Becoming a UX Writer—Are my writing skills enough?
With the steady rise in demand for UX Writers around the world, and the role found to be a six-figure job, more writers are wondering if their good writing skills are enough to venture into UX writing.
Well, the answer is yes —and no.
YES,
Because being a good writer implies you have the most basic of foundations sorted out: You are able to write and edit error-free, grammatically correct sentences which is a must-have skill if you are to become a UX Writer.
Knowing the differences between passive voice and active voice, the differences in spelling when it comes to language variations such as American English and British English, and so on, are basic things you should already be versatile with.
Once you have this down, you are one step closer to becoming a UX Writer.
NO,
Because being able to write is just not enough. There are writers across diverse fields from technical writing to copywriting, scriptwriting to novels, and so on, and all can rightfully claim to be good writers.
But if a novelist and a copywriter were to exchange jobs for a week, you will find that it’s less about writing and more about the rules guiding the profession.
The same applies to UX writing.
The 3 Rules of UX writing
When people begin to read about UX writing, the first misconception about microcopy is the supposed inviolable rule of “brevity”. That is, placing utmost importance on shortening your texts.
But making your texts as brief as possible is just one part of the three major rules of UX writing:
- Be clear
- Be helpful
- Be brief
These three rules work together to produce good UX writing. So sacrificing clarity because you want to keep your texts short would only result in a poorly written microcopy. What’s the point of the text if the users can’t understand it?
Creating a balance among these three rules occurs in form of trade-offs in the UX writing decision making process. Here, the brand voice comes in to help create the right balance for the product’s microcopy.
For example, Google’s UX Writers make these trade-offs in line with the Google brand.
The chosen microcopy “Wrong password” meets all the three rules of being clear, helpful, and brief. But Google takes it a step further to adjust the text according to its brand voice.
So we see that the final copy may not be a one-line wonder, but it is as brief as is possible without sacrificing the two other rules and the brand voice.
When writing, you can — and should — make use of additional tips for crafting your microcopy as long as it is in line with the product’s brand.
Your microcopy should always be tailored to reflect your brand’s voice.
Not A Professional Writer? It Doesn’t Matter
Since UX writing is still a growing role it is open to anyone who
- loves writing for a living. UX Writers do more than write microcopy, they are often in charge of creating and updating the company’s style guide as well as other writing tasks. You will need to have a passion for writing to avoid burning out.
- is diligent enough to master the art. UX writing requires dedicated practice and staying up-to-date with the industry innovations and trends.
Although having a professional writing background may have an advantage at first, what all employers and recruiters consider is your UX writing portfolio. With a solid portfolio, you can get a UX writing job even without having a professional writing background. Awesome right?
Some amazing UX Writers today came from varying backgrounds ranging from Theatre Arts to Engineering. It’s all about proving you can do a good job.
Ready to make the career switch? Get started as a UX Writer.
