The way in which businesses and creators communicate online is critical for marketing, advertising and consumer connections. From main copy to CTA’s, a customer’s buyer journey should be smooth sailing with simple navigation from start to finish.
UX writing is defined as writing advanced copy that offers the best possible user experience at each stage of their journey. As well as imagery, usability and design, language use throughout any online resource is up there with one of the most important elements of any website.
This guide will cover everything from what UX writing is and its primary purpose to some of the best practices used to create successful written content.
What is UX writing?
User experience writing is the process of choosing the best and most appropriate words for a digital product. UX writers will create copy that can assist in the navigation of a website, app or piece of software to ensure the customer journey is simple and successful. Digital products might include features such as buttons, menu items, notifications and any other form of microscopy.
The difference between UX writing and copywriting
Marketers and readers can often get confused when it comes to UX writing and copywriting. UX content is centred around bringing digital experiences or products to life whilst still making them easily accessible. Requiring cohesive collaboration, UX writing involves a seamless eco-system that combines both traditional copy and content design. Copywriting on the other hand typically refers to any main body of text used for promotional materials.
Read more on successful copywriting here.
Why UX writing is important
If you choose the wrong choice of words, this can often cause confusion or disengagement from the customer. When it comes to UX writing, this copy is crucial as the words written are key for the customer to be aware of context, understand the information and details provided and have the confidence to know what the next steps are to get what they want.
Best practices for UX writing
Now you know the fundamentals of UX writing, let’s take a look at some of the essential best practices that come together to offer consistent success and a successful customer journey from the initial search to the final action.
Creating scannable and readable content
Previous research has discovered that when it comes to content, many people interact with pages through scanning, not necessarily reading. This means that making your content easily scannable is key to getting the valuable points across and not losing engagement. Features such as line height, spacing, typography, headings, bullet points and layout all contribute to a sleek reading experience so that the customer can scan easily.
Remove unreadable content
Some browsers, especially on mobile devices can struggle with large images which ultimately can affect page speed and bounce rate. Many content creators also opt for communication features such as icons, emojis and infographics to limit the heavy load of imagery and reduce the risk of a slow or unresponsive page.
Collaborate with designers
Collaboration in any industry is important but within the creative industry, collaborative work is a necessity. UX writers must work with designers to ensure that all visual elements of a page are effective, easy to read and practical. Whilst the writer will be producing the copy, designers will need to work closely with them to produce elements such as buttons, page layout, forms, blocks and interactive content.
Be creative
On a single page, there might be 5 buttons, each of which is labelled ‘read more’, however, this isn’t engaging and can often deter a reader. By adding a diverse range of language, you are not only making actions clear to the customer but also making the page seem generally more interesting. In addition to being descriptive, SEO must also be kept in mind and used throughout instructional buttons and anchor texts. For example, if you’re a clothing brand, instead of putting ‘shop here’ you could replace that with ‘view our summer collection’.
Improve forms
Online forms serve many benefits to UX features as these are often the final point of a customer experience and can include contact details, services or booking systems. Ensuring that these forms are well-designed, clear and easy to navigate is key to getting any customer to their final steps.
UX Design by Imaginaire
Specialising in search marketing, Imaginaire believes in helping companies like yours to get in front of customers when they have a strong level of intent to buy something. Our team of UX designers work primarily in Figma, allowing us to create details designs for key areas of your website, or even to help with a complete website redesign.
Our dedicated team of UX design professionals takes the time to understand your audience and their behaviours. This understanding forms the foundation of our designs, ensuring a user-focused approach that simplifies navigation and streamlines the buying process.
So if you need any help with new and improved UX design or anything else, our team are here to help.
To chat with us further please drop us a message or give us a call on 0115 971 8908.