How do you get the most value from UX writing and content?

The core on any content strategy is the receiver. We look too often to what we want to write, what we want to say, what we want to design. But the real value comes from "what needs to be undersood", "what needs to be heard", and "what needs to be seen". Communication, written or verbal is a two way street, even if done async. Keep in mind what they will understand, need to hear, or want to hear. And tailor your message to that.

It's not always easy carving out time to understand the overlap between what a business wants and what the user needs, but investing in those efforts will always create a scalable content strategy for a sense of direction and permanence.

One of the best ways to understand and empathize with your audience is by going straight to the source. Listening to customer support calls or trawling through community forums helps you gain first-hand insights, identify key pain points, and learn the words they use so that, in your product, you're speaking the same language as the users you're serving.

One thing I've found helpful is prioritizing a user-centric approach because it ensures that your content resonates with your audience's needs and expectations. By understanding your users' perspectives and tailoring your content to address their pain points, you can create a more engaging and personalized experience that drives meaningful interactions and engagements.

Pro tip: Obsess with research methodology for the most effective findings targeted to what you really need to understand about your users.

A veces cuando no hay tiempo o presupuesto para entrevistas con usuarios, me funcionó muy bien leer las reviews de la app, las sugerencias y las consultas en soporte y atención al cliente. Allí pudimos descubrir cómo llaman a nuestros productos y cuáles eran sus necesidades reales.

Indeed, Clarity and simplicity is key. Simplicity is the bedrock of effective communication. Creating clear concise content that is easy to understand, enable users to navigate seamlessly through your platform or product without confusion. So, keep it simple.

Good writing comes from what the reader reads, not what the writer writes. Consider the context and always prioritise clarity, so your users get what you're saying.

Designs should match your writing at all times. For example, if designing a children's application, you would never want to add complicated language. In addition to this, UX writing is always supposed to be quick and concise, but give additional information to the user as to how to perform a certain task. On mobile apps, especially, space is limited, so you must use your best judgement to use only characters that fit a certain space, layout, and align with the rest of the design.

Until and Unless: -I don't like what's there (Product/Service) -Why should the reader like it? -Don't be emotional, Be understanding of your audience.

There are a million iterations you can come up with so remember to focus on your business objectives and don't get too distracted by opportunities you can come back to later.

Make use of active listening to truly understand where stakeholders are coming from. Ask the 'whys' to find common ground. More often than not, we want to achieve the same things, just in slightly different ways.