Friday 25 February 2022

UX WRITING HUB

UX WRITING HUB


Benefit-driven UX writing with Samuel Hulick and Yohann Kunders @Value Paths

Posted: 24 Feb 2022 03:06 AM PST

Listen on Apple Podcasts🍎

Listen on Spotify🎧

EPISODE SUMMARY

Samuel Hulick and Yohann Kunders discuss the concept of “Value Paths” including what they are and how they can help businesses improve their service processes.

EPISODE NOTES

What drives engagement and revenue? In this episode, Samuel Hulick and Yohann Kunders help answer this question as well as help us understand the concept of “Value Paths” and how they can improve and align your business and user outcomes. Samuel and Yohann are the founders of Value Paths and hosts of the Value Paths Podcast. They help businesses grow their SaaS revenues sustainably.

[01:59] Johann's story and how he entered the field of user onboarding.                      [02:59] Understanding Value Paths and how they aim to improve and align user and business outcomes.
[06:58] The unique position that UX writers are in today.
[10:41] Learning more about their service processes and how they help companies.
[12:44] Examples of how the value path processes are used in businesses.
[21:20] How to sell your ideas to business owners.
[27:05] Interesting ideas for episode names.

Try our free UX writing course
Value Paths Website
Value Paths Podcast
User On Board Website

The post Benefit-driven UX writing with Samuel Hulick and Yohann Kunders @Value Paths appeared first on UX WRITING HUB.

UX Writing Weekly #164

Posted: 24 Feb 2022 12:11 AM PST

Preview
A collection of insight to save and share
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In these waning days of 2021, we look back, and we look ahead.

WHAT'S INSIDE

Issue #
164 (Dec 29th, 2021)
  • Words of wisdom from 2021
  • The future of content design in the 'Meta'verse
  • Job titles with a slash
  • Name that Job Title! — the fun quiz you can't pass



ARTICLES 📰


🦉 56 bullet points organized into nine subjects, brought to you by one product manager. From the dangers of simplicity, having better arguments, to making time for yourself and more, these words of wisdom are a great way to reflect on 2021 while holding a steady gaze on 2022.

A product manager's 56 best (and stolen) insights from 2021

🔮 Meta's VP of content design answers questions on how the metaverse will influence the field and the challenges that lie ahead.

Writing the metaverse: Meta's VP of content design on the future of the discipline

🙊 Leaked documents from Amazon show that engagement via voice interface is lackluster. Is the future of voice interface just setting timers and playing "Baby Shark," or is this only the beginning?

Are smart speakers losing their voice?




MICROCOPY BITE 💬

Sometimes the micro-ist of microcopy is the most effective. VPN Windscribe tells you exactly how much you have left to download and, on hover, the reset date.

  


PILLARS OF COMMUNITY 🏛️

Hot topics and trending posts from community members. Join the conversations below!




UPSKILL: LIVE EVENTS 📚

UX Salon WORDS:
We're excited to announce our sponsorship of UX Salon WORDS 2022 - A Conference for Writers in Tech. (Mar 7th)

This three-day online event will bring the best minds in UX writing and content design together in one place. Sign up early and save with a 10% discount code: UXWritingHub10.

And UX Writing Academy students (current and alumni!) can get a 40% discount! See you there!

Free event:
Creating effective online surveys is easier said than done. Join User Experience Specialist Alita Joyce of the Norman Nielsen Group for expert tips on getting the most out of your surveys.


How to Create Effective Online Surveys (Free, Jan 13th)



JOBS 👔

It's the end of the year, and jobs are being slashed! (But not how you think.)

UX Writer/Content Designer @ Spaceship in Sydney
Senior Content Designer / UX Writer @ Wix in Tel Aviv
UX Writer/Content Designer @ Kforce Inc in San Francisco
Content Designer (UX Writer) @ Cisco in Austin
UX Writer/Content Designer @ Dice in San Francisco




GAME TIME 🎮

What's up with all those slashes in the job titles?

Find out while testing your job-title knowledge in this fun quiz:
Name that Job Title!




PORTFOLIO
🎨

Andrew Schmidt is a UX writer at Figma, where he gives software a human touch. His portfolio has some insightful reads and showcases his work.


https://www.andrewschmidt.net/




VOX POPULI 🗣️

Join our online communities, and take part in the discussions and debates that are shaping the field.


And if you like our newsletter, share it!

  • https://uxwritinghub.com/newsletter/


— Written and curated by Yuval Keshtcher, Aaron Raizen, and the UX Writing Hub team —


The post UX Writing Weekly #164 appeared first on UX WRITING HUB.

UX Writing Weekly #165

Posted: 24 Feb 2022 12:09 AM PST

Preview
In 2022, we're setting the record straight! -
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Well hello, 2022! What do you say we shake things up a bit?

WHAT'S INSIDE ✍️


Issue #165 (Jan 5th, 2022)

  • UX Writing vs. Content Design: setting the record straight
  • What NOT to put in a UX writing job post
  • Live event with a Norman Nielsen Group expert
  • Two separate Klingon references in the resources (Find 'em both!)



ARTICLES 📰  
🆚 UX writing and content design: separate terms, but is there any real difference between them in practice? This comprehensive and controversial article/podcast sets the record straight and drops some bombshell revelations along the way.

⚠️ You've been warned:
UX Writing vs. Content Design ⚠️

👔 OK, so you're ready to hire that UX writer/content designer. Now what? Here are some handy tips on what not to ask of your candidates, by UXWA mentor Bala Meenakshisundaram.

Things that don't belong in a UX Writer job post

⚕️ "Designing a healthcare product carries great challenges in terms of inclusivity, privacy and accessibility. Writing is an essential part of it."

How writing for health made me a better UX writer




MICROCOPY BITE 💬

This modal pop-up from Signal (Elon Musk's preferred alternative to Whatsapp) breaks microcopy rule #1: clarity. What's a "Sustainer?" What does "powered by people like me" mean? What would I be contributing?

(Next week, we'll feature an example of good microcopy from Signal.)



PILLARS OF COMMUNITY 🏛️
Hot topics and trending posts from community members. Join the conversations below!



UPSKILL: LIVE EVENTS & MORE 📚

Free event:
Imagine a user survey. Now imagine one created by experts from the Norman Nielsen Group.

Join User Experience Specialist Alita Joyce and take your survey game to the next level.

Free event on Thursday, Jan 13th. Register now: How to Create Effective Online Surveys

UX Salon WORDS:
Only about 20 early registration discounts remain for UX Salon WORDS 2022 - A Conference for Writers in Tech. (Mar 7th)

Sign up early and save with a 10% discount code: UXWritingHub10.




UX WRITING ACCELERATOR 🚀

Do you want to improve your company's UX writing, microcopy, and content design, but aren't sure where to start? Get free support from talented, dedicated UX writing students.




JOBS 👔


It's 2022, and jobs are still being slashed!


Check out the full job board for more positions for UX writers, content designers, or whatever the cool kids are calling it these days.

Or,
upload a position and get featured in next week's edition.



PORTFOLIO 🎨

Looking for a writer and design thinker who creates velvety customer experiences with words? Look no further than Sarah Ann.

https://www.sarahanncreative.com/




VOX POPULI 🗣️


Join our online communities, and take part in the discussions and debates that are shaping the field.

And if you like our newsletter, share it!
  • https://uxwritinghub.com/newsletter

See you next week!

— Written and curated by Yuval Keshtcher, Aaron Raizen, and the UX Writing Hub team —


The post UX Writing Weekly #165 appeared first on UX WRITING HUB.

UX Writing Weekly #172

Posted: 24 Feb 2022 12:05 AM PST

When UX and documentation teams work together
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Just missed 22/2/22 by a day! Oh well, maybe next time … 

WHAT'S INSIDE ✍


Issue #172 (Feb 23rd, 2022)

  • UX and technical writers: unite!

  • Eudaimonistic-centered design

  • Check your undies for a UX lesson

  • The perfect paragraph game

ARTICLES 📰

🤝 As our 2022 salary survey is showing us, there are many types of writers working in tech companies. So it should come as no surprise that different writing roles often have to join forces. Here are six reasons why UX and documentation teams are stronger together. 


When UX writers and technical writers unite, content thrives

🏛 User-centered design: it's a no-brainer, right? But what if we can take it one step further and consider the user's well-being? Dust off your Greek dictionary and get philosophical. 


Eudaimonistic-centered design

🩲 UX writing lessons can pop up anywhere—even when you're just tryin' to buy some new undies. See how one lousy error message inspired a rewrite


So I went to buy some underwear… a UX story

MICROCOPY BITE 💬

Thanks, Zoom, for the handy microcopy here. 

PILLARS OF COMMUNITY 🏛


UPSKILL: LIVE EVENTS & MORE 📚


Free Webinar tomorrow! 

New to UX writing? Thinking of making the switch? Join Yuval to learn about breaking into the field. 

👉 How to become a 6-Figure UX Writer 👈


UX Salon Words conference:

Join Regine Gilbert, author of Inclusive Design for a Digital World, for an enlightening talk on employing strategies to create collaborative, inclusive, and accessible experiences—only at UX Salon WORDS 2022. (March 7th–9th)


Use our coupon code for a 10% discount: UXWritingHub10


Former or current UXWA student? Save 40% (email for details).

JOBS 👔


That which we call a writer in tech, by any other word, would still … work in one of these awesome companies!


UX Writer, Studio @ Spotify in NYC


Content Designer @ Fortris in Málaga, Spain (remote)


Senior Content Strategist / UX Writer @ CVS Health in Boston (remote flexible)


Not what you're looking for? Check the full job board: 

PORTFOLIO 🎨


Are you a senior-level writer looking for a different approach to your portfolio? Darci Groves divides her work into writing and leading. Very effective. 


https://www.darcigroves.com/3726547-work

GAME TIME 🎮

Think you know a thing or two about line height and font size? Tweak the settings and try to create the perfect paragraph. It's harder than it sounds!

https://betterwebtype.com/triangle/

VOX POPULI 🗣️


Join our online communities, and take part in the discussions and debates that are shaping the field.



And if you like our newsletter, share it!


See you next week!


— Written and curated by Yuval Keshtcher, Aaron Raizen, and the UX Writing Hub team —



The post UX Writing Weekly #172 appeared first on UX WRITING HUB.

6 Ways to Improve Your UX Writing in 5 Minutes a Day

Posted: 22 Feb 2022 12:38 AM PST

Table of Contents

Whether you’re a newbie just getting into UX writing, or a UX writing boot camp grad trying to keep up your skills while you job hunt, you’re going to need to spend time improving your UX writing skillsbut maybe not as much as you think.  

You may feel like your life is too busy to work on improving your UX writing skills, but there are lots of simple tasks that can lead to leaps forward in your UX writing practice. Even if you can only spare 5 minutes a day, the ideas in this article can help you build your UX writing skills.

So start with the task that fits best into your life and career goals, and try spending 5 minutes a day. You may be surprised how quickly you see your skills improve. And if you've got 30 minutes a day to spare, why not try them all? 

1. Try a weekly UX writing challenge

Social media has ushered in a golden age of challenges. UX writing challenges may not be as memorable as pouring ice water on your head, but they can do a lot more for your skills. Check out our UX writing challenge email course. You receive 4 UX writing prompts and lessons in your email. Brush up on some research basics, voice & tone, writing an empty state and more. It’s is a great way to build or keep up your skills, even if you have a lot on your plate.

While it may be tempting to spend more time on these, it's best to work quickly. Working quickly is invaluable for two reasons. It helps bust through perfectionism and procrastination, and it prepares you for the pace of real world work. While you may not have to create something in five minutes on the job, being able to think quickly and share your ideas is incredibly useful in the workplace. 

When you're done, you can post to social media if you want to share your work with others. And if you're particularly happy with your results, you could include it in your portfolio. This simple exercise provides structure and offers community support, great for burgeoning UX writers. 

2. Make your own challenge

UX writing challenges are great because they provide tasks for you and allow you to work on a broad range of skills. If you’ve been at this a while however, you might want to focus on a specific area, something you need to improve or something you just enjoy writing. 

A great example of this is Lauren Reichman's website. Lauren spent 30 days writing a 404 error message a day for her website.  She includes the results as part of her portfolio. So in addition to improving her error message writing chops, she shared the results with potential employers. 

Some elements you might choose include: notifications, email subject lines, CTAs, toasts, and more. Making your own challenge is probably better for folks with a bit more experience, since it's good to get a sense of the whole field before focusing. But if you want to dive right in and have an idea, go right ahead! 

3. Add to your swipe file 

A swipe file is a term from copywriting/advertising. It refers to a collection of effective copy examples that a writer can borrow ("swipe") inspiration from. As far as I know, there's not a UX-writing specific term for this, but I definitely think we should swipe the concept.

This is more of a habit than something to sit down and do for five minutes a day. But it’s an important one for any UX writer. As you go about your day, you’ll probably encounter examples of UX writing on websites and apps and even out in the real world. When you see something that works well, take notice—and then take a screenshot or photo. 

Daily or weekly, whatever works for you, go through your collection to organize and annotate. You can sort in whatever way and with whatever tools work for you. Since the goal is to create a database or folder to keep great examples of content that you can look to for inspiration, it might help to sort them by element. As you go through them, take notes. Why does this piece of content work? Could it be better? Knowing what works will help you think more deeply about UX writing and that will serve you well in your career. 

4. Improve someone else's work

Okay, so we've talked about finding examples of good copy. Now let’s talk about the bad and the ugly. These may stand out more because they’re likely to cause frustration and confusion. The next time you feel annoyed with an app, instead of cursing at your phone, take a screenshot and try to fix it. 

You may have heard about Jason Yuan, who created a redesign of Apple Music after being rejected for a job. That’s awesome. It also definitely took him more than five minutes a day. For these purposes, don’t think about redesigning a whole product. Instead, think of small changes that could positively impact the product. Think about the moment of friction that caught your attention and address just that piece. Small changes can have big impacts. 

This is something you can do on pen and paper, but it's easier than you might expect to make changes to a website (ones only you can see). This article explains how to use the inspect element tool to try out your changes on a real website.

5. Learn a new tool

UX writers come from many different backgrounds but you could divide us into two groups—tech and non-tech. As a member of the latter category, I was very intimidated by Figma. While it's useful and increasingly required for UX writers to learn design tools, it can also seem like a very tall order. 

However, this too can be tackled in five minutes a day. Figma (and virtually any other tool you want to learn) has tons of tutorials, some made by the company and others created by good folks on YouTube. Figma's YouTube channel is a great place to begin.

Depending on your learning style, this might be better accomplished in 30 minutes a week than five minutes a day. But you really can learn a large and complicated tool in bite sized chunks.

6. Spend time on social media

Okay, I know you probably already spend more than five minutes a day on social media. But connecting with other UX writers online in an intentional way can be a great way to learn, network, and feel connected to the growing community of UX writers. 

Joining groups dedicated to UX writing is a great place to start. The UX Writing Hub has active groups on Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as other social media accounts. You can also find UX writing communities on Slack and other platforms. By checking out what other people are posting and joining in the conversation, you'll learn more about UX writing and connect with other writers. 

Posting questions, resources, tips, and observations is a great way to share what you're learning and connect with others as well. If you're going to be browsing Facebook on your lunch break anyway, why not add a little skill-building into the mix?

If you've been feeling overwhelmed or pressed for time, I hope this article gave you some ideas for efficiently integrating UX writing practice into your day. 

Want more tips? Sign up for our UX writing challenge or our free course. Hone your UX writing skills one tiny task at a time.

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The post 6 Ways to Improve Your UX Writing in 5 Minutes a Day appeared first on UX WRITING HUB.

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