The UX writer’s self-checklist
Nobody else is going to check your work for you
You are probably the sole writer in the project team, and your employer has no resources to spare another you. This checklist makes no guarantee of professional success, but it may restore a modicum of sanity.
1. Have you triple-checked for spelling and grammar?
All you have to do is Google to get answers. There is no excuse for you. Even AI can write now, and it is not going to make such elementary mistakes. Also, future you will hate yourself if you do not.
2. Are you sure you cannot cut another word?
Nobody told you that in UX, writing, editing and self-editing are part of the same gig. The designer and product owner may have said yes to another line of text, but it’s up to you to say no. The ultimate brag is saying more with fewer words.
3. Do human beings really speak like that?
Read it aloud. If you sound like a salesperson or computer or boring fart, then at least you are self-aware now and can start to fix your draft. If you’ve been stuck at home interfacing with screens for too long, it’s also time to connect with another person face to face.
4. Would a person skipping sections still get it?
You wish they would read everything, from top to bottom. Make sure the content hierarchy is idiotproof so that no matter where the user lands at, they can still get their bearings and the key points.
5. What is your gut feeling screaming?
Have some nagging doubts about your copy? If even your biased and exhausted gut can pick up something, there will probably be one user out there who feels the same. That’s enough for you to rethink what you have written.
6. Why are you saying sorry again?
Is something terminally wrong with the product? If there are no strings you can pull to prevent this error for the user, a solution speaks louder than your apology. Tell the user what to do to proceed. Save the sorry for the exceptional times you really need it.
7. Are your words bringing out the design?
Your copy seemed great in your head when you imagined it, but within the pushed pixels and slick interactions, can you improve it? Can you show something rather than tell it? You almost always can.
8. Did you bleed this out for a deadline?
Unless you are the AI, that is a recipe for regret. Saving a fresh day and fresh eyes to check your work means you will not be making stupid typos. You are the only one who will pity you when it happens.
9. Is someone else’s copy superior to yours?
My condolences, but that’s the collaborative team spirit you signed up for that also allows you to offer your unsolicited opinions about the design. As you are on the side of the user, you are rooting for the best copy.
10. Have you stopped asking questions?
Or are you vomiting clichés without thought? Amid evolving digital standards, there are no safe assumptions. Be able to reason with yourself so you can defend your copy or at least sleep at night.
