What is UX Writing and How Can it Benefit Your Business?

In today’s ever-changing digital world, the way users connect with a digital product has become one of the biggest determining factors in business growth.

This is why creating easy-to-understand and intuitive messages on digital applications, known as UX Writing, can be a key success factor of a digital product.

In this article, we’re going to answer all your questions, from what UX writing really means and how important it is for your business to grow and develop.

What is UX writing?

UX writing is the art of creating content used on user interfaces to assist users when engaging with a product.

Many UX writers are former copywriters who are experts in creating copy aimed at converting online visitors into paying customers/users, but UX writing goes beyond that.

UX writers specializing in creating content for existing and new users in a digital product, beyond the point of conversion.

A key aspect of UX writing which differentiates it from traditional copywriting is the creation of microcopy. The term is synonymous with the text components that act as useful tips, and is often compromised of the following:

• Application Button 
• Menu labels
• Error warnings
• Prompt messages
• Empty states
• And any type of product usage instructions

In short, microcopy is the tiny tidbits of copy found on websites, applications, and products. These short sentences tell a user what to do, address user concerns, provide context to a situation, and help tell the greater story about your brand, product, and the way you do business.

Another key aspect of UX writing is to create a “guiding voice” that helps users complete different goals on a digital product with ease.

Source from https://stock.adobe.com/

What does UX writing involve?

UX writing involves strategically creating intuitive messages to improve a digital product’s user experience.

UX writers create texts that make it clear what’s happening on a particular screen and when frictions such as errors occur, UX writing can help reduce the negative experiences and guide users to an appropriate solution. 

At a high level, UX writing establishes communication between users and a digital product.

The way you structure this conversation contributes to an outstanding user experience, as it can lead to an increase in customer satisfaction and trust in a product that contributes to a higher retention rate.

Here is a list of items that fall into the scope of UX writing: 

• Create microcopy
• Define Tone of Voice for a digital product
• Work closely with the product design team to create content for different screens and flows
• Participate (and occasionally lead) user research processes to better understand user pain points and use of language
• Create a content guidebook to outline writing rules and terminologies for different product teams and other writers
  
  

Why is UX writing important to my business?

UX writing plays a significant role in preventing frustration for users and in making their journeys more seamless and enjoyable.

Ultimately, in regards to scaling your business, UX writing helps your business retain users in the long run, making our digital product more reputable, scalable, and profitable. With that said, here are two reasons why UX writing is important for your business.

You’ve seen examples above, on how UX writing can improve the user journey, increase engagement and conversion. All of which adds up to more revenue for your business.

The right words, written in the right way, at the right time and place, go a long way toward encouraging users to want to interact and work with your digital product.

Investing in visual design and clear iconography alone still confuse users who are not familiar with your digital product. This is where UX writing comes in.

By speaking the users’ language and clearly annotating different icons and buttons on your digital application, the level of friction new users experience on your product can be drastically reduced, hence, improving your product usability.

If you’re a start-up, good user feedback and market traction can be a make or break factor for your next funding round.

On the other hand, if you’re a product owner at a larger organization, high-quality UX writing and a good product usability level is key to demonstrating the value of your application not only to your users but to other stakeholders and decision-makers at your company.

How can I balance my business and user needs?

UX writing is about the user as much as it is about business. To improve the experience and help create a better user journey, you must have a comprehensive understanding of the audience, including their requirements and expectations, as well as the digital product’s business goals.

Before writing the language for your client’s website or app, conduct extensive user research and data collection. Then, be as explicit as possible whilst using consistent terminology. Ensure your client’s brand’s current tone and voice are consistent and used correctly. 

Empathize with your client’s target audience, speak in their language, and consider how you can make key messages clearer to them. In this case, giving users a better experience increases the likelihood that they will return and choose your product over others.

As we have seen, UX writing is an essential component of any digital business. It directs consumers through your product and assists them in reaching their objectives, making it key to achieving customer loyalty by providing a great user experience.

UX writing is a fairly new field, but its benefits in helping users better understand your product and improving your user retention rate cannot be understated. 

This is where we come in. Morphosis is a digital consultancy with 15+ years of experience in digital product design. Our team understands the importance of a great user experience and what we need to do to make a website productive, enjoyable and hassle-free.

To learn more about how we can help you grow your business using better UX, contact our team today for a free consultation.

Jeremie Tisseau   Jeremie Tisseau, CEO & founder of Morphosis and Chief Design Officer at Seven Peaks. He turned Morphosis into the most recognized UX agency in Bangkok.