UX WRITING HUB https://uxwritinghub.com Learn to write user experience Wed, 14 Feb 2024 12:26:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.7 https://uxwritinghub.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cropped-fb-profile-32x32.png UX WRITING HUB https://uxwritinghub.com 32 32 Navigating the Storm: The Reality of UX Writing and Content Design Layoffs https://uxwritinghub.com/the-reality-of-ux-writing-and-content-design-layoffs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-reality-of-ux-writing-and-content-design-layoffs https://uxwritinghub.com/the-reality-of-ux-writing-and-content-design-layoffs/#respond Wed, 14 Feb 2024 12:24:58 +0000 https://uxwritinghub.com/?p=43011 From the daily news to your LinkedIn feed, you have probably noticed layoffs across the tech industry over the past 2 years.

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From the daily news to your LinkedIn feed, you have probably noticed layoffs across the tech industry over the past 2 years.

 

These include UX writing and content design layoffs, as well as pretty much every other role. After a boom during the pandemic lockdowns, tech companies have reduced staff sizes considerably. 

 

Whether you have a content design job or are looking for a new one, this news can feel frightening and demoralizing.

 

But there is no reason to be deterred from UX writing and content design as a field. While it’s important to be aware of the reality of UX writing and content design layoffs, there are many things you can do to improve your success on the job and on the job market – and to take care of yourself in the process. 

 

This post will take stock of the state of UX writing and content design layoffs. Then, we’ll offer some tips for employed content designers who want to future-proof themselves, and some coping strategies for laid off content designers to make the job search as smooth as possible. 

UX Writing and Content Design Layoffs: What you need to know

UX Writing and Content Design Layoffs Can Happen to Anyone

 

The past few years have seen layoffs at nearly every major tech company, from Facebook and Google to Discord and Twitch. And seniority doesn’t appear to offer much protection.

 

In a small survey (n=239) of UX designers, Matej Latin found a startling trend: a significant chunk of those laid off are senior or higher, making up 60% of affected employees.

 

Only 24% were intermediate, and 10% were juniors. Here is the chart from Latin’s post:

While this sample size is small, it highlights the fact that layoffs can happen to anyone. And note that this survey was of UX designers, so we don’t know whether similar statistics apply to UX writing and content design layoffs as well. 

 

Another post from Matej Latin provides several personal layoff stories, including this one, from an experienced and successful designer. 

 

Eva, a high-performing designer from Denmark was let go when her company’s stock plummeted. Her firing highlights a disconcerting disconnect between performance and job security.

 

And Eva’s story is not an outlier; it’s a reflection of a larger issue at play in the tech world. In fact, Latin’s research suggests that 52% of the laid off designers in his sample were high performers, as shown in his chart below. 

The Domino Effect of UX Writing and Content Design Layoffs 🎲

The impact of layoffs extends beyond numbers; it reshapes the very fabric of teams.

 

With fewer employees, those who remain are asked to do more, and may have diminished morale after losing co-workers. The ripple effects? Burnout, diminished work-life balance (WLB), and a sense of working for an entirely different company.

 

AI and the Future of UX Writing and Content Design

As companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon trim their UX teams, a new player enters the arena—AI.

 

With AI tools increasingly taking over more and more tasks, the role of human UX professionals is in jeopardy. This shift towards leaner teams equipped with AI might be economically rational, but it also brings forth questions about creativity, empathy, and the nuanced understanding that human designers bring to the table.

 

Since companies are increasingly using AI, it’s worthwhile to learn more about using it to help you work. AI still does not sound human, and it can’t bring the knowledge, skill, and personality to UX writing that a human can. Learning to use AI for what it is good at can help you to focus on what you are good at, and that can make work easier and more efficient. 

 

Reasons for hope

No doubt, times are tough. But there are reasons to be optimistic about the future for UX writers and content designers.

 

This post lays out some compelling evidence that even in the face of UX writing and content design layoffs, we should not count the field out yet. Mainly, that’s because our work is important to the success of digital products.

 

Poor content design makes products difficult to use and drives users away. So despite the many challenges in the current job market, if you are passionate about UX writing, stay in the game. Your skills are needed. 

 

Weathering the Storm: Strategies for Survival 🍃

In these turbulent times, how does one navigate the uncertainty of UX writing and content design layoffs? Whether you are employed and hoping to stay that way, or are struggling to know what to do after a layoff, there are things you can do to ease the journey. 

 

Future-proofing Yourself: Tips for employed content designers

While there is nothing that can definitively protect you from layoffs, and it is important to remember that layoffs don’t reflect anything about the skill, dedication, and talent of a content designer, there are some strategies that you can use to be on the right side of a downsizing. 

 

Be a great co-worker.

Engage with your team, share knowledge, and take the lead in meetings. Being a source of calm and direction can set you apart. In addition to offering some protection against a layoff, being a good team member can also help if you are laid off. If co-workers and managers have positive feelings towards you, they are more likely to help you in the future. (Plus, it’s nice to be nice.)

Demonstrate your value.

This really boils down to doing great work. Take every opportunity to showcase your skills. Be on the lookout for places you can contribute – if you can show up to help in a difficult situation, people will likely take notice. Being the problem-solver can make you indispensable.

Keep growing. 

When you’ve been in a job for a while, it can be easy to get into a rut. While this is completely natural, it’s wise to take the chance to expand your skill set whenever possible. If your company has an education stipend, use it. Or, take a few hours a week to learn more about an area of your field that interests you or aligns with where you want to go in your career.

 

All the better if you share what you’re learning on a blog or social media posts. Continually learning will help you stand out in your current job, and make it easier to change jobs later if you need or want to. 

 

Moving Forward: Tips for laid off UX writers and content designers 

If you have been laid off, there are many things you can do to take care of yourself and gear up for a successful job search. 

Take a breath. 

If you’ve just been laid off, you are probably experiencing many difficult emotions. Anxiety, fear, betrayal, anger, shame, and more. You’ve just experienced a major life event, and it’s normal to feel unmoored. Self-care is important at a time like this, so take some time to process what has happened.

 

If you’ve been working at a high-stress job, it might be helpful to slow down and do some of the things you wished you could do while you were working around the clock – sit on a park bench, go to the beach, watch a movie during the day. 

 

Slow and steady wins the race. 

After a bit of relaxation and processing time, however, it is essential to start the job search before you lose momentum. But pace yourself: however tempting it may be, going at a breakneck pace is likely to lead to burnout. While you may be lucky enough to get a new job quickly, a job search can be like a marathon.

 

Consistency is key – take a few manageable actions each day. (And leave time for restorative activities as well.)

Share your story. 

Although everyone knows that UX writing and content design layoffs are common these days, people who have been laid off still may feel a lot of shame about it. A simple LinkedIn post sharing your layoff story can help reduce these feelings, as your network is likely to respond with encouraging and sympathetic posts. 

In this post, Andrew Astleford lays out how sharing his story helped him navigate his layoff and helped his job search. He emphasizes framing your layoff narrative as a comeback story, a tale of growth and resilience. 

 

You can keep posting throughout your job hunt, even making a LinkedIn post part of a daily ritual. Practices like this help with accountability, and can raise awareness. You want to be someone people think of when they hear about a job in your field. If you’re upskilling or working on a passion project, this is a great place to highlight those efforts. 

 

Keep in touch. 

Sharing your story is one form of networking. It’s also important to keep in touch with communities in your field (and out of it, in case your uncle or college buddy has a friend at your dream company). Stay active in social media groups in your industry, posting useful info (and/or great memes), and offering support to others.

 

If you were let go as a part of mass layoffs, make sure to stay in touch with others who were let go. These folks at HubSpot in the post strategized their way through the layoff journey together, supporting each other in the process. 

Build and diversify your portfolio.

If you’ve had an idea for a passion project, now is a great time to pursue it. Whether it’s starting a blog to help other people understand your field better, or prototyping a new product, your dream projects can fulfill you and help raise your profile. This is also a great time to revamp your portfolio and to upskill. A bootcamp or course can add to the skills you can show off to your future employers. 

 

The Bottom Line

In the face of UX writing and content design layoffs, it’s normal to worry about the future. But rather than feeling hopeless, taking concrete steps can help you have a greater sense of agency in an uncertain time. Whether you are employed or looking for work after a layoff, you can combine an awareness of the challenges we face with the resilience to keep going. 

 

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Getting Started With UX Content Strategy: A Quick Guide https://uxwritinghub.com/ux-content-strategy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ux-content-strategy https://uxwritinghub.com/ux-content-strategy/#respond Sun, 11 Feb 2024 12:22:30 +0000 https://uxwritinghub.com/?p=42974 UX writers know there is much more to their work than just words. It's about crafting an experience that users will find valuable, intuitive, and enjoyable – by using the right words at the right time and place.

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UX writers and content designers know there is much more to their work than just words. It’s about crafting an experience that users will find valuable, intuitive, and enjoyable – by using the right words at the right time and place. This is where UX content strategy comes into play.

 

If you’re a UX writer or content designer, you are likely already incorporating some of the tools of UX content strategy into your work.

 

This post will help you think more strategically about the skills you use day to day. In this guide, we’ll delve into what UX content strategy is, why it’s important, and how it influences the way we design and create content for digital products.

 

We’ll learn how UX Content strategy tactics from Mailchimp, Netflix, Airbnb, Microsoft and more.

1. What is UX Content Strategy?

If you’re a UX writer, you may have heard the term UX content strategy.  But what exactly is it? As the name suggests, UX content strategy is a framework that guides the creation of content with a clear focus on the needs of the user and the overall user experience.

 

It ensures that every piece of content serves a purpose and contributes to the larger context of the product. 

 

As UX writers and content designers, we sometimes focus on the fine details and think of our work in an atomized way. What should this button say? Is this pop-up clear?

 

And of course every detail counts when it comes to user experience.

 

But all of these details need to be operating in the service of the whole. A solid UX content strategy allows writers to make sure that every piece of content supports the larger context. 

2. Putting Users First: The heart of UX content strategy

Effective UX content strategy rests on a deep understanding of the user.

 

The role of the entire UX field is to consider the user and deliver digital experiences that are pleasurable, useful, and meet the needs of the user.

 

UX content strategy is about taking a top level view of the product and the user and figuring out what individual pieces of content design will meet their needs and desires.

 

That means an effective UX content strategy starts with a clear picture of the target user.

 

And that’s where research comes in, including talking to existing users, conversation mining, competitor research, and other methods for gathering information about your ideal/typical user. 

 

With a clear picture of your user(s), you can craft personas – models based on your data that help you visualize the people who will be using your product.

 

With these personas in mind, you can think more clearly about what content they will need, want, and expect as they use the product. 

 

For example, Netflix keeps its users front and center by prioritizing personalization. Using algorithms, the company is able to better understand each user’s individual viewing habits and recommend things they are likely to enjoy.

 

As this post shows, the Top Picks For You section of the interface prioritizes unique recommendations, and helps people find new things they love.

 

Personalization is used here to surprise and delight users, saving them from endless scrolling and serving up just the right choice. 

 

3. User Journeys: Content for every step

So, you’ve got your user personas. It’s time to walk them through the product.

 

The combination of personas and user journey is a highly effective tool for UX content strategy because it helps you visualize how different people might experience the product. 

 

Mapping out user journeys allows us to visualize how different users might interact with the product at each step.

 

This insight helps us determine the type of content needed to guide users seamlessly through the product, from initial engagement to completion of tasks.

 

There are many in-depth guides to mapping user journeys, but the key take away for UX content strategy is determining what content will be needed at each step of the journey. 

This post provides a great example of the user journey of AirBnB.

 

It offers an overview of the user behavior process, as well as a thorough experience map that charts the user sentiment at every stage of the process – where the experience is positive, and where frustrations might occur.

 

Working at this level of detail helps determine places of friction and negative experiences so you can address them. 

4. Crafting a Consistent Brand Voice

Consistency is key in the digital realm. Establishing a cohesive tone and style not only fosters brand recognition but also builds trust and credibility among users. UX writers and content designers are generally familiar with creating and using brand voice and style guides.

 

In a way, brand voice is an example of UX content strategy: a set of product-wide guidelines for content that are designed to keep everything consistent and speak directly to the target user.

 

Mailchimp’s style guide is legendary in the field, and for good reason. It is detailed and clearly written. It also explains terms like voice and tone, so it’s a great example to take a look at for inspiration and education. 

 

If your product does not already have a style guide, creating one is an important step in effective UX content strategy. If you do already have a brand voice guide, use it! Think of it as one of the bibles of your UX content strategy.

5. Collaboration Between UX Designers and Writers

UX content strategy is a collaborative effort between content creators and UX designers. Effective communication and understanding between all team members ensures that content aligns with the product’s design and technological capabilities. By working together, teams can generate more creative ideas and deliver a cohesive user experience.

Designers and developers should take content into account as they create their products. At the same time, UX content strategists and writers must know what is feasible. A great content idea is worthless if it’s not technologically possible or affordable. While it’s helpful for UX content strategists to have some knowledge of UX design, the best way to avoid issues is active communication and collaboration between everyone on the UX team. This ensures everyone is on the same page, and may even lead to more creative ideas from all team members. 

6. Accessibility and Inclusivity

No discussion on UX content strategy (or anything UX-related) is complete without addressing accessibility and inclusivity. UX content strategists must consider how to make their products accessible and inclusive. That means creating content that can be clearly understood by all users. 

 

Designing an accessible UX content strategy means considering the abilities of all users. This includes things like making sure text can be read by a screen reader. Research is essential here, as including people with disabilities in your user testing will help ensure that your product works for everyone.

 

The UX Research team at Booking.com has done great work in this area, and this post from them has many tips for incorporating accessibility into your research process. They emphasize thinking about accessibility from the start, rather than adding it in as an afterthought. They also suggest running small tests often, making adjustments in response to new information. Their product research led them to identify an issue using the calendar navigation with a screen reader (often used by people with visual impairments). Month to month navigation wasn’t possible, which led to an inefficient and frustrating experience for users. Based on this research, they made changes to the product accordingly.

 

They also recommend the Microsoft Inclusive 101 Guidebook , and adapted some of those materials for the travel context, including this graphic:

 

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Career Foundry describes inclusive writing this way: “Inclusive writing is the process of writing to intentionally include and create welcoming experiences for more people—particularly those from underrepresented groups.” As with accessibility, this is an ongoing process of checking assumptions and making sure to invite as many people as possible into the research and decision-making process.

A good UX content strategy leads to products that are for everyone who wants to use them. 

7. Data-driven Content Design

A strategy gets you from one place to another. In order to know whether you’ve succeeded, you need to know where you were trying to go, and how to know when you’ve gotten there. That’s where KPI’s come in.

Setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) helps measure the success of UX Content Strategy efforts. By defining clear goals and milestones, teams can track progress and demonstrate the value of their work to stakeholders. Aligning content decisions with overarching objectives ensures that every step contributes to the achievement of strategic goals.

As you embark on your UX content strategy journey, consider what you want to accomplish. Where do you want to go, and how will you know when you’ve gotten there? Then, break that down into smaller goals that are easily measured. 

There are many ways to measure the effectiveness of a UX content design strategy. As this post points out, data-driven insights about the effectiveness of copy are a critical tool in the content designers skill set. Content designers can use analytics tools to measure things like click-through rates, time spent on a page and more. These provide important insights on how well a piece of content is working. A/B testing is another useful way to test how well a piece of copy is performing – you create multiple versions, and show one to half your users and the other to the other half. This process can help you understand what is most effective for your users, and measure your success more effectively.

Conclusion: Crafting Compelling Digital Narratives

Understanding UX content strategy is a superpower for UX writers and content designers.

 

Thinking strategically about the product and user journey as a whole will help you make content design decisions more quickly and effectively.

 

By understanding UX content strategy principles, collaborating effectively, and staying attuned to user needs, you are well-equipped to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of digital content creation. 

 

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Transforming content design with AI: a comprehensive guide https://uxwritinghub.com/ai-content-design/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ai-content-design https://uxwritinghub.com/ai-content-design/#respond Sun, 14 Jan 2024 14:54:33 +0000 https://uxwritinghub.com/?p=42693 Introduction As content designers, we’re living in a time of change. Much like in the 1990s, when our profession transitioned from physical paper to pixels and code, this decade marks the shift from manual writing to AI-powered text generation. The change is inevitable and we want to be ready.   So how can we use […]

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Introduction

As content designers, we’re living in a time of change. Much like in the 1990s, when our profession transitioned from physical paper to pixels and code, this decade marks the shift from manual writing to AI-powered text generation. The change is inevitable and we want to be ready.

 

So how can we use various AI tools to our benefit? And in what ways is AI impacting the content design practice? This article will provide the answers.

 

AI has been compared to many things already, but the metaphor that I like the most is that of a creative co-pilot. Just like a co-pilot assists the pilot in navigating and making crucial decisions during a flight, AI is a valuable partner to content designers, providing intelligent insights, streamlining processes, and smoothing out the overall design journey.

 

No, it shouldn’t entirely take over your writing, but it should enhance your skills, enabling you to complete more work quickly and at a higher quality.

Let’s dive in.

How AI changes the content design landscape

 

AI technology is revolutionizing the landscape of content design and UX writing in a similar way the internet did 30 years ago. But how exactly? Here are a few areas where its transformative power is already plainly seen.

 

    1. Generated content. With the help of generative AI, we can now automate tedious tasks and streamline our workflows. For example, AI can generate the first draft of an in-product copy and save us both time and effort. For the first time in history we don’t need to work with dummy text, but rather we can use AI-generated text and then iterate on that. As Yael Ben-David puts it in her article on Medium, “Generative AI is a great tool for drafting that first version which may have little in common with the real thing, but is a necessary first step.” So AI can significantly cut down the time of producing the first draft of your copy. AI may not be able to reduce the total time it takes to produce a final copy, but it can certainly make that first step easier.
    2. Accessibility coach. AI models can flag possible accessibility or inclusivity issues, acting as feedback guides. True, AI may not catch every single issue, but it can catch most of the issues faster. This allows us to focus on solving problems rather than searching for them.
    3. Creativity booster. AI technology can enhance our creativity by helping us see challenges from new perspectives. For example, imagine you are a content designer working for a travel agency. With the help of AI, you can use generative models to create personalized travel itineraries for different types of travellers. AI can help generate diverse and interesting content, such as destination recommendations, hotel suggestions, and activity ideas based on the traveller’s preferences, budget, and travel dates. This saves you the time you’d spend manually researching and curating each itinerary. It also allows you to provide tailored and engaging content to each customer, and thus deliver a better experience.
  • Research and testing. AI tools can revolutionize UX content research and testing by making complex processes such as persona development and competitor analysis significantly easier. For instance, machine learning algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data to identify common user behavior patterns, which can then be used to refine user personas. Also, AI can automate competitor analysis by tracking and comparing relevant metrics across different platforms. The use of AI not only streamlines research methodologies but also enhances the accuracy and effectiveness of UX content strategies.

How AI empowers content designers

The human element is crucial to making the most out of generative AI. The process is quite straightforward. After we generate content using a model, we need to evaluate and edit it carefully. Different outputs from alternative prompts can be combined into a single one. Rather than blindly accepting what the AI churns out, we connect the dots ourselves.

Generative AI models are incredibly diverse. They can process different types of content, such as images, longer text formats, emails, social media content, voice recordings, program code, and structured data. They can generate new content, translations, answers to questions, sentiment analysis, summaries, and even videos. The potential application in business is endless.

AI in content design is already significantly upending the workflow of businesses and professionals who create content daily. Here are some:

  1. Increased efficiency. Whether we’re working on new designs for the onboarding flow, writing a social media post or polishing a deep-dive for our company blog, we can use large language and image AI models to speed up the first part of the process — drafting. Doing so will save us a ton of time, especially if we need to produce a lot of content quickly.
  2. Enhanced creativity. Do you ever feel stuck staring at a blank page? It happens to all of us. AI can help us connect the dots and see the challenge we’re working on in a new light. AI can learn from a large amount of data and thus can identify unobvious patterns. By using AI, we can create more diverse and interesting content that appeals to a wider customer base.
  3. Better user experience. Because of its ability to learn from large datasets, AI models can create personalized content based on the preferences of individual users. Such customization creates content that is more appealing to a niche audience. Specialized content then becomes popular in the target group and stands a better chance of being shared and reposted.

Incorporating AI into our workflows

Content design workflows increasingly rely on generative AI. AI finds its way primarily by automating mundane tasks, expediting content creation, and offering valuable insights through data analysis. It can amplify productivity and enhance the overall efficiency of workflows.

 

Here’s one example. Imagine you’re a content designer whose job is to create a large volume of content on social media platforms within tight deadlines. Generative AI tools can assist you by automatically generating ideas for social media posts, captions, and hashtags based on specific parameters and brand guidelines. This saves your time and sparks creativity by providing new perspectives and ideas.

 

Additionally, generative AI can optimize content for different platforms, adjusting the length, structure, and visual elements to ensure a much more consistent user experience. By incorporating generative AI, content design teams can increase efficiency, improve creativity, and deliver engaging and tailored content to their target audience.

 

As we enter 2024, let’s aim to refine our skills in crafting improved prompts, repurposing them for clarity, and ensuring they’re accessible to non-writers. Let’s plan to focus on enhancing our team’s confidence in AI, whether we collaborate with writers, designers, or translators. We can also keep an eye on ways to leverage AI for more sophisticated content by regularly updating our dynamic content design guidelines.

 

AI Tools for Content Designers and UX Writers

UX writing is all about creating copy that assists the user in navigating an interface and accomplishing their tasks effortlessly. The copy should captivate the user and reflect the brand’s voice. What AI tools are there to help? Let’s now look at the top 6 AI tools for content design in 2023 and explore how they can benefit our content design practice.

 

  1. ChatGPT 
    1. Used for: Generating human-like text responses in conversations
    2. About: ChatGPT is an AI-powered tool that uses natural language processing to facilitate lifelike interactions with a chatbot. It can assist you with a range of tasks, like writing emails, essays, and code, and is ideal for roles such as customer support bots and personal assistants. Basic version GPT3.5 is free with a more advanced version 4.0 being available to paying customers. 
  2. Phrasee.
  1. Used for: Generating, optimising, and testing customer-facing copy at scale.
  2. About: Phrasee is a powerful content design tool that uses generative AI to produce brand-aligned content. It contains a built-in approval process that ensures that all copy is stakeholder-approved before it goes live. Phrasee optimizes copy through automated experimentation and testing to ensure the best messaging for every user touchpoint.
  1. Lokalise.
    1. Used for: Translating and localising website and app copy.
    2. About: Localisation is the process of adapting your content to a foreign audience so that it’s culturally on-point. That’s where Lokalise steps in. It is an excellent tool for ensuring that translation and localisation are built into the design process right from the start. It offers integrations with popular design tools like Sketch, Figma or Adobe XD, allowing you to preview translated content directly in your prototypes.
  2. Acrolinx.
    1. Used for: Content governance, maintaining consistency and quality of content across all touchpoints.
    2. About: Acrolinx is a comprehensive content management platform that ensures consistency in all your content. With it, you can improve your content and optimize it based on specific goals and metrics. You can evaluate your existing content, create content guidelines using data-driven insights, establish goals for different content types, maintain consistency and accuracy across all channels, and use detailed analytics to continuously measure and optimize your UX/UI content.
  3. Frontitude.
    1. Used for: Writing and improving product copy directly in Figma.
    2. About: Frontitude’s UX Writing Assistant is an AI-powered Figma plugin that provides product copy suggestions directly within your designs. The main benefit is that the tool also uses the immediate design context to come up with suitable suggestions, factoring in the size and space available within each design element to determine the copy length. It’s a great tool for speeding up the copy-creation process.
  4. Uizard’s text assistant.
    1. Used for: Generating copy and/or placeholder text for your UI mockups.
    2. About: Uizard is a widely-used design tool that allows you to quickly create wireframes and prototypes. What you may not know is that it also offers an AI-powered writing assistant. This assistant can help you add appropriate placeholder copy to your designs. You can directly incorporate the suggested text into your mockups or use it as a starting point to create your own.

Conclusion

That’s a wrap!

 

Remember that AI in content design is not your enemy. Rather, it is a powerful tool that can help you navigate the field more confidently and become even more successful and efficient at your job.

 

So explore various AI tools and look for ways you can incorporate them into your everyday workflow.

 

As you gain skills, you’ll be amazed at how much AI can enhance your creativity, streamline your workflows, and deliver exceptional results.

 

Don’t know where to start? Join our 8-week certification program AI Design Academy and master basic generative AI tools.

 

💡 This 8-week program will give you:

  • A solid foundation in prompt engineering
  • An extensive library of AI use cases for product design
  • Experience in no-code design
  • An original AI product piece for your portfolio
  • A certificate in AI design 

Did you like the article? Share this knowledge about AI in content design and its impact on the industry with your network.

 

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5 things conversation designers should be thinking about in 2024 https://uxwritinghub.com/5-things-conversation-designers-should-be-thinking-about/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-things-conversation-designers-should-be-thinking-about https://uxwritinghub.com/5-things-conversation-designers-should-be-thinking-about/#respond Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:56:35 +0000 https://uxwritinghub.com/?p=1194 If humans and AI will be living and working together, then they need to learn to communicate with each other. That's where conversation designers come in.

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If humans and AI will be living and working together, then they’ll need to learn to communicate with each other. That’s where conversation designers come in.

Conversation designers are copywriters that make chatbots and voice assistants more helpful, natural, and persuasive. They create trust between people and AI, and they ensure companies can truly unlock the potential of conversational AI.

Looking at current technological developments in the market today, it’s clear that conversation design is going to be an important job going forward. So let’s discuss some of the things you need to be thinking about before you get started.

Here are 5 points we’ll explore:

  1. Understand the balance between tech, psychology, and language
  2. Design a persona for trust
  3. Have a human-centric design process
  4. Use role-play and sample dialogue
  5. Keep it simple with edge cases

Let’s dive in!

1. Understand the balance between technology, psychology, and language

Here’s the thing, if we are going to have robots and humans communicate with each other, then two things stand out. The robot has an artificial brain and the human has a human brain.

These brains are completely different from one another. They both have their capabilities and limitations, and they both have different triggers that make them function properly.

The artificial brain needs structured data like intent, variables, and entities. The human brain needs empathy, guidance, and encouragement to function. Language is the thing that makes them both perform.

As conversation designers, we therefore need to understand technology, psychology, and language. Only then can we ensure that we leverage conversational AI and create better experiences for our users — and that is ultimately the goal.

2. Design a persona for trust

Communicating with something artificial is a weird experience if you think about it. If it’s not designed properly, it can get creepy very quickly. That obviously isn’t what we want.

A way to deal with this is to design a bot persona. This is the personality behind your conversational experience. It’s pretty much where the words of your chatbot or voice experience come from.

You want to develop a solid persona that allows for consistent vocabulary that resonates with your users and the journey they are on. The persona isn’t simply your brand, it’s a fictional character in relation to your brand and your user.

Designing a good persona allows for consistent language and that ensures likability, consistency, and trust. There is an entire design process in the Conversational Academy dedicated to this, so we won’t go in too deep in this blog post.

3. Have a human-centric design process

Human centricity is at the heart of a good conversational experience. Currently, most bots are developed by engineers and they don’t have the best track record when it comes to social skills.

The experiences they create often lack human centricity. There is little empathy which causes the user to feel lost and unimportant. It increases the odds of a user dropping out of the experience.

That’s why we want to focus on a human-centric design process. We want to figure out a user’s anxieties, motivations, and context. We want to really get to the bottom of this and use it to develop an experience where users feel understood. This builds trust and allows you to take more control of the experience.

The user will let you guide him when he feels understood. This allows for a higher completion rate and a better experience altogether.

The Robocopy Conversation Design Process offers a few simple canvasses that ensure human centricity is at the heart of the conversation. Go through the steps in a structured way, and your bot is destined to be natural and empathic.

4. Use role-play and sample dialogue

During the conversation design process, sample dialogue and role-play is the trick to making it natural. Once you have filled in the canvas from point 3, you should have a clear understanding of your user’s needs, and a good picture of your bot’s capabilities and limitations.

That means it’s time for some role-play. We are going to use improvisational theater to figure out what the most natural flow of the conversation is.

One person will play the user. And one person will play your chatbot or voice assistant. They sit back to back from each other and pretty much have the conversation. This allows them – with a couple of iterations – to get to the most natural conversation.

It’s important that they can’t see each other. This forces them to only use words to explain things. It gets rid of all the visual communication that people use when conversing.

5. Keep it simple with edge cases

It’s very tempting to want to have an answer for everything. However, this is only good for getting a headache. You want to make sure that you don’t waste too much time trying to solve situations that hardly ever occur. That’s why you want to focus on the happy flow.

The Pareto principle applies. Go 80/20 when designing conversations.

In terms of conversation design, it means that 80% of your users will go through 20% of the conversations. These people will have regular situations without too much complexity or exceptions. You want to make sure you give them your love and attention and don’t spend too much time on the edge cases.

Before you know it, you are going to be spending 80% of your time on 20% of your users in all those weird exceptions. You want to avoid that. In complex situations, it’s better to hand over to an agent or forward them to a website for more information.

For example, we can easily make a nice conversation for a couple putting in a reservation at a restaurant. But it quickly becomes challenging when the reservation is for 9 people, two of which have gluten allergies and 4 are in a wheelchair. Sure, we welcome them in our restaurant but we don’t have to design a conversation for this exception. It’s better to advise them to give us a call so that we can set up their perfect table and ensure they have a great dining experience.

Wrapping up

There are obviously many more things you need to learn before getting started with conversation design. These are just some fundamental concepts for you to think about before starting your next project.

If you want to learn more, you can always reach out to the Conversational Academy. Shoot us an email, enroll in a course, or join the community to discuss with like-minded people.

Happy designing!

Further reading

How creating chatbots can be a slam dunk

Woebot: Case Study in Conversation Design for Mental Health Products

What is Conversation Design?

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Top AI Tools in 2024 for UX designers and UX writers https://uxwritinghub.com/ai-tools-for-ux/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ai-tools-for-ux https://uxwritinghub.com/ai-tools-for-ux/#respond Sun, 07 Jan 2024 04:17:53 +0000 https://uxwritinghub.com/?p=39007 It’s been a fantastic year for the field of user experience (UX) design, with artificial intelligence (AI) becoming more integrated into our daily tools and workflows. With this influx of AI technologies, UX designers can leverage automation to improve their designs, increase efficiency, and generate novel ideas.    Let’s take a closer look at the […]

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It’s been a fantastic year for the field of user experience (UX) design, with artificial intelligence (AI) becoming more integrated into our daily tools and workflows. With this influx of AI technologies, UX designers can leverage automation to improve their designs, increase efficiency, and generate novel ideas. 

 

Let’s take a closer look at the top AI tools that have been making waves.

1. Frontitude: UX Writing Assistant for Figma

A key part of any UX design is its content. From call-to-action buttons to error messages, the words we choose can significantly impact the user experience. Frontitude has come up with an innovative solution: a UX writing assistant that plugs directly into Figma.

 

The AI-powered tool assists UX designers by offering in-context suggestions for user interface (UI) text elements. Its robust AI engine can help create more engaging, consistent, and impactful copy. What makes Frontitude unique is its ability to offer improvements without needing to switch between different tools, which also streamlines the team collaboration process. It’s an essential addition to your UX design toolkit.

 

Imagine you’re designing a new feature for an e-commerce platform on Figma. You’re crafting an interface that requires persuasive and consistent copy, but you’re unsure of the right words to use. With Frontitude, you can get real-time content suggestions directly in your Figma design. This AI-powered assistant helps generate UX copy that aligns with the design and user expectations, enhancing the overall user experience and making your design process smoother.

 

Frontitude pricing

Want to see what Frontitude can do? There is a free option that allows 2 editors, 3 projects, and up to 50 copy components that can be saved in the library, as well as the design tool integration. For paid accounts, choose between monthly or yearly costs. For Teams, you get 5 editors and 1,000 copy components for $69-86 per month. The Growth plan also includes 5 editors but 10,000 copy components for $149-$186 per month. 

 

Both Teams and Growth gives you 5 editors upfront but you can add unlimited editors at a cost of $16-$28 per editor per month. For the developer integration add-on, that is anywhere between $89 to $236 per month. For large organizations, Fortitude can create a custom package for all your needs.


2. Fireflies.ai: Intelligent Note-Taking for User Interviews

User interviews are a crucial part of the UX design process, but capturing and analyzing the multitude of information gathered during these sessions can be a daunting task. Enter Fireflies.ai, a note-taking AI that takes this task off your hands.

 

Fireflies.ai transcribes and captures notes during user interviews and design review meetings, ensuring that you never miss any key insights. The AI tool is particularly useful for remote meetings, allowing you to stay focused on the conversation rather than scrambling to jot down notes. Its capabilities extend beyond transcriptions – Fireflies.ai can analyze the notes and extract meaningful insights, speeding up the review process and making it more effective.

Let’s consider another scenario. You’re designing a new online course platform, and you’re conducting user interviews to understand the learners’ needs better. Fireflies.ai can transcribe the interviews in real time, ensuring no valuable insight gets missed. It helps you stay focused on the conversation while it takes care of capturing all the important points. When the interviews are finished, you can go to the transcripts and use the search feature to find key points of reference. The tool also can be set up to automatically pull out discussion points for easy usage.

 

Fireflies AI Pricing

You can get started on Fireflies.ai for free, which includes Limited transcription credits and 800 mins of storage. For paid accounts, choose between monthly or yearly costs. Pro offers unlimited transcription credits and 8,000 mins of storage/seat at a cost between $10-$18 per seat per month. Pro includes AI Super Summaries, downloadable transcripts and recordings, smart search filters, keywords and topic tracking, and more. If you need unlimited storage, try the Business plan, which also includes Video recording, conversation intelligence, and more. The Business plan costs between $19-$29 per seat per month. If you need something customized, contact Fireflies.ai for an Enterprise plan.

 

 

3. Prowriting: Write better ux copy in Figma

 

One of the most challenging aspects of UX writing is maintaining consistency and quality while working at a fast pace. Prowriting addresses this issue with its AI technology. This tool is designed to deliver world-class and consistent UX copies, all without leaving Figma.

Prowriting’s AI, created by leading scientists, is capable of understanding writing best practices. It can generate copies that are not only grammatically correct but also engaging and user-friendly. Additionally, Prowriting features a robust grammar correction tool, akin to Grammarly, which ensures your UX copy is free from grammatical errors, enhancing its readability and effectiveness.

The ability to quickly turn rough drafts into polished, grammatically correct UX copies makes Prowriting an essential tool for UX designers and writers. With Prowriting, you can focus on crafting compelling narratives while the tool takes care of the linguistic accuracy and consistency.

Prowriting Pricing

Prowriting offers various pricing plans suitable for different needs. As of now, their pricing is set at $10 per month per user. For more specific pricing details, please visit their pricing page

 


 

4. ChatGPT: Research and Content Drafting

ChatGPT has become a go-to resource for UX designers in many areas, from outlining research plans to drafting content for screens. Using natural language processing (NLP), ChatGPT can help you frame user interview questions or generate compelling copy for your UI design.

 

The tool allows designers to streamline their workflows by automating routine tasks, and can also help to spark creativity by providing new perspectives and ideas. ChatGPT’s versatility and power make it an invaluable asset for UX professionals.

 

Imagine you’re a UX designer working for a fitness app and are tasked to analyze your competitors. By using ChatGPT, you can generate a detailed plan for conducting this competitive analysis. It can help you structure your research, providing insights into the factors to consider, like features, user interface, customer reviews, pricing models, and more. ChatGPT can assist in generating a comprehensive approach to understanding your competition better. It also can help you do all of these tasks quicker than if you were doing it alone and pull from a variety of sources, some of which you might not have thought of or missed.

 

Chatgpt pricing

ChatGPT 3.0 is free to use for everyone, but has limited resources and usage. For more advanced tools, OpenAI offers a pay-per-usage model with tokens. In simple terms, 1 token is approximately 4 characters or 0.75 words in English text. OpenAI offers an interactive Tokenizer tool to understand the usage. 

 

Overall, pricing is per 1,000 tokens. For GPT-4, the 8K model charges $0.03/1K tokens for input and $0.06/1K tokens for output. For the 32K model, input costs $0.06/1K tokens and output costs $0.12/1K tokens. Check out the full pricing lists for Chat, InstructGPT, fine-tuning models, embedding models, and more.

 

OpenAI offers $5 in free credit that can be used during your first 3 months to get you started. If you still aren’t sure, a ChatGPT Plus subscription covers usage on chat.openai.com only and costs a set $20/month.

 

Worried about out-of-control spending? Set a usage hard limit to stop serving requests or a soft limit to warn you when you get close to your set amount.


5. Uizard: AI-Powered Mockup Generation

One of the more time-consuming aspects of UX design is the creation of initial mockups. Uizard aims to tackle this problem with its AI technology. This tool uses AI to generate mockups based on hand-drawn sketches or written descriptions, greatly speeding up the design process.

 

Uizard’s AI is capable of understanding design best practices and can generate layouts that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also user-friendly. The ability to swiftly turn ideas into tangible designs allows for rapid prototyping and iterative design, making Uizard a must-have tool for UX designers.

 

Let’s say you’re at a brainstorming session for a new food delivery app. Ideas are flowing freely, from text prompts to hand-drawn sketches to screenshots of other apps for inspiration. With Uizard, you can turn these ideas into concrete visual mockups. The tool allows you to generate designs from text descriptions, scan screenshots of other apps, and even offer a drag-and-drop feature for UI components. Uizard empowers everyone in the team to contribute to the design process, ensuring that no idea is left behind.

 

Uizard pricing

Experiment with Uizard for free, which allows for unlimited free viewers, 2 projects, and 10 free templates. For startups and growing businesses, the Pro plan offers unlimited screens and free viewers, 2 projects, and access to all templates for $12-$19 per creator per month, depending on if you pay monthly or yearly. If you need unlimited projects, the Business plan offers that, plus unlimited everything else and 24/7 support for $39 per creator per month (billed yearly). Have more specific needs? Contact Uizard for a customized Enterprise plan.


6. Midjourney: Visual Creation

Visual content plays a significant role in UX design. Midjourney is an AI tool that can help create stunning visuals to enhance your design. The tool uses AI algorithms to generate design prompts, helping to inspire creativity and keep your designs fresh and engaging.

 

Midjourney is especially useful when dealing with design blocks, offering new perspectives and ideas to push your creativity forward. The tool’s ability to create a wide range of visuals, from icons to full-page layouts

 

Consider that you’re working on a new blog for your company’s website, and you need unique icons, graphics, and stock images. With Midjourney, you can generate these visuals using AI. Moreover, if you’re new to the platform, you can take advantage of their free course to understand the tool’s capabilities better. Midjourney helps in creating visually engaging content to make your design stand out.

 

Midjourney Pricing

Midjourney has a few different plans that are either monthly payments or yearly for a discount. The Basic plan offers 3.3 hr/month of fast GPU time with a maximum of 3 jobs and 

10 jobs waiting in the queue. Cost for the Basic plan is between $8 to $10 per month. The Standard plan offers 15 hr/month of fast GPU time, unlimited relax GPU time, with a maximum of 3 jobs and 10 jobs waiting in the queue. Cost for the Standard plan is between $24 to $30 per month. The Pro plan offers 30 hr/month of fast GPU time, unlimited relax GPU time, and Stealth Mode with 12 fast jobs, 3 relaxed jobs, and 10 jobs in the queue. The price of the Pro plan is between $48 and $60 per month. Finally, the Mega plan offers 60 hr/month, unlimited relax GPU time, and Stealth Mode with 12 fast jobs, 3 relaxed jobs, and 10 jobs in the queue. The Mega plan costs between $96 and $120 per month.

Each subscription plan includes access to the Midjourney member gallery, the official Discord, general commercial usage terms, and more. Each subscription also can purchase additional GPU time at $4 per hour. Usage rights for all includes general commercial terms.

 

AI tools are ever expanding and offer so many options for UX writers and designers. Your toolbox will evolve as time goes on, and AI will be an integral part. We can help you keep up with all the changes and resources needed to create the best user experience for your customers.

 

That’s a wrap on our top AI tools for UX! Got another tool we should know about? Give us a shout! And hey, don’t miss out on our new free AI for UX course. It’s a game-changer. Dive in and start learning today!

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Top 26 books anyone in UX should read in 2024 (designers, writers, and researchers) https://uxwritinghub.com/top-ux-books/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-ux-books https://uxwritinghub.com/top-ux-books/#respond Fri, 05 Jan 2024 08:19:37 +0000 https://uxwritinghub.com/?p=1968 Understanding and implementing insights from the books on this list make us better professionals, plus it makes work more fun!

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Want to expand your knowledge of UX writing, content design, and research? We’ve got a complete list of books for you right here.

Shortcuts: Jump Straight To

The rise of UX

User experience design, research, and writing are all children of the digital revolution. Today there’s an app for everything, and there is massive, growing demand for people who can create great digital experiences.

UX researchers learn about people’s behavior and collect relevant data, UX writers and content designers use that data to create content for digital products and interfaces, and designers visualize the content and data in a user-friendly and intuitive way.

Why it’s worth reading about UX

Alongside the rise of UX, there has been a steady rise of books on the subject. In fact, there are so many that we’ll probably never get to the bottom of the pile.

I know; books can be overwhelming. Is there anything more stressful than a growing number of books waiting to be read? The thing is, we all know that books are good for us. They give us in-depth knowledge in a way articles never will and keep our minds active. And if you’re an aspiring UX writer, reading more will do wonders for your writing skills.

If you find it hard to get going with books, you’ll find some reading tips at the end of this article. But first, check out the recommendations from me and other members of the UX Writing Hub crew!


UX writing books | Books for UX writers

Strategic Writing for UX by Torrey Podmajersky

Strategic Writing for UX book

Torrey Podmajersky used to work on the copy of Xbox and now works at Google. In her latest book (released in July 2019), she shares the strategic wisdom she’s picked up during the years. 


Content design by Sarah Winters (was Richards)

content design book

Clear, concise, and useful from start to finish, with tons of insights for UX writers. Plus, it gets top marks for presenting everything in a way that makes it easy to digest. Written by Sarah Winters, who led the team that created the content style guide for the UK government. 

I had a chat with her about her process of finding her way as a content designer in the Writers in Tech podcast.


Microcopy: The Complete Guide by Kinneret Yifrah

Microcopy: The Complete Guid

This book is called “the bible of microcopy” for a reason. If you want to become a UX writer and plan to read just one single book, make it this one. As it includes lots of examples, it’s also great as a reference book when it comes to creating different microcopy scenarios.


The Business of UX Writing by Yael Ben-David

The cover of Yael Ben-David's book The Business of UX Writing

As UX writers, we learn to focus on user needs and pain points, and rightly so. But working only on user goals and forgetting about the business goals may affect business results. And without decent business results, the product could eventually go bust.

That’s why it’s better to aim for the sweet spot where user needs meet business goals. Yael Ben-David explains everything we need to know in her book The Business of UX Writing. Besides a complete framework, she gives us plenty of concrete examples of how UX writing is good for business. These examples will come in handy every time we need to show the value of UX writing and the effect it can have on ROI (return on investment).


Everybody Writes by Ann Handley

Everybody Writes

Every chapter of this book is a gem with insights from the traditional writing world. You’ll get lots of practical tips you can implement in any piece of content you create. My favorite takeaway is the section about working with great editors and how they can change your life. The same goes for great UX writers who edit the copy in your product interface!


Nicely Said by Nicole Fenton

Nicely Said book

Top writing tips with a strategic edge for all kinds of web editors. This is one of the first books I recall that talked about writing for the web and digital interfaces, a topic that had been overlooked for years. Beautiful illustrations throughout the book make it an easy read.


The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker

Cognitive psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker takes a science-based approach to writing and sheds new light on many old, outdated concepts. A must-read for anyone writing in the English language.


Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch

Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch

While language is always changing, the internet has accelerated the process like never before. From SMS and emails to blogs and social media, online communication tools have affected how we use language on every level.

Internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch explains how emojis, memes and different kinds of LOLS barged into our conversations, and why it’s a good thing.

If this sounds interesting, definitely check out the You Are Not So Smart podcast episode with Gretchen too.


Conversations with Things: UX Design for Chat and Voice by Diana Deibel and Rebecca Evanhoe

Conversations with Things: UX Design for Chat and Voice by Diana Deibel and Rebecca Evanhoe

Chatbots and voice user interfaces have made tremendous progress in the last few years. And still, many of them offer a mediocre user experience at best. Why? One reason is that constructing a human conversation with a machine is easier said than done.

Diana Deibel and Rebecca Evanhoe share invaluable insights for everyone interested in conversation design, with practical tips on how to improve the UX of voice UIs.


UX design books | Books for UX designers

Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler


If you’re after a design reference work, you can’t go wrong with this cross-disciplinary encyclopedia.


100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter) by Susan Weinschenk

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know

This classic from 2011 is still mega useful both for designers and for writers who want to develop their design thinking.


The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

the war of art book

If you’re guilty of procrastination, you’re not alone. This book will help you get over it.


Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug

Don't Make Me Think book

Another classic that’s still relevant for *everyone* who works with the web in any shape or form.


Solving Product Design Exercises: Questions & Answers by Artiom Dashinsky

The book Solving Product Design Exercises: Questions & Answers by Artiom Dashinsky

This little gem of a book helps you to get ready for your next design interview. It breaks down the process step by step and shows you exactly how to prepare for that dreaded interview exercise.

Next up on my UX design reading list is this one, released in November 2019:

User Friendly by Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant


UX research books | Books for researchers

Just enough research by Erika Hall

Just enough research book

Erika Hall’s book is the cornerstone not just for UX researchers, but for anyone in a product team (including stakeholders). People need to care more about data- and research-driven design, and this guide tells you exactly how to do it. I also had a fantastic conversation with Erika about how to plan your design research on the Writers in tech podcast.

More UX research books on my reading list:

Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights by Steve Portigal

The User’s Journey: Storymapping Products That People Love by Donna Lichaw


Other UX-related books | Books for all content and product people

Mismatch by Kat Holmes

Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design by Kat Holmes

Wish you were more aware of inclusive design? Mismatch is a great place to start. This book explains why we should stop thinking of accessibility as something to fix for the benefit of a minority. After all, disabilities affect everyone, sooner or later – whether it is for a short period or permanently.


Cross-cultural design by Senongo Akeem

The book Cross-cultural design by Senongo Akpem

Great read if you’re involved with multilingual or multicultural products. Get lots of insights on how to approach cultural differences and learn what questions you need to ask before launching language versions.


World Wide Waste by Gerry McGovern

World Wide Waste by Gerry McGovern

It’s easy to assume that digital communications and e-commerce are better for the environment than physical meetings and traditional trade.

As Gerry McGovern shows in his book World Wide Waste, we need to think again. Every time we publish something or interact online, servers around the world consume energy. Not to mention the fuel needed to store the messages in our full inboxes. This book is a great start for everyone who wants to become more aware of how our computers create pollution.


Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

Predictably Irrational book

I read this one when I was in high school (13 years ago!). Dan Ariely’s research on human behavior blew my mind, and it still does. Totally inspiring and way ahead of its time. If you know Dan, please tell him I would love to interview him for my Writers in Tech podcast 🙂 


Nudge by Richard H. Thaler

Nudge book

This gem explains how to encourage people to take action, whether you’re working on a new app or writing a note for the tip jar in a bar. It’s an inspiring book that will help you to understand what influences people to make a decision. 


Measure What Matters by John Doerr

Measure What Matters book

As a data-driven person, I design, write, and create only things that I can measure. 

This book helped me understand my OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and the actions I need to take to reach them. You’ll find out how companies like Google and Intuit measure their success and optimize their results in an ever-changing world. 


Everyday Information Architecture by Lisa Maria Martin

The book Everyday Information Architecture by Lisa Maria Martin

As a UX professional, you will come across information architecture sooner if not later. Brace yourself by reading this excellent book on how to organize content for digital interfaces.


Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown 

Essentialism book

In a world where digital products fight for our attention, focus has become an important commodity. In this book, you’ll learn how to cut through the clutter and decide what you need to focus on versus what is not that essential. 


Ruined by Design by Mike Monteiro

Ruined by design book

My top tip about ethical design, published in 2019. It’s a huge wake-up call for the design industry and how UX people can help design a world we all want to live in.

Check out my chat with Mike Monteiro on Writers in Tech, too!


Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

The first hard copy of a UX book I ever had is a bestselling game-changer about how to create addictive products without pushy content and expensive advertising.

How does that fit in with ethical design? Listen to my talk with Nir Eyal on the Writers in Tech podcast, where we talk about ethics and much more.


The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott

The book The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott
Why is there a book about marketing in an article about UX? The main reason is that it takes quite a different approach to marketing. Instead of traditional sales tactics, it tells us to start communicating with our customers and focus on how we can truly solve their problems. Content marketing the way it should be, in other words.

It can also come in handy for UX writers who find themselves battling with the marketing department, as it gives plenty of arguments for a user-focused approach in marketing too.


Reading tips to get going with books


That’s it for now! Overwhelmed? Here are a few tips on how to get going:

  • First of all, you may think that you don’t have time for books, but you do. Set aside a little bit of time to read: 30 minutes in the morning, for example. Or whenever works for you. Stick to it for a week and see how it goes!
  • Tackle one book at a time. Pick one that catches your attention and forget about all the others for a while.
  • Thanks to technology, there are numerous ways to read. It doesn’t have to be a regular hardcopy book – try a Kindle or other ebook reader, or listen to books on Audible. Go on, give it a go and see what you think 🙂
  • There are also lots of helpful reading apps. For example, if you use Kindle Cloud Reader and Google Chrome, you can install the speed-reading extension Kreeder.


Final thoughts

Understanding and implementing insights from the books on this list doesn’t just make work more fun, it has also made me a better professional in my day-to-day work. Make time for reading, and nail your next UX project or task!

Have you read a book that should be on this list? Shoot an email to yuval@uxwritinghub.com and let me know about it.

Become a UX writer pro

This article was co-written with Anja Wedberg

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Top 16 Content Style Guides 2024 (and How to Use Them) https://uxwritinghub.com/content-style-guides/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=content-style-guides https://uxwritinghub.com/content-style-guides/#comments Wed, 03 Jan 2024 20:43:00 +0000 https://uxwritinghub.com/?p=516 We've collected 16 excellent content style guides to inspire you on your journey towards a new style guide or voice and tone. Join the ride!

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As a digital product grows, so too will the number of content creators that contribute to it. A content style guide helps UX writers and content designers to keep the voice, tone, and messaging consistent across all platforms. Most guides include both general advice about language use and specific instructions that are company or product specific.

In the UX Writing Hub’s training program, we have a module dedicated solely to content style guides. After getting help from our amazing Facebook community members at Microcopy & UX Writing, we’ve collected the top 16 content style guides for you to use on your next content style guide creation journey.

Save it for a rainy day!

🧙‍♂️ Curious about UX writing? Try our free course A Taste of UX Writing

 

 


Intuit

When I first heard about Intuit’s style guide, or rather content design system, it completely blew my mind. Intuit is the fintech organization behind finance solutions like TurboTax, Quickbooks, and Mint. They decided to develop a whole system where everyone – content designers, copywriters, marketers, designers, developers – can find not just language advice, but also a library of content patterns that they can use in their work.

I was so curious about their work that I recently invited their Principal Content Designer Stephen Curran to the Writers in Tech podcast (for the second time!). Listen to the episode here to hear how they developed their content design system. We also created a whole blog article on the subject of content design systems. Check it out!

screenshot of Intuit's content design system start page


Mailchimp

The holy bible of content style guides. Honestly, people post about it on our Facebook group Microcopy & UX Writing at least once a month.


Monzo

The neobank Monzo has a very distinct, friendly voice and tone. Their style guide is available to the public and it’s an absolute delight to read. Check it out for a tip on how monkeys can help you spot passive sentences. 🐒 In 2020, I had the pleasure of chatting with their lead writer Harry Ashbridge on the Writers in Tech podcast.

screenshot of monzo bank's style guide


Microsoft

The Microsoft Writing Style Guide replaces the Microsoft Manual of Style, a respected source of editorial guidance for the tech community for more than 20 years.


Canada Post Corporation

Discover the writing principles for the ways that Canada post add value to their digital products with concise and meaningful language.


Google

Material Design is one of the most famous design systems out there. Explore their content section and learn how to write content like Google does.


Shopify

Shopify’s ambitious content design system Polaris will help you understand how to think strategically about the language in your products and apps.


Conscious

The Conscious style guide contains the latest observations, opinions, and style advice all in one place. It’s a top resource for everyone who wants to be more mindful about the language they use.


GO-JEK

The mission of the UX writers of Geo-Jek is to allow users to use their app effortlessly — without friction.


UK Government

The single government representative on our list. I am happy a governmental service realized that they too can actually lead when it comes to creating conversational interfaces.


BBC

Highly detailed content style guide created by the UX writers and content creators of the BBC.


Atlassian

The Atlassian writing style is an open source system of their core company values, company mission, design principles, and voice and tone.


Buffer

One method for creating a content style guide is to base it on another guide. In Buffer’s guide, they claim to follow Mailchimp’s style guide with some extra sauce made by Buffer.


Salesforce

To connect with their customers, Salesforce needs to talk in a way that resonates with them. They published their content style guide that shows how to do that.


University of Leeds 

This content style guide was created to help the people of Leeds University write more creatively and effectively in their day-to-day life at the University of Leeds.


Apple

The Apple Style Guide provides editorial guidelines for text in Apple instructional materials, technical documentation, reference information, training programs, and user interfaces. The intent of these guidelines is to help maintain a consistent voice in Apple materials.


Brand Voice and Tone in UX Writing

A key component of UX writing is the “Brand Voice and Tone”. These elements shape the user’s perception of a brand.

 

Brand Voice is the unique personality of your brand expressed through words. It’s a consistent style of communication that makes your brand identifiable. Your brand voice could be professional, friendly, humorous, or serious, depending on your brand’s identity.

 

Tone is a subset of your brand’s voice. It adds flavor to your voice based on the audience, situation, and message. For example, a friendly brand voice might adopt an enthusiastic tone in a welcome message and an empathetic tone in a support context.

 

Defining your brand’s voice and tone is crucial for a consistent user experience.

 

Here are a few steps:

  1. Identify Your Brand’s Personality: If your brand were a person, what personality traits would it have? What language would it use?
  2. Consider Your Audience: Who are you speaking to? What tone and language resonate with them?
  3. Create Voice and Tone Guidelines: Document your brand’s voice and tone to ensure consistency. Include examples for clarity.
  4. Train Your Team: Ensure everyone creating content for your brand understands and applies these guidelines.

 

 

As a UX writer, you may end up working in companies or on projects that take different approaches to their content style guide. If you join an organization that is already implementing a content style guide, great! Your job is to follow and optimize it continuously.

If you’re working as a consultant UX writer, or you are the first UX writer of your organization, you may need to build a brand new style guide from scratch.

Return to this list to find your inspiration and get that content style guide up and running!

 

Keep exploring

Everything you need to know about content design systems (and how they differ from content style guides) (article)

Building a content design system (podcast episode with Stephen Curran at Intuit)

Copy in the age of digital banking (podcast episode with Harry Ashbridge at Monzo bank)

Try our free course A Taste of UX Writing

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Top 7 free content design resources (2024 update) https://uxwritinghub.com/free-content-design-resources/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-content-design-resources https://uxwritinghub.com/free-content-design-resources/#respond Mon, 01 Jan 2024 16:08:13 +0000 https://uxwritinghub.com/?p=5311 There are hundreds of content design resources out there, some good, some great, and some we can’t live without.

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There are hundreds of content design resources out there, some good, some great, and some we can’t live without.

We’ve compiled our favourites so you can enjoy them and share them.


  1. A taste of UX Writing Course

We collected all of the knowledge we have about content design and UX and synthesized it into a short free course you can check out today.

Don’t miss it


  1. Content design london

Coined the term content design and focused on user-centric techniques to create user interfaces, written content, and publication strategies that work.

We had the chance to interview their founder for a quick podcast episode of writers in tech.

Listen to it here


  1. Frontitude

A fantastic tool that helps you to manage your product’s copy in one place. Frontitude is an innovative platform that provides a single source of collaboration for UX and product teams.


  1. WordTune

A Chrome extension that uses artificial intelligence to guide you to create and design your content. Using it you can say exactly what you mean through clear, compelling and authentic writing.

https://www.wordtune.com/


  1. Content style guides Collection

We compiled a list of all the open sourced content styleguides available.

You could use it in order to write, design and manage your voice and tone in the most effective and professional way.


  1. Content design and UX portfolios

Our team created a list of portfolios for you all so that you could get some inspiration from other people’s work and see what they’re all about.

https://uxdesign.cc/best-ux-writing-portfolios-2019-update-7e6a066631af


  1. Best Podcasts

UX Writing and Content Design are closely related disciplines. Listening to the UX writing podcasts will help you become a better content designer.

https://leonardoraymundo.medium.com/5-podcasts-every-ux-writer-must-listen-to-3e0758e20fbe

Do you know of any other content design resources we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments!

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UX Design Innovations with OpenAI GPTs https://uxwritinghub.com/ux-ai-design-gpts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ux-ai-design-gpts https://uxwritinghub.com/ux-ai-design-gpts/#respond Thu, 23 Nov 2023 16:42:00 +0000 https://uxwritinghub.com/design-innovations-with-openai-gpts/ This beta badass lets you create custom versions of ChatGPT that combine instructions, extra knowledge, and any combination of skills.

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It was 2008; T.I. was at the top of the charts, Netflix still delivered DVDs, and only a few of us had smartphones. With the introduction of Apple’s Siri a few years down the road, mainstream examples of “Artificial Intelligence” were scant, leaving modern depictions of the technology largely in the hands of Hollywood.

 

While friendly robots like C3P0 and R2D2 showed us how helpful and harmless AI could be, faceless machines like Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey assured us that AI was cold, calculated, and here to destroy us all.

 

But then Iron Man hit theaters. And with the help of Robert Downy Jr., some killer special effects, and a fictional AI character for the books, AI assistants suddenly became a lot less threatening and a lot more badass.

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man, designing a suit of flying armor with the help of his digital assistant JARVIS. A holographic image of a wireframe suit is beside Tony as he speaks to Jarvis through a ball of light.
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man, designing a suit of flying armor with the help of his AI assistant JARVIS.

 

Meet J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System), the brilliant AI sidekick of engineer genius and Iron Man-alter ego, Tony Stark. Modeled after Tony’s late butler, the dry-witted Jarvis handles Tony’s schedules and day-to-day tedium and serves as his chief collaborating engineer.

Jarvis syncs flawlessly with Tony’s mind to help build and refine his Iron Man suits until they’re world-saving-ready.

 

 

Custom GPTs: OpenAI’s modern-day Jarvis

 

With the release of Custom GPTs, ChatGPT now offers its paid subscribers something similar to the Tony Stark-Jarvis relationship, with the ability to design and strengthen their AI Design superpowers for all sorts of special-use cases.

 

Custom GPTs (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) are generative AI assistants that go beyond general instructions and focus on a few, in-depth areas of expertise. With custom GPTs, the “pre-training” is up to you. You give your GPT the knowledge it needs to carry out specialized tasks unique to your goals and needs.

 

Like Jarvis, ChatGPT is now a machine-building collaborator—an engineer’s best friend. It’s there to help you build a useful extension of yourself to share with the world—in as little as 30 seconds. In this blog post, I’ll cover everything about ChatGPT’s new feature: how to build one, practical use cases for product people, and more. But first, let’s talk about how we got here.

 

 

ChatGPT’s UX Evolution:

 

Consistency and relevance are key in AI interactions. Previously, with tools like ChatGPT, users faced challenges in personalizing responses and reusing prompts efficiently.

 

My ChatGPT pain points

As an entrepreneur and someone in UX, my work is highly interdisciplinary, spanning from writing —to design —to marketing, and more. So, I constantly needed to segment my prompts and instruction sets to fit different use cases.

 

With no easy way to accomplish that within Chat GPT,  I spent much of my time maintaining a list of carefully crafted prompts and instruction sets and manually copying them into ChatGPT each time I needed them.

 

Enter ‘Custom Instructions’

OpenAI introduced “Custom Instructions,” a feature that enhances how paid subscribers interact with the interface. With custom instructions, subscribers could

    • Inform ChatGPT about personal details for better responses.

      For example, I could send this message:

      “My name is Yuval, and I’m the CEO of UX Writing Hub. (2) You should refer to me by my first name.”

    • Specify how they want ChatGPT to respond.
      (The more context you can provide, the better your results will be)

 

Specifying Instructions for a blog post:

 

My first attempt:

“Create a blog post for the keyword ‘UX Writing and ChatGPT’”.

Broad Instructions = Broad Results:

Second attempt:

When prompting ChatGPT with the custom instructions above, the content became much stronger:

 

Check out the final result here.

 

 

New CMS Integration

 

In addition, Custom Instructions gave me a copy-and-paste version that could be pasted directly into my content management system. This was a huge help.

 

Still yet, I had no central storage for all my prompts. I was still having difficulty keeping all my different prompts in one place. I needed a better way to organize them.

 

UX Writing Hub’s Temporary Solution:

 

To address the issue, UX Writing Hub launched a public-access prompt library.

It gave UX practitioners a single source of truth for their different UX use cases.

 

 

But a few months later, OpenAI gave us the solution to end all solutions.

 

GPTs: Jarvis-level customization for ChatGPT

 

We used and they listened. This beta badass lets you create custom versions of ChatGPT that combine instructions, extra knowledge, and any combination of skills.

 

Like J.A.R.V.I.S., ChatGPT now helps subscribers create fine-tuned specialty assistants to meet their needs. Check out some of the GPTs already out there:

GPTs can also integrate various AI functionalities previously not offered by ChatGPT, such as web search, image creation, or data analysis.

The integration of DALL-E has already produced some seriously innovative results:

 

 

Using and building GPTs

This lesson will guide you through using pre-made GPTs as well as creating your own.

 

1.  Purchase an OpenAI Subscription

To build your own GPT, you’ll need an OpenAI paid subscription. Unfortunately, upgrades are paused for the moment, so those of you without a subscription will need to sign up for the waitlist.

 

2.  Explore pre-made GPTs

Go into your GPTs “Explore” menu and you’ll find tons of pre-made GPTs

.

This pre-made GPT named Serene helps product teams and recruiters create screening questions for job candidates

You might even come across one of my GPTs!

For example, Edit Whiz proofreads, spell checks, and offers new suggestions for every prompt I give:

It’s a huge time save for a non-native English-speaking UX writer like me. I hope others can benefit from the tool.

 

3.  Build a GPT from scratch

 

You can use other people’s GPTs or create your own from scratch. Here’s a short tutorial to help you get started.

 

Check out some steps I took to create my personal UX Writing assistant, Agent WordSmith.

 

Step 1

I went to “My GPTs” and clicked “Create a GPT”

Step 2

I prompted it on how I’d be using it (similar to Custom Instructions)

Here are the instructions I gave:

Step 3

In under 20 seconds, I had my own GPT! From here I could add to, reconfigure, share, and reuse it as much as I wanted.

 

Agent Wordsmith in action

I was able to feed my Wordsmith GPT this example pop-up image and give further instructions from there:

 

Try Agent Wordsmith out here

 

The GPT Community

GPT can’t help you build a world-saving suit of armor (yet!) but it can very well make you a hero in someone’s eyes!

It’s got something for everyone. This Cosmic Dream GPT for example, will paint your dreams:

 

“If you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it — Tony Stark

 

Custom GPTs offer a dynamic, user-centric approach to AI interaction, akin to having a digital assistant like Iron Man’s Jarvis. By following these steps, you can create a GPT that caters precisely to your personal or professional needs.

 

Remember, AI can’t replace you, but people who use AI to their advantage might! If you want to harness your content superpowers, get to know this Jarvis-like tool!

 

Edited by Blakeley Pritchard

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