes not only within the product - not at all! And when we see the difference between marketing and what happens in a product, this is a bad UX. Do you want to continue interacting with a service provider with a personality disorder? Will you trust them when there are so many other options? Collaboration with marketing is the first step in preventing this dissonance. Do it once and sync regularly.
Combine tech support and salespeople with the product . The experience of user interaction with technical support teams and sales is also very important. With tech support, salespeople should talk about the product in the same way and in the same tone as marketing. A good way to solve this problem is to synchronize commands as new functions become available. Every time a new feature appears or a release comes out, all those who directly communicate with users will need to update product information; It is possible to adjust call scripts, email templates, FAQ page, etc. No one understands the new feature better than the person who wrote it, so the UX writer is in the perfect position to maintain the consistency of all user commands.
Scale . As the organization grows, your team will grow, but you will not have more hours per day (unfortunately, this is true ... I checked). Because of this, you cannot simultaneously control the language / unification of messages and other tasks of your work. Several tools that seemed useful to me to solve this problem: a database with all the texts of the product and introductory documentation (Onboarding documentation). The database can be placed, for example, in Google Sheet, where you store your texts, dividing them into current, past and future. It turns out a kind of dictionary, which everyone can refer to, and allowing not to diverge concepts and tone of messages. In short, it makes the process more convenient. Of course, there may be exceptions, but with an organized database, even when you are writing something new, you can start with a clear idea of what already exists. Introductory documentation helps to quickly train and introduce into the current affairs of any newcomer to the team. Here you can include links to Voice & Tone samples, a style guide, a message database, stakeholder lists, and anything else that will help new voices in the product sound the same as the old ones. These two tools can be incredibly valuable, but only if they are updated. And it takes time (I personally update the database once a month, and the documentation with each new hiring).
As in any profession, especially in the field of IT, continuing education is an important part of the work of a UX-writer. Development involves reading and listening to leading experts; attend conferences, webinars and seminars; participation in the life of specialized communities; search for mentors and students; creating your own content for both training and supporting important community topics. It takes time, but the effect is invaluable, since you get the opportunity to make sure that your product does not stay in a dusty cloud of competitors rushing ahead.
UX writers perform many tasks, especially if there are several teams / products in the area of responsibility. Our niche business is different from copywriting or content creation. Of course, there are common features, but we live in an era of specialists, not generalists. Unicorns are a thing of the past.
To get the best texts for products use the UX-writer. Not only to avoid the “jack of all trades” script, but not a master in something concrete, but also because the UX-writer enjoys such work that the marketer, for example, cannot boast. Passion allows you to create cool things.
Realizing the fact that the existence of such a post as a UX-writer is rather controversial, incomprehensible, and not just any project, I decided to take the risk and offer an article to the community that reveals the context of the work of UX-writers. Thank you in advance who will take the time to read.
Ten years ago, the creation of UX texts was not a special process. It can be assumed that even now not everyone understands what this work is. At parties, when people ask me about work, I love to laugh it off: "When you open the app ... the words you see on the screen ... I write them." But on the screens of most successful applications and programs there are not many words. Therefore, I can imagine that it is difficult for people to figure out how writing UX texts can take up all the working time.
')
- If you heard that working on texts from the point of view of UX is important for your company, and think about hiring a UX writer - this article is about what you can expect from them.
- If you are planning on becoming a UX writer, this article should help you understand whether this job will make you happy.
- If you are already a UX-writer and are doing something that is not mentioned in the article: please let me know - maybe I forgot to add it, or maybe I don’t, but should!
New features
This is the most important thing we do. After 2-3 weekly sprints (when developing according to the Agile method. I hope everyone now works this way), the products are overgrown with new functions, taking into account their business objectives and quantitative targets for the next release in their strategy.
Words are extremely important if we are talking about how to introduce new functions and explain them to users (with the interests of the UX-writer and user must be interconnected). We write these words. We write them quickly, taking into account information from all interested parties. We use our product to make sure that we understand the goals and context of our words; We work with designers to make sure that the product is suitable for use and organized most effectively; interacting with developers to make sure that we do not create unsubstantiated technical problems with our promises; with translators to make sure that the message is perceived in other languages in the same way. The list goes on and on. At the same time, the function is always not one, and each sprint must be written for many functions at once.
The development team usually includes a product manager, analysts, developers, QA engineers and designers. The team does not have its own UX writer; rather, the work resource of the writer is shared by several development teams. How many teams does the author work on? Well, it is different. In one company, I was the only UX-writer for 10 development teams. I did not eat, did not sleep, and did not go to the toilet, but then I got adrenaline for a year, and I will never forget that. In another company I wrote for 3 teams. I had so much free time that at first I was paralyzed from realizing the great opportunity to initiate my own projects. I managed to quickly cope with new realities and fill my watches with those projects that I always wanted to dive into, but were not given the opportunity.
To write a new text for a function:
- You are participating in a briefing or interviewing. The project manager explains the function, how it is made, and why.
- You ask questions.
- Getting started: do the necessary research, form concepts, team up with the necessary specialists, repeat and repeat again, again and again ... and again.
- Then you present the text.
- Developers ask questions how to implement it, and you answer them.
- And then your child begins to live, and you yourself check how it happened, because you do not care.
- You track key product interaction metrics.
- If (when) you find how to improve the metric through the text, you will pass this data to the project manager.
This is repeated for each function, for each project manager, each sprint.
Optimization
Let's take a closer look at steps 7 and 8.
When my version of the text goes into the product, it does not mean that I can forget about it. Never. I have already seen a huge difference in quality between the first iteration and the last, so I know that everything I wrote can always be improved. The main thing I do during the breaks between sprints: improving existing texts.
There are great tools to help us understand what works, what doesn't, and what can work better. We can observe how our users interact with our screens by viewing the Full Story posts. Based on this, we can hypothesize alternatives that can improve performance, and run them for the participants of usertesting.com. And, of course, we look at the numbers. MixPanel, Google Analytics and Tableau are services where you can get an idea of how effective texts and interfaces are and where we could make changes.
There are no limits to possible improvements. There are always key performance indicators that need to be improved; There are always exceptions that we do not do as well as we could; there is always space to move forward.
Voice and tone
Work on the tone and voice of the product (Voice & Tone) is a much larger and less urgent type of task. If you are lucky enough to work in a young company, you can be responsible for creating and maintaining voice and tone. The project can take months and includes interviews, workshops, and more.
If you work for a company that continues to develop products, each of them may need its own policy of communicating with the outside world. If you work in a company that is undergoing rebranding, you can carry on doing a voice / tone upgrade. In any case, you will always be responsible for ensuring that all texts are consistent with the general idea.
Work on this requires a lot of time for thinking about, brainstorming, research, collecting information from managers and services that work directly with users, for example, technical support. This work is much slower than the description of new functions and their optimization, but it has a much greater impact than any function, moreover, continuously. This is what you (also) always do.
Unification
As the company grows, maintaining the unification of all parts of the product takes more and more time. To ensure that your product provides seamless user experience, consistency is important.
Combine the old with the new . When writing new texts it is best to maintain consistency with existing screens. But sometimes a new copy becomes much better, then it is better to pull up the old one to the level of the new one. You will probably start with a study to confirm that the improvement is indeed an improvement, and then verify with the project manager that the development teams have the ability to complete the task. However, to determine the size of the task, you first need to outline all the places in the product where the corresponding text exists. And then you start to unify.
Combine marketing with the product . The voice is the individuality of the product, and the tone is how you sound at different points of contact and scenarios while the user is working with the product. But the path of the user passes not only within the product - not at all! And when we see the difference between marketing and what happens in a product, this is a bad UX. Do you want to continue interacting with a service provider with a personality disorder? Will you trust them when there are so many other options? Collaboration with marketing is the first step in preventing this dissonance. Do it once and sync regularly.
Combine tech support and salespeople with the product . The experience of user interaction with technical support teams and sales is also very important. With tech support, salespeople should talk about the product in the same way and in the same tone as marketing. A good way to solve this problem is to synchronize commands as new functions become available. Every time a new feature appears or a release comes out, all those who directly communicate with users will need to update product information; It is possible to adjust call scripts, email templates, FAQ page, etc. No one understands the new feature better than the person who wrote it, so the UX writer is in the perfect position to maintain the consistency of all user commands.
Scale . As the organization grows, your team will grow, but you will not have more hours per day (unfortunately, this is true ... I checked). Because of this, you cannot simultaneously control the language / unification of messages and other tasks of your work. Several tools that seemed useful to me to solve this problem: a database with all the texts of the product and introductory documentation (Onboarding documentation). The database can be placed, for example, in Google Sheet, where you store your texts, dividing them into current, past and future. It turns out a kind of dictionary, which everyone can refer to, and allowing not to diverge concepts and tone of messages. In short, it makes the process more convenient. Of course, there may be exceptions, but with an organized database, even when you are writing something new, you can start with a clear idea of what already exists. Introductory documentation helps to quickly train and introduce into the current affairs of any newcomer to the team. Here you can include links to Voice & Tone samples, a style guide, a message database, stakeholder lists, and anything else that will help new voices in the product sound the same as the old ones. These two tools can be incredibly valuable, but only if they are updated. And it takes time (I personally update the database once a month, and the documentation with each new hiring).
Perfection
As in any profession, especially in the field of IT, continuing education is an important part of the work of a UX-writer. Development involves reading and listening to leading experts; attend conferences, webinars and seminars; participation in the life of specialized communities; search for mentors and students; creating your own content for both training and supporting important community topics. It takes time, but the effect is invaluable, since you get the opportunity to make sure that your product does not stay in a dusty cloud of competitors rushing ahead.
UX writers perform many tasks, especially if there are several teams / products in the area of responsibility. Our niche business is different from copywriting or content creation. Of course, there are common features, but we live in an era of specialists, not generalists. Unicorns are a thing of the past.
To get the best texts for products use the UX-writer. Not only to avoid the “jack of all trades” script, but not a master in something concrete, but also because the UX-writer enjoys such work that the marketer, for example, cannot boast. Passion allows you to create cool things.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/445620/
All Articles