The UX Writer's Ultimate Starter Pack
If you've made the decision to start a career as UX Writer, this resource bundle is for you. It is designed to help you get moving and navigate the stormy UX waters. As a mentor and instructor at UX Writing Hub, I have already helped dozens of motivated students pivot into the world of UX Writing. Over and over again, I found myself recommending the same resources. Now I'm sharing them with you. These resources will boost your confidence, equip you with practical tools for everyday work, and help you propel your career forward.
AI Tools
As a UX Writer, you're not expected to write all the words by yourself. In fact, if you learn to leverage the power of AI tools, you can get done more, faster, and deliver higher quality. Here are a few AI tools you may want to try out.
- Wordtune. Wordtune is my favourite paraphrasing tool. It provides variants of a given sentence, alternating tone from casual to formal, as well as the length of the sentences. It works best as a Google Chrome extension. A must-have for all UX writers.
2. Hemingway Editor. This web editor is great when you're working on long-form texts. It provides you with guidance when striking the right tone and melody for your texts.
3. Ludwig guru. Ludwig is a writing assistant that gives you contextualized examples of texts taken from reliable sources. It is an excellent tool if you're translating copy or if you want to compare how words are used in various contexts.
4. Notion AI. If you're using Notion for your personal and business purposes, you might want to consider upgrading to Notion AI. Priced at only 10 dollars a month, you get a GPT-3 powered artificial intelligence in the workspace you already know. Find out about some prompts that you can use as a UX Writer in the article I wrote here.
Podcast Episodes
Podcasts are a wonderful way of learning about other experienced writers' processes, thoughts and opinions. Creating a habit of listening to at least one podcast episode a week will, over time, build your confidence and open your mind to tools, strategies and processes that will propel your growth as a UX writer. Here are a few podcast episodes that can be especially helpful at the beginning of your journey. For simplicity, all links are to Spotify but you can find all episodes on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
- What Makes a “Good” UX Professional? This excellent podcast episode by Norman Nielsen Group explains what qualities will come in handy in working in the UX… in any capacity. Great to start yourself off!
2. Designing your career as a UX Writer. As you start on your journey, you want to know where you're going. This conversation with Sarah Doody will give you an overview of various ways in which you can develop your career. You don't just want a job, you want to design your career in a way that aligns with your goals.
3. Your first 90 days as a UX Writer. This wonderful episode of Content Rookie will fill you in on what you should do in your first 90 days on a new UX writing job. Namely: things to look out for and relationships to establish.
4. UX Mentorship. One of the best things you can do is find yourself a mentor. Perhaps you're looking for one on ADP.list or you were provided with one on your bootcamp. How can you know if you have a good mentor? This episode explains what good mentors do, what they don't do, and how they profoundly impact the careers of their mentees.
5. Negotiating salary. How much should you ask for? That's a tough question but there are strategies and resources that can help you. This episode answers them all!
Podcast Shows
It can be a little bit overwhelming to stay up to speed with all the podcast shows on in the field. Here's my advice: start small. Create a habit of listening to at least one episode a week. Here are a few shows that are worth your time.
- Writers in Tech. This podcast brought to you by UX Writing Hub presents a rich variety of UX professionals (not just UX writers). Episodes are usually up to 30 minutes.
2. The Content Rookie. The host of this podcast, Nicole Michaelis, has a wealth of experience in content strategy, UX writing, and copywriting. Each episode addresses a relevant topic and the show is ideal if you're new to the field.
3. The Content Strategy Podcast. This podcast by Kristina Halvorson interviews many experienced content strategists, especially from the Western hemisphere. In her interviews, she focuses primarily on the strategy aspect of content work. Episodes are between 30–45 minutes long.
4. The NN/g UX Podcast. NN/g group is a podcast on user experience research, design, strategy, and related professions. It is excellent especially if you want to broaden your perspectives beyond UX writing.
Articles
By this time you've probably explored Medium. It is a wonderful resource where you can stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in the UX writing field. Here are a few articles that can help you get started.
- UX fundamentals for newbies. This Article by H Locke provides a roadmap of what you could learn in the first year of your UX career.
2. Explaining UX writing at parties. This hilarious article will give you a few ideas of how you can explain what you do to people outside the tech bubble.
3. How we approach texts in the digital context. This wonderful article explains t hefundamental science behind how we read texts on screen vs on paper, and what it means for UX writers.
Accounts to Follow on Medium
To stay up to speed with the freshest content, you may want to consider subscribing to a few high-quality accounts on Medium. Broaden your horizons by reading about various aspects of the UX world. These accounts will help.
- Prototypr. A community discussing prototyping, UX design, front-end development and much more.
2. The Writing Cooperative. This is Medium's largest collection of advice, support, and encouragement for writers. It will help you become the best writer possible.
3. UX Content Collective. UX Content Collective is an online community offering courses in UX writing and other related disciplines. Their Medium channel is a wonderful place to find ideas on all things UX writing.
4. UX Planet. This is a one-stop resource for everything related to user experience. Great for broadening perspectives.
Books
There is a vast amount of books on UX Writing. Where should you start? I'll share with you my two personal favourites and one exhaustive list.
- User Friendly. This book offers a brief history of user experience going from World War I all the way to the present. It's a page-turner and a real delight.
2. The Sense of Style. Steven Pinker is a world-class linguist and psychologist. His book is a wonderful guide to writing in (and for) the 21st century.
3. 26 more book recommendations. Hungry for more books? This curated list gives you more suggestions for books you want to keep an eye on the next time you visit a bookstore.
Online Communities
Sharing is caring. There are online communities out there where you can ask for career advice, share practical resources, and even look for jobs. Here are a few of them:
- Microcopy & UX Writing. This is the official Facebook group of UX Writing Hub. It’s a great source of UX writing inspiration, a place to ask for advice, share what you know and much more. Even if it should be the only reason for you to keep Facebook, it's worth it.
2. Content + UX Slack. This approval-only Slack channel is a real gem. You'll find there many channels dedicated, among other things, to accessibility, portfolio advice, freelance work, and much more.
Copy Inspiration
Every now and then you will want to do some industry benchmarking. How have other companies approached a problem similar to yours? Googling up visual elements can be arduous and challenging. That's why there are visual libraries with good examples of microcopy that can spark your inspiration.
- Screenlane. This is a vast visual library providing references for different UI elements.
2. Mobbin. Similar to Screenlane, provides a high number of references.
These resources help me in my day-to-day work as a Content Designer. If you have any questions about any of the resources or you’d like to discuss them, shoot me a message on Linkedin. I'll be happy to help.
🙋 I’m Boris.
✍️ A down-to-earth UX poet who uses content to build relationships and create value.
👨🏫 I’m also a senior mentor at UX Writing Hub where I help passionate individuals break into the field of UX.
🤔 Do you want to be mentored by me? Click on the links below and become a certified UX Writer with my help in less than 6 months!
👉 UX Writing Academy: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/a/2147484805/G4ZsLP9L
👉 Flex course: https://course.uxwritinghub.com/a/2147530264/G4ZsLP9L
