The presentation I gave at Meet Content meetup in Cracow, on January 10, 2017. Is UX writing about writing only? What’s necessary to support design with the right words? Insights that will help you build foundations for your writing in the GUI (graphical user interface). You’ll discover: • Why your brand’s voice is the core for building experiences. • How to create messages that don’t stress out anybody. • How to ensure your GUI labels are clear and complete. You can also count on some proven tips for wordsmithery. Polish version: https://www.slideshare.net/dr0dr/ux-writing-tajniki-i-techniki

1. UX
writing
building experiences
with words
Wojciech Aleksander
Meet Content, January 2017

2. Content strategist
Product content manager at GetResponse
UX writing & tech comm
Usability consultant
Interaction designer
Technical writer & information architect
DTP
Author and editor
Dynatrace, Compuware, Speednet,
Polish Academy of Sciences,
Strefa Startup Gdynia, SWPS University
Hello, my name is Wojtek

3. UX writing?
Creating of an intuitive
and a clear bridge
between users and your
page, app, brand,
product, or idea.
The opposite of the
marketing waffle. Getting
to the point. Writing that
is purpose driven, it’s
helpful, and facilitates
communication.
The making of a usable
dialogue between the
user and the system.
When the user
understands what the
system is saying, then
they’re getting along.
Using language to help
our users understand
the product, to enhance
their experience with
the product, and to
communicate the brand
voice.
It's a kind of writing when
you help readers
accomplish their goals
while having in mind their
emotions, vocabulary,
and their way of
thinking.

4. The magic formula
doesn’t exist
¯_(ツ)_/¯

5. Writing is easy

6. Writing is easy
not

7. 1000 minutes – 2 work days – non-stop
A mix of art, words, and insight
100 messages
5-10 minutes each

8. A mix of art, words, and insight
15—35 strings
or even 80 per single element

9. source: Designthe Web
A mix of art, words, and insight

10. If you don’t know what you need to communicate,
how will you know if you succeed?
Margot Bloomstein

11. Who we are, who we aren’t
brand voice
This, but not that

12. Dating app
• Simple but not shallow
• Positive but not overdone
• Empathetic but not overprotective
• Welcoming but not pushy
• Giving hope but not buttering up
Handy men inc.
• Approachable but not desperate
• Experienced but not worn out
• Honest but not naive
• Confident but not patronizing
Who we are, who we aren’t
brand voice

13. Your friends at Slack

14. Your friends at Slack

15. Match your message to context
tone of voice
message
reaction
thinking
feelings
context
specific
situation

16. source: voiceandtone.com
Match your message to context
tone of voice

17. Lead, instruct, correct
microcopy
Don’t be afraid to use more than 3 words in the
GUI. It’s about user task and goal. Ditch the
artificial limitations

18. Lead, instruct, correct
microcopy

19. Lead, instruct, correct
microcopy

20. Rescue, explain, don’t blame
error messages

21. Rescue, explain, don’t blame
error messages

22. Rescue, explain, don’t blame
error messages

23. The best error
message is the
one… you don’t
have to write

24. • Course of knowledge,
the silent sense killer
• The road to hell is paved with jargon
• Lorem ipsum is pure evil. Amet
• Mind the gender
• Mind the plurals (0, 1, many)
• Just say no to passive voice
• Consider using plain language
(forget everything they taught you at school)
• Say first, sketch second
• Practice brevity
• Don’t trust your first version
(the fourth one might be the best)
• Always check yourself (read aloud)
UX writing axioms

25. Lorem ipsum to hell (bonus dolor)
Event title
Time and date
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur
adipiscing elit. Sed at pharetra sem, ut
vehicula felis. Sed convallis, mi et
tempus aliquet, tortor turpis volutpat
turpis, et laoreet lorem tellus nec erat.
Nullam tristique lacinia porttitor.
Vivamus sit amet metus porta, pharetra
elit sit amet, tincidunt elit. Sed cursus
vestibulum augue, eu ultricies nunc
interdum ultrices.
No content, filler text
Uchwała Krajobrazowa Gdańska -
konsultacjespołeczne
7 czerwca, 17.00 - warsztaty dla
mieszkańców ; EuropejskieCentrum
Solidarności sala 5
8 czerwca, 17.00 - warsztaty dla
przedsiębiorców; EuropejskieCentrum
Solidarności sala 5
9 czerwca, 17.00 - warsztaty dla rad
dzielnic; Zarząd Dróg i Zieleni w Gdańsku,
ul. Wyspiańskiego 9A
Serdecznie zapraszamy Państwa do aktywnego
udziału w konsultacjach i pomocy przy tworzeniu
Uchwały Krajobrazowej Gdańska.
Real text, case IIReal text, case I
Festiwal Gdańsk Dźwiga Muzę
2016
August 29, 2016, 09:00
Scena Muzyczna Gdańskiego
ArchipelaguKultury w dniach 29 - 31
lipca 2016 rokuorganizuje ósmą edycję
Festiwalu Gdańsk Dźwiga Muzę! W
programie wydarzenia są trzy dni i trzy
noce prawdziwego muzyczno -
tanecznego święta! W dniach
festiwalowych Plac Zebrań Ludowych
(znajdujący się w samym "sercu" miasta
Gdańska), przekształca się w miasteczko
festiwalowe ze Strefami Tanecznymi,
Muzyczną Sceną Główną, Graffiti, strefą
chillout i wieloma innymi przestrzeniami
różnych aktywności. Jest to jedyny
festiwal o takiej formule w Polsce, a
drugi w Europie.

26. Design for real life, 2016,
Eric Meyer, Sara Wachter-Boettcher
The content strategy toolkit, 2015,
Meghan Casey
Nicely said, 2015,
NicoleFenton, Kate Kiefer Lee
Read more…

27. UX writing, content first, microcopy,
product content strategy, UX narrative,
GUI text, content strategy, plain language
Learn more…

28. John Saito (Dropbox), Alaine Mackenzie (Shopify),
Kate Kiefer Lee (Mailchimp), Amy Thibodeau, Abby Covert,
Kristina Halvorson (Braintraffic), Tomasz Piekot (University of Wroclaw),
Government Digital Service (GDS), uContentowani, Meet content
Jonathon Colman - The Epic List of Content Strategy Resources
http://www.jonathoncolman.org/2013/02/04/content-strategy-resources/
…and more
Ryan Bigge - The Super List of Content-First UX Resources
https://medium.com/@biggeidea/the-super-list-of-content-first-ux-resources

29. You should follow me
@inherentq
uContentowani

30. Thanks(-:
all background photos: unsplash.com