To write better UX copy, think like a journalist
You spend all day creating beautiful designs. Stuff that people love to look at. Then you have to actually put words in it.
Maybe you’re doing it last-minute – maybe you’ve been preparing for a while. Doesn’t matter. You’re still in the designer’s mindset. You’re thinking about what people do – not what they feel. Sure, your copy is…functional. But you’re playing it safe (or maybe not safe enough). You’re creating copy that’s just words and has no feeling, thought or spirit behind it. You need a better mindset. You need to think like a journalist.
This isn’t a normal talk about UX writing. You’ve heard all the typical advice before: be consistent, be brief, be simple.
That’s fine, but it tends to create copy that’s safe and clinical. Copy written by these guidelines tends to all sound the same and nothing really stands out. That’s because you’re thinking about copy like a designer, not a journalist. Don’t just make copy that works. Make it really sing.
Journalists investigate. Journalists research. Journalists get in the muck. They’re not afraid to piss the reader off, and they’re not ones to back down from a fight. This talk delves into what you need to learn, and what you need to do, to not only create copy that jumps off the page - but to take part in the journey that gets you there.
Don't just write copy that "works". Make it sing. Think like a journalist - come and learn how.