A podcast where content strategist, UX writers, and content designers share their well-kept industry secrets. This show is brought you by the UX Writing Hub. Take our FREE UX Writing course: http://bit.ly/2PBDMWy
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We Talked About:
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Amanda Bridge: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabridge/
Guest Jaime Walke, a principal UX writer and content designer at Booking.com, sheds light on his journey in the tech world, his role at Booking.com, and the company's pioneering work in UX writing. (01:22)
Jaime shares insights into the growth of the UX writing team at Booking.com, from a small team of 7-8 members to a flourishing team of nearly 80. (01:58)
The duo discuss a project at Booking.com called A11y, which is dedicated to making products accessible for everyone and complying with legal standards. (03:24)
Jaime Walke emphasizes the ethical considerations around accessibility, and its potential business benefits, given the increased buying power of people with accessibility needs. (19:14)
Jaime Walke talks about his role in creating an inclusive screen reader experience for users, and why UX writing plays a crucial role in promoting accessibility. (23:39)
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Booking.com's UX Writing Medium blog: https://medium.com/booking-writes
Key Points
Links
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Free AI for UX Course
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Your host, as always, is me, Yuval Keshtcher.
Show notes: Join our free UX writing course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
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Content designer Ilana Zholobovsky talks about how networking, books and AI can help people get into UX writing.
The tech job market has taken a hit, but there are still opportunities out there. Ilana shares her best tips for those who are looking for a UX writing job or are trying to break into the field. We chat about:
Links
Try our free UX writing course
Follow Ilana on LinkedIn
Read The design of everyday things by Dan Norman
Ben Pines, the Director of Content at Wordtune, is optimistic about the future interaction between people and chatbots.
Wordtune is an AI writing tool that helps writers refine, tweak, shorten and expand their copy. The new extension Spices introduces fact-checking and source tracking for AI-generated content.
Ben joined the podcast to talk about the next wave of writing. We chat about:
Links
Try our free UX writing course
Follow Ben on LinkedIn
Check out Wordtune
Check out Wordtune’s YouTube channel
Lead UX writer Sherry Samtani talks about the different career directions UX writers can take, including content ops.
Her current role at Halodoc, Indonesia’s main healthcare platform, has allowed her to develop in the area of content operations. We go through what content ops is, how it relates to UX writing and where you can learn more about it.
You’ll also hear about
About Sherry
Sherry has a background as a freelance web content copywriter. She started getting UX writing jobs and took the UX Writing Academy course to make sure she had the basics covered.
Links
Try our free UX writing course
Follow Sherry on LinkedIn
Aerial silk teacher Alexandra Spark shares how she transitioned to UX writing.
Alexandra has a background in advertising, content management and technical writing. But it was her passion for aerial silk (a kind of performance acrobatics) that led her to switch careers.
Tune in to hear her inspiring story! She also shares how she’s creating an app from scratch and much more:
Links
Follow Alexandra on LinkedIn
Join the UX Writing Academy
Try our free UX writing course
Check out Strategic writing for UX (book)
Check out The design of everyday things (book)
Sarah Loigge shares how she found inspiration outside of work and overcame impostor syndrome with the help of Star Trek.
Sarah has a background in software testing and product design. But she’s always enjoyed writing, so she made the transition to UX writing.
She recently took on the challenge to develop the personality of a chatbot. She realized that she had no idea where to start and was hit by impostor syndrome. Tune in to learn how she got over it and at same time came up with a brilliant method to create the language of the bot.
We also talked about:
Links
Try our free UX writing course
Follow Sarah Loigge on LinkedIn
Watch Lera Boroditsky’s Ted talk How language shapes the way we think
Check out the poetry of Sarah Kay and Savannah Brown
What’s the value of UX writing and how can we measure it? Yael Ben-David has written a book on the topic. The Business of UX Writing fills a gap in the wealth of resources for UX writers and content designers.
Yael joined me for a chat about
Links
Try our free UX writing course
Follow Yael Ben-David on LinkedIn
Get the book The Business of UX Writing
How do you land a job in product design in today’s business climate? Get recruitment insights from Matt Carter, Senior Product Design Specialist at Eurobase People.
Matt joined the podcast to discuss the wave of recent layoffs and what it means for UX writers, designers and others in the tech industry. He also shared his best tips for jobseekers, whether you’re currently out of work or looking to switch career.
We talked about:
Links
Try our free UX writing course
Follow Matt on LinkedIn
Check out Matt’s podcast
Alex Viersac is part of the UX team at Talend, a company creating software for data analysts. As the only UX writer in the company, people often call him to “check the words” when he should have been involved much earlier.
Alex explains how he’s building relations, educating people about his role, and creating a content design system that can be used by both writers and non-writers.
Here’s what we talked about:
Links
Try our free UX writing course
Follow Axel on LinkedIn
Books recommended by Axel:
The business of UX writing by Yael Ben David
Leading content design by Rachel McConnell
Ferdinand Goetzen, CEO @ Reveall, explains why UX writers should spend 80% of their time understanding the problem.
Reveall helps companies get to know their customers and validate product ideas. CEO Ferdinand joined me to talk about the importance – and challenge – of being truly customer-centric.
We focused on:
Links
Try our free UX writing course
Follow Ferdinand on LinkedIn
Check out Reveall.co
Managing a team of 18 (and counting!) UX writers requires smart processes and teamwork. Kate Mas and Mélanie Alves Lima at Qonto share the methods and tools behind the success of their growing team (hint: collaboration is key).
Qonto is a B2B fintech app serving business creators in 5 languages: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Their mission is to help companies spend less time on banking - by leaving their finance management to Qonto, they can spend more time on business and product development.
We chat about
Links
Follow Kate Mas on LinkedIn
Follow Mélanie Alves Lima on LinkedIn
Check out qonto.com
Job opportunities at Qonto
Try our free UX writing course
UXcel can be described as the DuoLingo of design education. As a complement to traditional degrees and bootcamps, they offer fun and interactive 5-minute design lessons.
I chatted with co-founder and CEO Gene Kamenez about the pros and cons of traditional design education, how to teach yourself the skills you need, and how to get into the field of UX and design.
Links
Follow Gene on LinkedIn
Check out UXcel
Try our free UX writing course
Ran Segall’s design YouTube channel Flux Academy has reached a whopping +450K subscribers. He shares how he got there and what you can do to break into the industry – whether you plan to become a UX designer or UX writer or something else.
He also talks about his enthusiasm for artificial intelligence. As AI starts doing the heavy lifting for designers, we can focus on the innovative side of design.
Links
Follow Ran on LinkedIn
Flux Academy on YouTube
Try our free UX writing course
Maggie Trisler is a content designer and musician who stumbled into UX by making the most out of past failures. After trying several jobs including graphic designer and web developer, Maggie finally settled on UX writing and content design in 2016. In true UX style, Maggie turned every failure into a valuable experience and today is a Principal Content Designer at Fidelity Labs.
We chat about:
And somewhere in there we also talk about guitars, punk rock, pop punk and the Beastie Boys. Oh and AI art.
Links
Follow Maggie on LinkedIn
Maggie’s band Mystic Light Casino
Mem.ai
The building a second brain podcast
Midjourney AI art
Dall-e AI art
Try our free UX writing course
Slater Katz shares her wealth of experience as a freelance UX writer and entrepreneur to guide you through the process of establishing your own freelance UX writing practice.
Ready to take control of your schedule and earning potential? Slater Katz guides you through the nitty gritty of starting your own UX writing business, from building a personal brand to setting your prices and more.
You’ll learn about
About Slater
Slater Katz is a freelance UX writer who has worked with companies including Netflix, Verizon, Fitbit, and AfterPay. Her latest venture, the Gig Gal, helps those new to the industry to establish their own freelance UX writing practice.
Try the UX Writing Hub’s free UX writing course
Connect with Slater on LinkedIn
Made By Slater
The Gig Gal
Anthony Shore, award-winning linguist and CO at Operative Words, shares his process crafting the best titles to signify brands and ideas in six words or fewer.
Ever wonder what it was like to be a UX writer in 1994? Drawing from his decades of experience writing in tech, Anthony gives us a window into his lifetime of obsession with words, from reading the dictionary for fun as a child to the role that linguistic analysis tools play in his naming agency’s writing practice.
Anthony shares:
About Anthony
Anthony Shore is an award winning linguist and Chief Operative at Operative Words. He has introduced over 250 product and company names to the world over his 30 year career.
Links
Follow Anthony on Twitter
Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn
Operative Words
Try our free UX writing course
Jane Portman, CEO at Userlist and UI Breakfast presenter, has tons of advice on how to write lifecycle emails for Saas.
If you’ve ever been involved in writing Saas lifecycle emails – for example onboarding, activation, or upgrade emails – you know that it’s easier said than done. That’s because the actual writing is just the tip of the iceberg. As UX writers, we need to think holistically, define a user journey and set up sensible conversion goals.
Jane goes through:
About Jane
Jane Portman is the co-founder and CEO of Userlist, an email automation platform that specializes in understanding customer data. She is also the founder and presenter of UI Breakfast, a UI/UX design strategy podcast that has been running since 2014.
Links
Follow Jane on LinkedIn
Check out Userlist email automation
UI Breakfast Podcast
Try our free UX writing course
Sarah Doody at Career Strategy Lab™ helps UX graduates get hired. In this episode, she shares priceless tips on how to land the UX gig of your dreams. The bottom line? Writing is a superpower.
Your portfolio is your best chance to show that you understand UX concepts. Just as in any UX project, it’s best to write it before you design it. And you need to make sure you write for the target audience (the recruiter). In other words, UX writing is a career superpower.
You’ll also hear Sarah talk about:
About Sarah
Sarah Doody is the founder & CEO of Career Strategy Lab™. She specializes in helping UX people create effective portfolios and resumes, articulate their experience, and get paid what they're worth.
Links
Follow Sarah on LinkedIn
Check out Career Strategy Lab
Sarah’s article How to write a UX case study
Try our free UX writing course
The first thing that springs to mind when we think of technical writing is usually documentation: Manuals, instructions, user guides, online help, and knowledge bases.
Paula explains that technical writers’ responsibilities go way beyond writing. Being a tech writer includes interacting with people at all levels. Today’s tech writers need to focus on user needs, just like any UX professional. It’s no longer enough to write about the product, tech writers have to address what the users want to do with the product.
Tune in to learn about:
About Paula
Paula Stern is the CEO of WritePoint Ltd, a company that offers technical writing services and training. She also runs the annual MEGAComm conference and is involved in the tech writing communities Techshoret and tekom Europe.
Links
Follow Paula on LinkedIn
WritePoint Ltd
MEGAcomm
Techshoret
tekom Europe
Try our free UX writing course
We talked about:
Give us your honest feedback on this concept so we'll know whether or not to do more episodes like this. And don’t forget to rate, share, and subscribe!
Try our free UX writing course
Check out UX Writing Hub’s blog
Boris Šlesar calls himself a helicopter UX writer, referring to the different projects he supports at Just Eat Takeaways. Over the last few years, he’s developed processes to keep stress at bay. Tune in to hear how to prioritize tasks, how to make use of good documentation, and where to get help if you’re the only UX writer in the team.
We also chatted about:
Links
Follow Boris on LinkedIn
Try our free UX writing course
Tools mentioned
Notion
Writer.com
Wordtune
Grammarly
Read aloud
Mem.ai
Facebook/ Notion Made Simple
Key Points From This Episode:
Tweetables:
“I always had a way with words — and then I always found myself in customer service-type roles where I was really good figuring out what people needed and finding a way to make that happen. UX writing brings these two things together really perfectly.” — @em_schroeter [0:02:37]
“I would say best practice number one for writing surveys is ask yourself why you need to know.” — @em_schroeter [0:09:07]
“Often inclusion is seen as an add-on thing — when really, if this is worked into the DNA of your entire process, it makes for better copy in the long run.” — @em_schroeter [0:17:39]
“[UX Writing] is less writing and yet takes more creativity and thought work because you have to say so much in so little space.” — @em_schroeter [0:18:45]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Emerson Schroeter on LinkedIn
Amanda Mohlenhoff - Get Your Guide
HelloFresh
Kindship
CareerFoundry
CareerFoundry on YouTube
Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design
Ruined by Design
Yuval Keshtcher
UX Writing Hub
Punit Chawla has been serving bite-sized design tutorials on YouTube for years. Every Monday and Thursday, he posts tips and tricks on every design-related topic under the sun. He’s also the founder of DesignWings, a UI/UX design school offering 18-week bootcamps.
Our talk starts and ends with an exploration of the seemingly endless possibilities of Figma – Punit even uses it to manage his projects!
You’ll also hear Punit talk about:
Links:
Follow Punit on LinkedIn
Check out Punit’s YouTube channel
Try our free UX writing course
Figma features and plugins to check out:
FigJam
Community
Blush
Feather Icons
Automator
Anima
How do you get freelance UX writing gigs at companies with global impact? Juan Buis talks about his journey from blogging, content marketing and journalism to freelance UX writing for brands like Spotify, Minecraft, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Tune in to hear how he got started, the pros and cons of freelancing, and the challenges of being your own boss.
We also talked about:
Links:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Juan Buis on LinkedIn
Check out Juan’s new newsletter Supershort
Steve Howe’s article 15 failed attempts at describing UX writing at parties
Episode Highlights:
3 Key Points
Tweetable Quotes
Resources Mentioned:
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
Maryann Reid is an award-winning author with massive experience in writing and creating digital experiences. In this episode, we talk all about the current state of UX writing and where it is going. She also shares her thoughts and tips about becoming a better UX writer and how companies can hire the best UX writers for their business.
Maryann Reid has more than 10 years of experience as a content designer across a variety of industries, including finance and tech. As a Senior UX Writer & Content Strategist at the software company Boomi, she is helping build a UX Writing practice for the organization. She is an avid traveler and has also written 5 books (!) published by St Martin's Press.
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Maryann Reid on LinkedIn
Ghost is a powerful non-profit, open-source alternative to paid content management systems. It is built for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around content.
In this episode, I talk to David Ramos, Staff Writer at Ghost. We discuss how the “creator economy” works, how to use Ghost to be successful online, and that the quality of the audience is better than the volume of the audience. We also discuss topics such as building an audience (with or without Ghost) and creating effective content that sticks.
Tune in!
Follow David on Twitter
Follow David on Youtube
Try our free UX writing course
HubSpot’s Content Design Leader Jonathon Colman believes in content design. HubSpot is about to triple the size of their content design team, employing 20 new content designers. Jonathon goes through the hiring process and drops a heap of tips for job seekers while he’s at it.
You will also learn about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Jonathon on LinkedIn and Twitter
Check HubSpot’s job posts
Jonathon’s article about what he looks for in a portfolio
The double diamond model
Thinking in systems (article by Donella Meadows)
Object-Oriented UX (article by Sophia Prater)
Today’s episode is hijacked by UX Writing Hub’s Chief Editor Aaron Raizen, who has a few things to get off his chest on the subject of job titles.
Depending on your viewpoint, you might find the episode either highly amusing or downright infuriating. In any case, it covers:
Holiday treats
Enjoy the festive season everyone!
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn
UX writing is so much more than adding words to screens. Hailey Reynolds explains why UX writers need to approach content through a design thinking lens.
Hailey has a background in UX strategy and health insurance. She is now pursuing her passion for the content-first approach as a UX Writing Academy student and a UX writer at the cashback app Ibotta.
You will also hear us chat about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Hailey on LinkedIn
Check out Intuit’s content design system
What do UX writing and music have in common? Loads, says Noah Fulton Beale at the e-learning platform Preply.
As a musician, the first thing he noted when he discovered UX writing was how similar it is to songwriting. You’ll hear all about it in this episode!
We also talked about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Noah on LinkedIn
Associate Professor Colin M. Gray runs a research lab that maps and spreads information about dark patterns, aka manipulative design.
Dark patterns are getting increasingly addictive, and yet many of us put up with them if we want something. The good news is that the legal community has started to take notice, and consumers are becoming more aware.
Colin and I talk about the past, current and future state of dark patterns, including:
Colin M. Gray is an Associate Professor at Purdue University in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology and Associate Professor (by courtesy) in Learning Design & Technology in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Colin on LinkedIn
Learn more at darkpatterns.ux2p
Also mentioned:
Asshole design on Reddit
Ahava Leibtag is the founder of Aha Media, author of The Digital Crown: Winning at Content on the Web, and an Innovative Individual in the Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame.
With 20+ years of writing and content, she has learned to use strategy to connect the dots that lead to a better user experience. A great UX professional, she says, finds a UX angle in everything they do, whatever their job title.
Tune in for insights about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Ahava on LinkedIn
Check out her book The Digital Crown
A few of Ahava’s recommended resources:
Search Engine Land
Google Trends
Ahrefs free keyword generator
Moz
After 2 years, Stephen Curran returns to the podcast to talk about how he and his team created Intuit’s content design system (which blew my mind completely!).
Just like in design systems, the idea is to fill it with reusable components and patterns.
It can then be used both by content designers and anyone else involved in product design.
And the best part is that it's publicly available! Super cool, right?
Tune in to hear Stephen talk about:
Stephen Curran is a Principal Content Designer at Intuit, the fintech organization behind finance solutions like TurboTax, Quickbooks, and Mint. Intuit has been around for 40 years and has gone through many digital transformations.
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn
Check out Intuit’s content design system
Listen to Stephen’s first episode on Writers in Tech
Kalina Tyrkiel dropped by for a chat about writing in English as a non-native speaker. Tune in to hear about the methods and tools you can use to succeed in UX writing, even if you have another mother tongue.
Her conclusion is that being a non-native UX writer is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, many non-natives face challenges related to grammar and fluency. On the other hand, those who use English as a second language have a natural feel for plain language and localization issues.
Things that came up in our discussion:
A psychologist by training and UX writer by trade, Kalina currently combines her passion for UX and coffee at Beans, a marketplace for coffee.
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Kalina on LinkedIn or Facebook
Check out Kalina’s toolbox:
Ludwig.guru
Reverso.context
Glowbe corpus
Also mentioned:
David Crystal’s numbers were quoted in
this excellent podcast episode about nonnative English speakers
. Check out his book English as a global language too. Or any of his other books :)
I invited Andy Vitale, VP of Design at Rocket Mortgage, to hear his views on design past, present and future. As the co-host of the Surfacing podcast, Andy has had many conversations with top-level decision makers in the industry.
What is the next step for humanity when it comes to technology? How can we design ethical products? How do we design for safety?
These are a few questions Andy tackles in this episode.
We also chatted about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Andy on LinkedIn
Check out the Surfacing podcast
Dr. Natalya Sarana is a UX researcher, writer and mentor rolled into one. After 3 years at Flixbus, her conclusion is that we shouldn’t be afraid of user research—because it makes the writing process a walk in the park.
Hear her best tips on how to document research projects and how to share the results with stakeholders (“one of the most difficult things”). You’ll find out what 5-second tests, concept testing and cloze testing are, and why they can be better than A/B testing.
We also talked about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Natalya on LinkedIn
Check out Userzoom.com
Join UX Writing Hub on Telegram
Jan Haaland has taught designers how to build portfolios for years. He popped round to Writers in Tech for a chat about the power of a great case study.
As you will hear, a single case study can change everything, or at least give you a free lunch. On the other hand, there are numerous examples of case studies that have no effect whatsoever. And this is exactly why we need to keep practising until we get it right. Jan has a few tricks up his sleeve :)
Other things we talked about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Jan on LinkedIn
Also check out:
The Case Study Club website
Killed by Google
Jarvis AI writing tool (previously conversion.ai)
I got my friend Pieterjan Benoit on the podcast to talk about our favorite subject (no points for guessing what). By taking a lot of chances, Pieterjan fell down the UX rabbit hole a few years ago and was hooked immediately.
With a background in corporate communications and PR, he has tons of wisdom to share about how to interact with people – a skill that comes in handy for UX writers.
You will hear us chat about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Pieterjan on LinkedIn
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of talking to content design industry leader Rachel McConnell. Based in Brighton, Rachel is one of the organizers behind the (now virtual) Content by Design conference. She’s also the author of Why You Need a Content Team and How to Build One and the co-founder of the great Medium resource LeadwithTempo.
Tune in to hear her talk about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn
Check out LeadWithTempo on Medium
Get her book Why You Need a Content Team and How to Build One
Learn about the Content by Design conference 2021
Do we have to choose between UX writing and copywriting? Susan Reoch does both! In this episode, she shares her experience working for brands that are new to UX writing.
Susan was one of the early product writers at booking.com, one of the first companies to build a UX writing team – before they were even called UX writers. From there, she developed into a copywriter and now calls herself a UX copywriter and UX writing consultant.
A few things we chatted about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Susan on LinkedIn
Follow Susan on Instagram
Get Susan’s Guide for UX writers
Content strategist and UX writing mentor Andrew Astleford is always happy to share his journey from journalism to UX writing. He is full of good advice about personal growth, and this is also the recurring theme in this episode.
During his time at CallRail, he had the chance to combine UX writing and video editing. This is a fab example of how we can grow beyond our job description and apply UX principles in new ways.
We also chatted about:
💡 The value of having – and being – a mentor
💡 How UX writers can use their skills to create video content
💡 Using analytics to improve UX
💡 What happens in UX writing interviews
💡 The benefits of attending interviews, even if we don't get the job
Try our FREE UX writing course
Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn
Read Andrew’s article about UX writing mentorship
Check out Andrew’s pair writing project with Katrin Suetterlin
Watch Andrew's workshop about UX writing and video content
Sarah Kessler went from zero product experience to landing a UX writing job at the unicorn company Gympass in only two years. In this episode of Writers in Tech, she shares how she got there and what she did to position herself as a UX writer.
Sarah decided to look for work in the tech industry after feeling burned out from customer service jobs. She discovered UX writing and was hooked straight away.
A few things we chatted about:
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn
Books recommended in the show:
Positioning: How to be seen and heard in the overcrowded marketplace
The 22 immutable laws of marketing
Netflix content designer Diego Graglia has a lot to say about creating English copy for a global audience. Being bilingual helps him to understand the complexities involved in localization, which comes in handy when your product is available in 30 languages. His collaboration with the localization team often starts even before he starts writing. But it’s not just about a multilingual perspective – it’s just as important to have a multicultural approach.
We also chatted about:
Before Netflix, Diego spent 20 years working as a journalist and content strategist. He also co-runs El Valle De Los Tercos (“valley of the hot-headed”), a podcast about Spanish-speaking startups and investors in Silicon Valley.
Check out our free UX writing course
Connect with Diego on LinkedIn
Check out his podcast El Valle De Los Tercos (in Spanish)
Get inspired to work on your UX writing process with Helen Legendre, UX writer at OpenClassrooms. Helen uses a bunch of creative methods to inform her UX copy, including lo-fi copy and even listening to rap.
The educational tech platform OpenClassrooms has been around for 20 years. They offer online courses in English and French and have students all over the world. In this episode, Helen walks through her UX writing process from start to finish:
...and last but not least: How rap tunes can inform your UX copy!
Try our free UX writing course
Connect with Helen on LinkedIn.
Tools discussed to support your UX writing process:
Figma
Facebook’s Workplace
Google Trends
JIRA
Notion
Slack
Interview with Neil Patel: New York Times bestselling author, top influencer on the web, and digital marketing legend.
Neil shares content best practices, tips to build your brand, and how he sees the future of copywriting.
Few names are more synonymous with SEO and digital marketing than Neil Patel. As one of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs, Neil has elevated content to an art form. His videos, blog posts, and social media channels get millions of visits a month.
Neil stopped by Writers in Tech to share strategies for creating and promoting content, tips for growing your brand (hint: consistency and experimentation), and using Ubersuggest to spy on your competition.
Neil also talks about his plans for Ubersuggest, how he views content design, and why copywriting is an important skill set for the future. Check it out.
Join our free content and ux course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Follow Neil: https://twitter.com/neilpatel
Recently, I had the great pleasure of talking with Mike Monteiro, co-founder of Mule Design and author of the best-selling books Ruined by Design and Design is a Job.
His fantastic audiobooks (which he actually narrated) lit a fire under me to explore how we can create an ethical practice when it comes to content design and UX writing.
Talking to Mike was a fantastic experience that helped me realize that, even though I added a chapter about ethical user experience to our UX Writing Academy, there are still more actions we can take if we want to have a positive impact on the people around the world who use our products.
Listen to this episode right now if you want to learn about:
🎤 Mike’s take on whether or not design should be a licensed profession
🎤 How to say “no” to your boss
🎤 Whether income sharing agreements are ethical or not
🎤 Why you should be the one asking all of the annoying questions
🎤 How to create a diverse design team
I was thrilled to talk to Mike and I can’t wait for you to check it out!
Check out free UX Writing course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/monteiro
As a long-time NBA analyst, Eran Soroka knows a winner. Today, he champions the use of chatbots to help organizations drive conversations with their users.
He talks about the endless possibilities not only for commercial use, but also for the greater good: like helping Pakistani girls learn about feminine hygiene, teaching civics, and how his 9-year-old set up a chatbot to study English.
Eran also discusses the opportunities that conversational AI offers UX writers and conversation designers.
Take our free UX Writing course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Check out the UX Writing Hub: https://uxwritinghub.com
Follow Eran Soroka: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eransoroka/
Try CoCoHub: https://cocohub.ai/
I had a fantastic talk with Lynsey Vallandingham, Senior Content Designer at HubSpot about:
✏️ Why content is a big deal at Hubspot
✏️ How to avoid using jargon
✏️ How to write inclusive products
✏️ Why you should meet with your users in person
✏️ How to create inclusivity guidelines
Listen up and share with a friend :)
Join our UX Writing newsletter
http://uxwritinghub.com/newsletter
Take our free UX Writing and content design course
https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Inclusivity guidelines by Hubspot published by Erin Couse (She/ Her)
https://product.hubspot.com/blog/inclusivity-is-a-design-principle
Lynsey Vallandingham on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynseyvallandingham/
Jessica Drew worked as an ad copywriter in New York before she moved back to Boston, where she fell in love with UX writing. In our recent chat, she covered why
Multi-skilled Jessica Drew has experience of writing, photography, design, singing, and coding. Currently the sole UX writer at CarGurus, she started her career as an ad copywriter at Ogilvy in New York. When she moved back to Boston, she was introduced to UX writing and loved it.
CarGurus is a marketplace for used and new cars. They want their customers to be in control, and this is where Jessica comes into the picture. By improving their UX copy, she aims to help everyone through the purchase process, even people who don't know much about cars.
Jessica thinks UX writing can be great for people who, like herself, have been diagnosed with ADHD. As she interacts with every team in the company, she never gets bored. It is also a great role for people who enjoy solving puzzles, because that’s what you find in the dusty corners of every website.
We also talked about joining a new design team at CarGuru, the relation between writers and machines in the future, why so many companies are behind with UX writing, the problem with airport kiosks, and why new UX writers shouldn’t be scared to apply for senior jobs.
And what does all this have to do with The Lord of the Rings? You’ll find out in this episode!
Check out our free UX Writing course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Jessica on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacdrew/
CarGurus:
https://www.cargurus.com/
Our free UX Writing and content design course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Weekly UX Writing newsletter by the UX Writing Hub: http://uxwritinghub.com/newsletter
Aladrian Goods on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aladriangoods/
Intuit: https://www.intuit.com/
UX Content Club on Clubhouse
Mario Armstrong https://www.marioarmstrong.com/about-2/marios-bio/
Smartsheet:
https://www.smartsheet.com/
Check out our free UX Writing Course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Follow Zara's work on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-fishkin/
Take our free UX Writing and content design course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Follow Danny Harrop-Griffiths https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyhg/
Join our UX Writing Newsletter: http://uxwritinghub.com/newsletter
Take our free UX Writing Course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Follow Larry Swanson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larryswanson/
Want to get started in UX and not sure how?
Try our free UX Writing course
Follow Cory Lebson on Linkedin
Join our free UX Writing and content design course:
https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Follow Candi Williams:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/candiwilliamswriter/
Get a free UX writing module:https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
You can read more from Hans’ work here:
https://robocopy.io/
https://conversationalacademy.com/
https://www.cxcompany.com/contact/
https://chatbotslife.com/
https://conversationdesigninstitute.com/
UX Writer Conference
https://uxwriterconference.com/register/
Foolproof copy testing for UX writers
https://uxwritinghub.com/ux-writing-preply/
UX Writing Academy Open House: Breaking into UX Writing in 2021 https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lxKsmyDDSryzfNTLH3WI0A
Button
https://www.buttonconf.com/register
LavaCon
https://lavacon.org/2020/registration/
Watch it live on our FB group
Weekly UX Writing newsletter
Sign up to the UX Writing Academy
Become a UX Writing Hub's member
Join our free UX writing module:
https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
You can read more from Victoria and Angela’s work here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-stanell-3066061b/
http://victoria-stanell.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelakilduff/
https://twitter.com/angelakilduff
Join our weekly UX Writing newsletter: http://uxwritinghub.com/newsletter
Follow David here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-zisner-8945684/
Join our free UX writing module:
https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
You can read more about Kate’s work here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kategarner7189/
Harry Ashbridge is the content style guide author and senior writing lead at Monzo, an online bank founded in 2015.
Harry is a writer, trainer, and language strategist. He believes in the power of writing to measurably improve every aspect of a business — from top to bottom — and spends his days trying to prove it.
In this episode, we talked about Monzo Bank: what it is, how it works, and why it’s different from your old-school bank.
Listen to this episode to learn:
— How Monzo started and how they train their staff to care about language
— Finding and making opportunities as a UX writer or content designer
— Making sure people care about what you write
— The challenges and rewards of writing for FinTech
Join our free UX writing course:
https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Learn more about Harry’s’ work here:
https://sonderandtell.com/2019/07/harry-ashbridge/
https://monzo.com/tone-of-voice/
Join our free UX writing module:
https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
You can read more from Lirazs’ work here:
https://www.cmswire.com/author/liraz-margalit/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/behind-online-behavior
https://uxmag.com/contributors/liraz-margalit
https://lirazmargalit.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/liraz-margalit-phd-179448a/
https://www.cmswire.com/digital-experience/liraz-margalit-read-digital-body-language-to-deliver-brilliant-customer-experiences/
https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/liraz-margalit
Join our UX Writing course (free!): https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
Follow Mattias : https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattiasakerberg/
Free UX Writing course
Marco Polo app
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
The story of pets.com
NirAndFar.com/Indistractable
Talk to Nir Eyal
Amir Shevat
Amir's new start up company Reshuffle
When it Comes to Bots - the Beer Test* Might be More Important than the Turing Test.
Stephen Curran
Quickbook design system
Figma for writers
The Intuit Harmony Design System
Design to for delight at Intuit
Greg’s agency | Entice
The 7 Step Content Development Process we used to grow our blog to 130,000 visitors a month
Top 22 Prototyping Tools For UI And UX Designers 2020
Ahrefs (not a referral)
Ubersuggest (not a referral)
Yoast SEO (not a referral)
Marketing School with Neil Patel & Eric Siu
Show notes
Mette Thomsen
Hiring at GYG
Microcopy & UX Writing on Facebook
Free UX Writing course
5 UX writing tips for localization by GetYourGuide
GetYourGuide design team
Tools for localization experts
https://crowdin.com/
https://xtm.cloud/
https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
Talk to Steve Howe
Posts by Steve Howe
The rise of microcopy at Typeform
Is UX writing boring?
It’s time to silence the voice and tone guide
“We’ve updated our terms”: How to make the mundane remarkable
Zest.is
Microcopy & UX Writing FB group
Allison Freedenfeld on Linkedin
Free UX Writing course
A/B test tools
How Words Can Make Your Product Stand Out (Google I/O '17)
Brené Brown - The power of vulnerability
Figma
Sketch
AN INTERVIEW WITH ALEXIS S.F. MARSHALL OF DAUGHTERS
Carolina Rayo
UX Writing Hub's Newsletter
Kickstarter
Don't Make Me Think [book]
How Words Can Make Your Product Stand Out (Google I/O '17)
UX Writing: How to do it like Google with this powerful checklist
Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose [ Book]
Vicki Siolos
Greta van der Merwe ✏️
6 pictures that sum up my life as a UX Writer
Transifex
Figma for Writers
Microcopy & UX Writing on Facebook
UX Writing on Linkedin
Our UX Writing Course
Thanks for editing Maisam Faraj!
UX Writers BCN
Mario Ferrer on Twitter
Mario Ferrer website
Her TRAILER 1 (2013)
King
UX Writers Europe
Colruyt introduces voice commerce in Belgium
https://www.retaildetail.eu/en/news/food/colruyt-introduces-voice-commerce-belgium
Designing a VUI — Voice User Interface
https://uxplanet.org/designing-a-vui-voice-user-interface-c0b3b9b57ace
Voice User Interfaces (VUI) — The Ultimate Designer’s Guide
https://medium.muz.li/voice-user-interfaces-vui-the-ultimate-designers-guide-8756cb2578a1
How to Design Voice User Interfaces
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/how-to-design-voice-user-interfaces
The user experience of choosing the simplest possible words
https://uxdesign.cc/the-user-experience-of-choosing-the-simplest-possible-words-90628a3c4a44
Let’s Talk About Brand Personality, Voice, and Tone
https://medium.com/s/how-to-build-a-brand/lets-talk-about-brand-personality-voice-and-tone-28276a48d5c1
Write Like a Human
https://medium.com/write-like-a-human/write-like-a-human-61f6c7c0752c
Get Started with System Voice Actions
https://developers.google.com/voice-actions/system/
What is a Voice User Interface?
https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/vui
Siri for Developers
https://developer.apple.com/siri/
Plain Language Is for Everyone, Even Experts
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/plain-language-experts/
New App Uses AI to Enable Users to Explore Sneakers In AR
https://news.developer.nvidia.com/new-app-uses-ai-to-enable-users-to-explore-sneakers-in-ar/
Miro (formerly real-time board)
https://miro.com/index/
Whimsical
https://whimsical.com/
Free UX Writing course
https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free_course
UX Writing Free Course
Top 14 Content Style Guides 2019
Babbel - Speak a new language with confidence
Testing your copy for the price of a coffee by Tanja Matic
Following
UX Writing Hub's Newsletter
UX Strategy with Jared Spool Newsletter
Designing with a Content-First Approach
What we learned at our first UX writing meetup (Get Your Guide event in Berlin)
How can we make "Writers in Tech even better (feedback)?
Mentioned in this episode :
Microcopy & UX Writing Facebook group
Content Design Book
Content Design London
Gov.uk Styleguide
Top 14 Content Style Guides 2019
Bulb - Making energy simpler, cheaper, greener
Who gives a crap
The Listening Device In Your Pocket Business Daily podcast
Free Code Camp
On the first episode of writers in tech, Oz Chen shared with me his journey of becoming a content strategist at Disney.
We've talked about
Enjoy and don't forget to share it with a friend :)
Join our UX Writing newsletter
Book:
The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond
Articles:
7 Techniques For Better User Experience Inspired By Walt Disney
The 5 Planes of Content Strategy
Oz Chen:
uxbeginner.com
Oz Chen
Oz Chen LinkedIn