🚀 Early ticket release! Plus some boring, strategic yet kick-ass stuff / UX Writing Summarized #8/2019

Hi there! 👋

1. Are you busy? You are? That’s exactly why I’ve turned 10 pages of great new stuff about writing for UX into 1 single page for you to digest. Short beats good! (< John Saito said that) 🍪
2. 🇸🇪Are you in Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö or Jönköping? Come and learn more about UX writing at my upcoming educational talks (in Swedish, in October). Tickets are released today! 🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻 Scroll down to get your spot. ⬇️
3. That’s it. Now, put everything else aside for a minute or two, and read this super-compressed newsletter right to the end. Enjoy! 🍹

Is UX writing boring? — Writing at Typeform — Medium — medium.com
UX writing is less like tackling a blank canvas, more like putting puzzle pieces together. So does it curtail creativity?

Here’s the thing:

UX writing is writing with restrictions. Does it make it boring? Yes — and no. Steve Howe, UX writer at Typeform in Barcelona, says you should aim for your words to be straightforward and clear. But know when to sprinkle on the fun flakes too. 🍭🍭🍭 Just like Slack does, when you’ve read all your messages:

The take-aways:

1. People using your product are commuters, not tourists; they want to get to their destination as soon as possible. They do not want to be entertained. Say “Exit” and “Doors open on the right” — skip the comedy act. 🚌🚏
2. Once your audience grows you must aim for clarity, since you start to reach people in other countries and languages. Your hilarious jokes are not always international. 🙈
3. Good UX makes life smoother for people. 🚪🚶Am I to push or pull this door? A handle says pull, a metal plate says push.

The quote:

“Good UX means raising a smile while keeping someone on track. And that means finding a spark of creativity within a set of restrictions.”

Designing with words — Domo UX — Medium — medium.com
Not just in books or newspapers or on the sign that directed you off the exit you took to work this morning, but in all the digital spaces we live our lives. They’re everywhere, and they’re…

Here’s the thing:

In interfaces, words guide us. A UX writer supports the experience through strategic language. But what to do when no-one in the team is a writer? Madison Stephens, UX Content Strategist at Toptal in New York, has put together a few universal mantras for designing with words. 🙏

The take-aways:

1. Speak “human” (after all, we are people designing for people). Cut out the tech jargon and use plain words instead. Does it sound like something you’d actually say? Great. 🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏻
2. Choose action words. Buttons should be verbs, and headers in modals should tell you what is about to happen next. Modal is the window that pops up in front of the main window saying “Are you sure you want to delete your account?” or simply “Log in”. 🤸🏊‍♀️🤹
3. Show the way. Avoid “can’t” and “don’t”. Tell people what they CAN do. That way, error messages always have a way out, and empty states feels less lonely (empty states are places in apps that have no content or data). Guide with a smile! 😃

The quote:

“If your words are translated, avoid slang and metaphors. Clever phrases rarely localize to other languages and cultures.”

What’s next for UX writers? — UX Collective — uxdesign.cc
Once upon a time UX writing didn’t have a name. Then it did. Everyone wanted to do it and a lot of people had the transferrable skills to get started. Others didn’t but went out to learn. The amount…

Here’s the thing:

Enough with the “What is UX writing?” and “Why UX writing is important”, begs Yael Ben-David. If instead, we grow in numbers and get organized, the UX writing community can take over the 🌏. Here’s what needs to happen:

The take-aways:

1. UX writers should be less self-conscious. The better way: Kick ass and show more than tell!
2. More of us! Build a team of UX writers at more companies. More UX writers means more value which means it’s right to hire more writers. 💰💰💰
3. UX writing teams would ideally consist of a Head of UX writing (mentor), senior UX writers (coordinator and owner of the tone of voice) and junior UX writers (microcopywriter, doing tactical work).

The quote:

“We are here. We are important. That’s been established. […] It’s time to grow up.”

🇸🇪 Early ticket release — get your spot!

⚡Are you eager to learn UX writing? Join me as I speak about how to pick the right words for apps, websites and assistants!

This fall, you’re invited to a short talk that will make you want to:

• know more,
• work smarter,
• and write better.

During October 2019, I will go on a tour of Sweden 🚗, visiting 4 major cities with a brand new, educational talk all about UX writing. Tickets are pre-released today! Make sure you get one. The talk will be 60–80 minutes and in Swedish.

The price is super low, because I want a lot of people to come. Hurry, before I change my mind … See you there! 👋

***

Here are the cities and dates (click for tickets and more details)

• Göteborg — Wednesday, October 2
• Malmö — Tuesday, October 8
• Jönköping — Thursday, October 24
• Stockholm — date and venue to be announced

There are a few early bird tickets for each city. Are you quick enough? 🐌💨

🔥Yes, I want a ticket now — for Göteborg, for Malmö, for Jönköping

Me and our kids Ilse and Elis outside the cathedral in Gothenburg. Photo: Louise Johansson.

This is me 🗣️

I’m Mattias, a UX writer and copywriter from Sweden. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn (I would really like that). Or send me an e-mail at mattias@pleasecopyme.se (I would really like that too).

Thank you for reading. It makes my heart go 💥.

🇸🇪 Speak Swedish? Congrats. Recently, I was interviewed about copywriting in a podcast called Digital marknadsföring (Digital Marketing). This episode has been (very) well received, and over 1,700 people have listened and learnt already.

🎧 I want to listen to the copywriting episode (60 minutes)

🇸🇪 Do you like this newsletter? Then you’ll most likely enjoy the free newsletter about copywriting (in Swedish). I send it out once a month, and more than 1,000 people have signed up with a smile. 😍

➡️ Give me that newsletter about copywriting

Next!

The next issue will be out on September 24, 2019. 🙄

Remember, you can always read past issues of UX Writing Summarized.