Being the first & sole UX writer
Being the first & sole UX writer
Expectations, challenges, processes, and pushing on regardless
Hey, everyone! Welcome to another brain-picking stack, a.k.a Interviews, where I pick a topic and a UX expert and pick their brain on it!
This time, it’s Supriya Kasar, Sr. Content Designer at Bros&Co. Her journey to UX writing started out as an HR person volunteering to write content and then finding it so joyful and rewarding that she never looked back. She has not only taught and established herself but also shares her learnings with budding writers via a YouTube channel and mentorships.
Today, we talk about the challenges of being hired as the first and sole UX writer in a team ramping up to be more UX mature.
For the uninitiated, UX Writing Bud translates UXW mumbo-jumbo to human so you can learn and kickstart your career with the least effort and monies. If that’s your jam…
Being the first UX Writer of the company can feel like a fun endeavour because nobody can tell you how to work or write because they are not specialised to do so. It’s like being the only athlete on the track. Melancholy, but no competitors, no rulebook, no records to break. You, only you, get to decide how it’s done.
The reality, though, is quite the opposite.
Teams, having written content for product interfaces, feel they know enough about UX writing with less than enough time to do it themselves. And so, they hired someone to do it dedicatedly and titled them UX writer or Content designer. Plus, a lot of mess to clean up and organise.
What this means is…
…challenges you were not prepared for.
Let’s hear all about it from Supriya Kasar and how to ace being your team's first and sole UX writer.
UXWB: UX writers are often hired and asked to clear the content debt in their 30-60-90 responsibility chart. It’s daunting!
You have to cram as much as possible about the organisation, product and team and deliver value right from the get-go. So, how should one approach clearing this content debt without compromising day-to-day work?
Supriya: Clearing content debt is crucial, but balancing daily work as a sole UX writer is also essential. Instead of asking for weeks to focus solely on clearing the debt, I suggest an agile approach. I would dedicate a few hours each day to clearing the debt, blocking my calendar during these hours to avoid interruptions.
I’d definitely avoid unnecessary meetings, ones where I’m not adding any value or those that are not adding value to my work, and save time for other important tasks.
UXWB: But how does one know which area to pick first?
Supriya: I’ll begin with a comprehensive audit of existing product flows, content, documents, etc. and identify the most critical areas that need immediate attention. Accordingly, I’ll create a roadmap that prioritizes the sequence in which content debt will be addressed.
Clearing content debt is an ongoing process. It’s wise to strike a balance between clearing existing issues and supporting ongoing projects.
UXWB: That’s great advice! In fact, I followed a similar approach in my first stint as a UX writer too.
That takes me back to the amount of feedback and pushback I received on my work. Almost unsurmountable! Thankfully, I had a robust UXR team to offer me user insights to support my content decisions.
Most teams don’t have that luxury. How should someone then back content decisions with stakeholders? How to handle varied opinions about content?
Supriya: I know everybody has an opinion on content because they think if they know words, they understand the content. That’s quite challenging for us most of the time. To create effective content, I research user needs and competitors, even if I have time constraints. This helps understand how others solve problems and convinces stakeholders to trust your work.
Accept them if their suggestions align with the content goal and convey the same message effectively. If not, advocate for users' needs and conduct guerrilla testing with colleagues from other teams for additional perspectives. Consider A/B testing if conflicts persist.
UXWB: If I may, I’d also ask the customer support team’s perspective. After all, they interact with users all day.
Moving on, I feel this ‘mistrust and pushback’ stems from not knowing how a UX writer arrives at the final content. The fact that PMs and designers were writing content eclipses the impact of a special person doing it. It’s not that special.
Supriya: I feel, firstly, it’s important that UX writers know what impact they are creating and the value they add. Because when we know our value, we can communicate it to others as well.
A UX writer should follow the correct writing process to add value to the user experience. Staying up-to-date with UX principles, processes, and trends is important. Having this knowledge can also help them gain respect and recognition.
When joining a new team, conducting an interactive workshop is important to create awareness about your role, its impact on the product and business, and the value your unique skillset adds to the team. This approach has worked well for me.
UXWB: 100% with you on that! As exhausting as it is, the responsibility does fall on our shoulders to make our contributions visible, at least for now.
Conveying our value is our challenge. But what about the challenges faced by the team when working with UX Writers?
Supriya: I think teams find it challenging to collaborate with UX writers. They don’t know when and how to collaborate! Stakeholders often comment on content even when it's not finalized. To address this, the early involvement of UX writers and sharing experiences rather than just designs for feedback is crucial.
UXWB:
Unnathi, another UX writer, also shares the same sentiment.
Does collaboration come easier when it’s between writers? How can they work independently yet maintain consistency in content style?
Supriya: Establish content patterns for different elements, such as success messages, failure states, etc. For example, I will establish a pattern for success messages like “XYZ added successfully!” Once this pattern is established, all writers can use it and tweak the content per the scenario.
Document these patterns for easy access. Designers can pull them from the document, enabling writers to focus on critical content pieces.
UXWB: Indeed! Creating a single source of truth is a foolproof way to ensure consistency.
This brings me to my next question…about your UX writing process. Could you walk me through it?
Supriya: Sure! My ideal UX writing process begins with a kick-off discussion.
Kick-off discussion with product managers, designers, and developers about requirements and clarifying doubts.
Research about the user and competitors.
Discussions with the designers to share findings and decide on a couple of possible solutions.
Post-kickoff discussion with the larger team to align on one solution.
Design the flow as per the user journey with designers.
Create wireframes and initial content to check on the experience.
Design Review: Share the content and wireframes with the larger team and leads to get everyone’s perspective.
Iterate based on the feedback.
Prototyping: Designers create prototypes, and we writers design tasks for the users.
User testing to observe users’ perceptions, expectations and pain points.
Re-iterate based on user feedback.
Deliver the finalised experiences to developers for deployment.
Walkthrough: The development team walks the entire team through the developed experience.
This is my ideal process, and I ensure all stakeholders follow it. Some steps may be skipped depending on the company's requirements, such as user testing if voluntary users are unavailable.
UXWB: That is quite comprehensive! I love how UX writers are working in tandem with the rest of the team.
However, there are many times when things feel a little gloomy, especially when people don’t acknowledge your contributions. But we keep going on. What’s the best thing about UX writing, that one thing that keeps you going?
Supriya: As a UX writer, I have the opportunity to directly impact how users experience a product or service by collaborating with designers, product managers, and developers. Through carefully chosen words, I can tell stories, create personas, and connect with users emotionally.
It's an incredibly fulfilling profession that allows for continuous learning and growth!
Go on. Block your calendar and clear that content debt.
Go on. Block your team’s calendar and tell your mates the many skills you have, the many ways you can make their day easier and the many ways they can help you. Remember, they’re ‘experiencing’ you. Study them like you’d your users!
Go on. And keep going on. Being the first and sole UX writer is a huge responsibility with massive challenges. But, I promise you, you’ll come out smarter, more resilient, more tactful, more empathetic, and more prepared.
It’s an adventure worth pursuing!
See you next week,
Mansi
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