UX Writing for Designers: A Complete Guide

As a designer, you know good visuals are crucial, but there’s an often overlooked secret weapon that can make or break the user experience – the writing. Visual design might grab attention, but the words on our screens can make or break a user’s experience. But writing clearly yet invisibly to guide people to their goals is an art that requires you to understand who your users are and how they think. This complete guide will walk you through the fundamentals of UX writing and show how to apply it within your design process. So, grab your pens and open your minds, it’s time to learn in fun and creative ways.

What Is UX Writing?

UX writing is a special kind of writing that helps make digital products clear and easy to understand. UX stands for user experience. It’s all about making sure people can easily do what they want to do when using something. UX writing is the words that designers use in their creations to guide people. This includes things like instructions, labels, error messages, and more.

The goal of UX writing is for people of all ages and abilities to naturally know what to do just by reading the words on the screen. Good UX writing doesn’t get in the way or use confusing language. Whether it’s a phone app, website, game, or other digital thing, UX writing ensures the words enhance the experience rather than cause confusion. Some key things UX writers do include:

• Writing button labels and menu names that make the purpose clear
• Providing help text or tooltips for tricky areas
• Crafting easy-to-read step-by-step guides
• Letting users know if they make mistakes in a nice way
• Using a friendly, simple tone so all feel welcome

Relationship Between UX Writing and Design

UX writing and design work closely together to create an easy experience. Designers make the look and layout, but words are also part of the user experience.

Good UX design focuses on the user’s needs and goals. Designers think about layout, colors, pictures, and more. They make sure everything can be accessed simply. UX writing helps guide users in completing tasks.

The designer chooses where buttons and menus will go. Then, writers label them in a way that clearly matches the button’s purpose. For example, a “submit” button would say submit instead of something vague like “click here.” Writers work with designers to keep the language consistent everywhere. 

The design and writing need to match so users easily understand the intended flow. iCreatives can provide you with a pool of professional UX writers and designers to make your websites and apps easy to use.

Why Is UX Writing Important?

When you make something for people to use online or on their phones, it’s easy to focus mostly on how it looks. The colors, pictures, and buttons are what grabs attention first. But good words are also important. It’s easy to forget that, a lot of times, words are how users figure things out. 

So why is writing so important for the user experience? Let’s find out.

Improves Usability and The User Experience

Clear, short words help guide people through tasks smoothly without getting confused. They don’t have to stop and think about how stuff works because the writing tells them clearly. This makes for a positive user experience. People like things way more when problems get solved fast without hassle. 

But bad writing can ruin usability. Users may struggle to understand menus or what error messages mean. But good writing improves usability by keeping people in control and always knowing what’s next. 

Increases Conversions

Good writing gets more people to convert more easily. Buttons and prompts should clearly say what will happen if clicked, while clear wording like “Buy Now” works better than vague sentences. Text explanations should also be able to remove any doubts so people feel comfortable clicking to buy or subscribe.

Multi-step processes should have concise guides so users don’t give up halfway through. You can also build trust by writing permission requests so more people feel okay sharing info.

Builds User Trust

Another big reason good writing matters is it helps build trust with users. When people trust something, they feel safe and confident using it. Well-written text can really strengthen that trust. Clear terms and privacy policies explain what happens to personal data in simple words, so users aren’t nervous about sharing info. Honest, friendly error messages that don’t try to hide mistakes also build this trust.

Having user trust opens new chances to turn curious visitors into long-time fans. It means people feel comfortable exploring new features entirely, too. Building trust is so valuable with care in every word.

Creates a Better Brand Experience and Impression

The way something is written really affects how people see the brand behind it. Good writing crafts a better experience and feeling toward the company or product. Descriptions painting an enjoyable visual of what the brand offers make users excited to learn more. They want to associate with fun, inspiring language.

Meanwhile, choppy or boring text gives a “we don’t care” vibe, which hurts the brand’s look. Users may feel it’s not worth their time. The experience draws people closer to the brand with thoughtful words until they become true fans. 

Supports Visual Design

Good writing also plays a big role in strengthening visual design elements. The two should work together to guide users seamlessly. So, while labels or headings help organize content in a visually clean way that flows nicely, pictures then give users examples to grasp ideas faster from words.

Clearly labeled buttons and menus improve on shapes and colors alone. But words make the reason clear for visual selections. Together, writing lifts visuals while visuals bring words to life.

Boosts Comprehension and Task Completion

One big goal of any website or app is helping users actually understand things and finish what they set out to do. Strong UX writing directly supports this by boosting comprehension and task completion.

When instructions are clear and concise, users don’t have to struggle re-reading multiple times. Complex or wordy steps slow people down. But short sentences get right to the point for quick grasping. This means that users actually get what they came for while staying satisfied.

Features of UX Writing

Clarity

Clear writing gets right to the point without using confusingly long sentences or fancy vocabulary. Technical terms must be explained so any user grasps the meaning immediately. You can also use good examples to help emphasize your points for visual learners. These descriptions paint a clear picture so users don’t have to re-read multiple times to get it.

Clarity ensures users stay focused on tasks instead of stopping to decode language. Complex or vague wording slows people down from figuring things out.

Conciseness

You know how some instructions or articles go on and on with tons of extra words? Good UX writing keeps it concise by getting to the point quickly without all the filler. You don’t need long-winded explanations when short and sweet will do. 

Concise writing respects people’s time. No one wants to wade through useless fluff to find what they need. You want the necessary details up front and center without all the unnecessary information distracting from the task at hand. It also helps people focus better without their minds wandering as they read.

Relevance

When writing for a user experience, one important thing is making sure what you write is relevant to what the user needs. Irrelevant information can be distracting and annoying. Relevant writing directly answers the question, “What does this help me do?” It focuses only on giving the user the specific details they need to complete their task or understand a topic.

Extra stories, historical facts, or other details that don’t contribute to the user’s goal can make the writing sluggish and boring. Users just want the most direct path to finishing what they’re doing.

Consistency

Consistency means using similar styles, formats, and terminology throughout the text. This helps users easily navigate everything.

Imagine if instructions for different tasks used entirely different words to mean the same thing. Or buttons and menus looked different on every page. It would be very confusing. But consistency creates familiarity.

Using a clear, identifiable voice or tone helps content feel connected. Consistency provides a reliable structure, helping users focus on their needs, not figuring out random changes.

Empathy

It’s important to put yourself in the shoes of your users and understand how they might think or feel. Good UX writers imagine what it’s like to see something for the first time without knowing what to expect. They remember how confusing or frustrating that feels.

Empathy helps you to pace the writing itself appropriately for different skill levels. It avoids assumptions that all users know a lot already. Writers with empathy also recognize that users want helpful guidance, not to feel dumb asking questions. So, the tone stays friendly, not intimidating or impatient.

Action-Oriented

The point of writing directions or tutorials is usually to get users to actually do something. Action-oriented writing uses words like “click here” or “press the button” to directly tell the person what to interact with next on the screen. This engages them in actively using the website or app, not just reading about it.

You can also number each step to help visual learners easily follow along with where they are in the process. It’ll be like following a recipe.

Scannability

When people are online, they often just want the quick highlights without reading every word. UX writing needs scannability, so it’s easy to find what you need fast. Scannable writing chunks text into short, well-spaced paragraphs. It also requires you to use bulleted or numbered lists, so users don’t need to read heavy sentences.

Headings, bold keywords, and icons also help guide their eyes directly to essential details at a glance. Users don’t have to hunt through a huge block of text. Good scannability respects people’s short attention spans online. It lets them browse efficiently to choose whether something interests them enough to read fully. 

Tips To Consider When Writing for UX

Write For the User, Not the Technology

When creating instructions or website content, it can be easy to focus more on explaining how the technology works instead of what the user needs to know. But good UX writing keeps the user front and center.

You have to put yourself in the user’s shoes and remember they probably don’t care about technical details. Writing like a programmer will confuse most people. Users just want clear, simple instructions for finishing their goals. 

The tech will speak for itself once users understand the benefits. So ensure your writing’s primary aim is through their perspective lens.

Use Active Voice and Words the Audience Would Use in Daily Conversation

For directions or website text, it’s best to use everyday language that your users are familiar with instead of fancy technical words. Speaking in an active voice makes the writing energetic and engaging.

Active voice means using verbs that show action, like “click the button” instead of “the button is clicked.” It feels faster-paced and involves the user directly in what’s happening. Describe steps as if giving a friend instructions over the phone. Imagine how they’d say it in casual talk, not a boring report. Keep verbs exciting like “select,” “drag,” and “tap.”

Limit Content To the Essential

The best UX writing only includes what’s really needed. You have to be careful not to include too many extra details when writing directions or information for a website. Users just want the key facts to get their job done quickly, not pages full of bonus trivia clogging things up. So, limit content to only the most critical steps or points.

As the creator, you know way more background than users need. But you must respect their limited attention spans and time.

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Make Calls-To-Action Clear and Distinct 

Calls-to-action are explicit instructions that state what you want users to click or do next, and they need to stand out so users know the next step. Instead of vague sentences, use active phrasing like “Click the blue button” or “Tap to Continue.” Commands attract attention way more than weak suggestions.

Buttons and links should be labeled with verbs like “Download” or “Sign Up” that clearly communicate the action required. This way, there’ll be no confusion about what’ll happen if clicked.

Highlight Important Information

During UX writing, you must take note of the fact that not all details are equal. Users need quick visual cues that signal what truly matters so they can avoid unimportant points. 

You can use tools like bold, italics, and different fonts or colors to call extra focus to prioritize any content needing retention. Their eyes immediately lock onto the highlighted text from a distance. And they can learn about the highlights even in a rapid page scan. Although context is nice, highlighting isolates necessary facts for instant understanding and recall later on.

Conclusion

Great UX is all about seamless storytelling – telling stories cohesively through visuals, words, and interactions. After designers make the layouts look good, writers must then be able to explain everything clearly. As a UX writer, if you and the designer can work together, putting the user first and using words people understand, you can create great experiences where people can easily find what they need and finish their tasks quickly. 

If you’re a design company or app developer and need talented UX writers to make your project have clear instructions and words users understand, look no further than iCreatives. We have a large pool of talented UX writers adept at making your users return for more. Contact us at  (+1) 855.427.3284 today.