Dear product content friends, it's OK to be inflexible sometimes

Warning: The following reads like a rant from full-on preachy Jonathan. Sorry?

Earlier this month, I followed an interesting post on LinkedIn about a particular design pattern in microcopy. It garnered lots of comments from content designers and UX writers about how this pattern could offend users. I was one of several people who raised another pernicious problem: the pattern would cause major readability and accessibility issues for reasons that are well-researched and documented.

But as the comments kept coming, I saw other content folks write that they’d consider using it if that’s how the company they worked for preferred it. At least one said they probably wouldn't need to use it but, as a UX writer, they didn’t think they should have a closed off or inflexible opinion on the matter. (Not a direct quote, but close.)

That got me thinking: I don’t agree with that. At all.

UX writers, content designers, and the like absolutely should have inflexible opinions when it comes to accessibility, inclusion, and deceptive design.

Everyone’s welcome to feel how they feel, and the definition of what’s right or wrong in a given situation is highly subjective and contextual.?

Not every brand is the same. Not every product is the same. Not every company cares about accessibility, inclusion, or doing good by users. As for the people who commented on the post, I don’t know many of them. I don’t know their professional backgrounds, experiences, or contexts. Frankly, I don’t even know if we all had a shared understanding of what constitutes microcopy.?

But I do know this: When it comes to decisions that could harm the people using our products, I don’t believe we should bend. And I believe even more that content designers/UX writers have a responsibility to push back against intentional harm.?

I’m not criticizing the person who wrote that comment nor am I lambasting folks who didn't flag the accessibility problem. We're all learning and growing all the time. But, I am dispelling the notion that people who do product content work don’t get or deserve as loud a say when it comes to sounding the alarm about things we know are wrong.?Oh, yes we do.

I realize my stance is strong, perhaps even uncomfortably obstinate. It may feel like I’m writing in absolutes, like I’m willfully choosing to ignore a myriad of other variables and factors that could make these discussions a lot more complex than I’m giving them credit for.

Yup.

I know what these conversations are like because I’ve had them. They’re not easy. It’s never pleasant to take a principled stand against something, especially at work, where the environment might be toxic and people may feel unsafe voicing their opinions. Plus, I benefit from masculine privilege. Having a strong opinion isn’t weaponized against me as a character flaw. (Delivery and tone are, but that’s a different blog.)?

But I also know what happens when people don’t make a stand at all, when we are so flexible that we inadvertently perpetuate inhumane and dangerous patterns across apps and websites.

Racist algorithms don’t just happen. People create them.

Biased résumé scanning software doesn't just materialize. People build it.

Manipulinks and confirmshaming aren’t just things that magically pop up in a form flow. People make deliberate decisions to put them there.

As uncomfortable as it may be, we have to say something.?

Some of your collaborators may brush off your concerns. You may get overruled. Your perspective might go ignored.

That’s fine. Say it anyway.?

Your influence only goes so far, but you’ll never know if you could’ve altered an outcome if you never say the thing that needs to be said.?

I’m not telling you to kick down doors or make aggressive demands. You should take a deft and tactful approach to these discussions, using evidence, tools, and resources to validate your viewpoint. (Chances are, "This is the good and right thing to do" won't be enough to sway the business to change course.)

The good thing is there are plenty of resources, research, and experts to back you up. Search for them and save them for when the time is right. Empathetically educate your stakeholders and partners on why you recommend the team not ship that feature or flow that hurts more than it helps. Remind them of their own metrics and illustrate how inhumane decisions may ultimately hurt them.

Just like research, frameworks, and terminology management are parts of the job, refusing to budge in the face of harm is part of the job, too.?

Yes, you’re a content designer, or a UX writer, or (fill in the blank job title). Depending on where you work and what kind of team you’re part of, that could mean your contributions are welcomed, valued, and celebrated. Or, it could mean your role is misaligned; your technical prowess is called into question; and your ability to render solid product decisions is underestimated.

Either way, you’re not just the words person. You’re an advocate for the user, for everyday people who need to know how to use the tech you work on. You design information and create pathways for people to understand that information. You’re important. Your voice is necessary. And you may be the only one on your team who understands why all caps hurt accessibility; why “white glove” and “blacklist” are offensive; and why misdirection in a flow is insidious.?

Should you pick your battles at work? Definitely, because not everything is worth fighting (or getting fired) for.?

Should you remain tactful in your delivery? Of course, especially when you disagree with something. You’re a professional after all.?

Should you shrug off an accessibility or inclusion issue because bringing it up is inconvenient, uncomfortable, or you don't want to come off as not being a team player? No. Absolutely not. Even if you get vetoed, even if you lose that particular battle, be inflexible about what you know is right. It doesn’t make you a jerk. It makes you an expert with a human-focused point of view. It makes you a UXer.

(P.S. Your company's brand style guide wasn't written on stone tablets. It can be wrong and, more importantly, it can be changed. If you find guidance that’s inherently inaccessible, sexist, racist, ableist, deceptive, etc., tag-team with the right people to get rid of that junk.)