UX Writing Clarity – Microcopy, Copy, and Content Design

UX is a relatively new professional field, and UX writing is relatively new within UX, especially perhaps in the UK. Here, the same role used to be more widely known as a content designer. A content designer can be expected to be a UX writer and vice versa. The role is developing and refining at the same time.

You may be confused as to what is the crux of the role of a UX writer – well hopefully I can offer some clarity here in this post.

Essentially, while you may well be involved in meetings and have various other responsibilities, your workload as UX writer will focus on and revolve around writing effective instructional microcopy for various components on websites/apps.

What Are Components?

They are essentially purposeful pieces of content each requiring instructions to enable users to act. You will be familiar with most if not all of them.

Example components: Call to action, error messages, confirmation messages, 404, contact form, sign up form, sign in form, placeholders, empty states, hints, tips, and buttons.

Writing instructional content to support the user experience of the components is the crux of UX writing. That writing is called microcopy – small pieces of instructional copy.

Writing for Components

The UX writer’s goal is for the instructions they provide to be as clear and easy to follow as possible for the user.

Once this has been achieved, then adding in unique brand voice/tone is part of the UX writer’s role – so long as the branding does not interfere with the clarity of the instruction. The user being able to easily do what the business most wants them to do is always the focus. Sometimes branding and voice may interfere – and then it must be sacrificed for the greater benefit.

To develop a voice and tone and branded style requires the UX writer to know the product and brand (mission/values/style guides) and target users very well. They also need to understand the different components well to ensure the branded writing doesn’t interfere with the clarity of the writing.

Testing Testing

The microcopy for the components should be tested alone, as part of the overall site, and compared against competitors in terms of usability and aesthetics etc. A business shouldn’t really launch a website/app until their UX writing consistently scores better than their main rivals. A/B testing against competitors is a great way of ensuring that the real boss (the users) rates your UX higher than your rivals. Keep testing and refining until the feedback is conclusively positive.

Copywriting/Content Design

While the crux of the role of a UX writer is to write clear instructional microcopy for various components, the UX writers’ role may also involve general copywriting and content design.

Copy is essentially all the written content on a website/app. Microcopy is a type of copy. Whereas with microcopy there is a ruthless focus on clarity of instruction – with the rest of the copy there is more scope for the writer to infuse the words with the brand – the voice and tone etc. The copywriter can be a bit more creative and colourful to enhance engagement and the enjoyment of the user.

However, the copy still needs to make sense. It needs to be the right size font, use the right colours, maybe fit within a word limit. As part of the general copywriting, a UX writer works closely with designers/UX designers/UX researchers to determine the rules/style guides for the UX writer to follow. The UX writer needs to make it clear to everyone else involved what is essential to include from an instructional/UX perspective – and what is maybe superfluous and can be stripped. The UX design may need to adapt to accommodate the UX words – so too may the overall visual web design.

The modern business reality is that the user is King and key and must be highly respected at all times – or face the consequences.

As a UX writer, you may well be expected/required to write copy as well as microcopy. This is my preference as I believe it is easier to achieve a definite brand voice when the copy/microcopy is written by the same UX writer. It may be that you start doing one and then progress to the other with experience. It is worth clarifying what your employer expects in this regard, especially if you have a definite preference either way.

Content strategy/design relates to how all the content on a website or app should be structured to facilitate the best user experience. Again, the content strategy/design must serve the user needs, must accommodate the instructional writing which guides the users. The writer should be involved at the very start so that the designer/strategist are fully informed regarding what their designs need to facilitate.

As a UX writer in this developing field, you may be expected to be involved to one degree or another in content strategy/design – usually in collaboration with UX researchers/designers, web developers, and product managers etc.

UX Writer Career Development

It may be that when you are first starting out as a UX writer that you just want to focus purely on writing instructional microcopy but may then ultimately want to expand to cover copy and content design as you gain experience. Or, you may already have experience across the board and want to be involved in all processes straight away.

When you see a UX writer vacancy – ensure you know the scope of the role and what will be expected of you. As covered, this is a developing field and recruiters (especially agencies etc.) don’t always have the clarity presented here.

Writing microcopy is quite different to writing copy and content design/strategy is quite different again.

Make sure you and your potential new employer are on the same page so that your move into UX writing gets off on the right foot.

Thanks for reading and please take a look at the rest of my posts for further UX focused content!

Steven Cook

www.contentdesignsolutions.co.uk