The evolution of UX writing processes

Recently, I was asked some good questions about my UX writing work by a tools vendor. Since I answered for them, I thought I'd share with you, as well. Basically, they develop a tool that should help with the UX writing process. I see three main areas where I think about process evolution.

• First, it's the feature team's maturity level with UX writing. As that evolves, the questions the team asks the writer evolves.
• Second, it's the maturity of the role in the industry. We're moving from having to define UX writing to the world, to defining what UX writing means on a feature crew.
• Third, it's about the process of engaging UX writers. It starts with developing a consistent process with one feature crew - the designers, product managers, and software engineers working on one set of functionality. Then it evolves to identifying similarities between crews.

From "fix the words" to "is this the right term?"

UX writing process tends to evolve with team maturity in working with writers. 

Early on when I engage with a new team, the process tends to start with requests for help from product managers. They’ll say “We need help with the words!” Then they’ll start asking about specific UI. It’s important at this stage to take a step back and look at the overall picture. While the immediate need is one particular string for one specific feature, the string and feature don’t live apart from the rest of the product. At this stage in engagement, I often find there’s a need to define terminology.

As a product team engages more and more deeply with a UX writer, the process should evolve. Rather than a reaction to issues that have made it all the way into the code, thought about words happens earlier and earlier in the design process. At this point, designers might be asking questions like, “When we refer to X, do we use term Y or Z?” 

If the terminology work done earlier has been successful, the crew learns that consistency in language can be achieved through documented lists of terms and definitions. This moves from tactical to strategic. How do we approach writing in the design process versus how do we fix the words that are in the app already.

What is UX writing?

The biggest challenge in UX writing today is the need to define it. It’s also a huge opportunity. 

4 years ago, when I first started filling the role of a UX writer, there were no books dedicated to the subject. There were no dedicated conferences and the community was hard to find outside others in the role in my company.

Today, this morning, before writing this, I’ve already referenced two books specifically on the subject of UX writing and have a third on my desk. They’ve, in turn, referenced me to three other books around IA and UX design. I’ve received an email from someone outside the company asking questions about UX writing. And, I’ve fielded a question in a company-wide forum about text in an app.

As UX writing becomes a more well-known role, it brings new challenges. The increased visibility brings increased demand and capacity trails the demand. We must find ways to enable others to do some of the writing work that we used to take on personally. That’s why my focus lately has been on writing about product content a little more than writing content in product.

Consistency brings efficiency and effectiveness

The number 1 thing we need in UX writing workflow is consistency. It starts with consistency on one feature crew. Then another. Then we can identify similarities in the workflows between crews. Then we can start to apply more consistent practices across teams.

Consistency is important for effective and efficient product results. To the end user of product, it doesn’t matter that there could be hundreds of teams creating products for one company. They don’t care if two teams define two terms entirely differently. The end user is using digital products to get something done. If the language we do presents a challenge to their goals, we’re not doing our work right. And, if we don’t establish consistent practices in a company, it creates more work across teams to get the language right.