1st Edition
UX Writing Designing User-Centered Content
This flexible textbook provides an integrated approach to user experience (UX) writing and equips students and practitioners with the essential principles and methods to succeed in writing for UX.
The fundamental goal of UX writing is to produce usable and attractive content that boosts user engagement and business growth. This book teaches writers how to create content that helps users perform desired tasks while serving business needs. It is informed by user-centered design, content strategy, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital marketing communication methodologies, along with UX-related practices. By combining writing-as-design and design-as-writing, the book offers a new perspective for technical communication education where UX design and writing are merged to achieve effective and desirable outcomes.
Outlining the key principles and theories for writing user-centered content design, this core textbook is fundamental reading for students and early career practitioners in UX, technical communication, digital marketing, and other areas of professional writing.
Part 1: Perspectives
1. Introduction to UX Writing
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
A Brave New World
UX: The Design of Experience
The Rise of UX Writing
Writing at Multiple Intersections
UX Writing Goals
UX Writing Technologies: AI, Data Analytics, Oh My!
UX Writing Career Facts
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity 1
Learning Activity 2
2. The UX Writing Process
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
Content as a Product and a Process
The UX Writing Taxonomy: Three Continuums
Content Lifecycle
Major Theories that Inform UX (and) Writing
From Design Science to Design Thinking
Phase 1: Empathizing with Users and Understanding Their Needs
Phase 2: Defining Problems and Opportunities
Phase 3: Ideating Content Solutions
Phase 4: Prototyping Content
Phase 5: Testing and Validating Solutions
Tracking and Measuring Content Performance
Managing the Iterative Workflow and Continuous Improvement
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
3. Building a UX Writer Outlook
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
Traits: Your Tools of the Trade
Listening Empathetically
Having a Strong Cultural Awareness
Being Digitally Savvy
Knowing When to Break the Rules
Advocating for Ethical Practices
Practicing Agile Collaboration
Seeing the Trees as Well as the Forest
Mentoring Others
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
Part 2: Processes
4. Empathizing with and Assessing User Needs
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
Starting with Empathy
What is Goal Setting with a Client?
What is Contextual Inquiry and Task Analysis?
What are User Stories?
User Story Templates
The 3C’s of User Stories: Card, Conversation, Confirmation
Card
Conversation
Confirmation
What are Task-Based Usability Tests (a.k.a. “Protocol Analyses”)?
Types of Think-Aloud Protocols
Parts of Think-Aloud Protocol Studies
Informed Consent
Pre-Study Questions and Interviews
Think-Aloud Protocol
Post-Study Questions and Interviews
Reporting Findings from a Think-Aloud Study
How Does Eye-Tracking Work?
Gaze Plots (Depth of Processing)
Heat Maps
Areas of Interest
What are SWOT Analyses?
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
5. Defining Problems and Opportunities
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
Defining the Challenge
What are Personas?
How Do You Use Personas Correctly?
How Do You Create a Persona?
What are Journey Maps?
What are Key Elements in a Journey Map?
How Do You Create a Journey Map?
Closing the Loop on the Journey Map (for Our Client)
What are Content Audits?
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
6. Ideating and Prototyping Content
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
What to Do with Defined Problems?
Ideation: A Divergent Brainstorming Process
What is Card Sorting?
What is Affinity Diagramming?
What is Participatory Design?
What are the 6:1 and Four-Category Methods?
Selecting a Solution
Prototyping: Materializing Ideas
What is Low-Fidelity Prototyping?
What is High-Fidelity Prototyping?
Preparing to Test
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
7. Testing, Managing, and Deploying Content
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
Testing and Validating Content
What is Usability Testing of Prototypes?
Limitations of Usability Testing
What is A/B Testing?
What is Heuristic Evaluation?
What is Validation?
What’s Next? Strategies for Managing Content
What is Structured Authoring?
What are Content Management Systems?
Deploying Omnichannel Content
To Push or to Pull, that is the Question
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
8. Tracking and Measuring Success
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
Attract, Engage, and Sustain Your Users: Creating a Content Framework
Tracking Your Users Online to Understand Their Attitudes and Behaviors
Data Analytics Help You Understand Users in Their Journey
How to Analyze User’s Interactions Before, During, and After Content Deployment?
Understanding Audiences and Their Behaviors through Web Analytics
Building Content that Attracts, Engages, and Sustains Your Users
Using Key-Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Measure Content Performance
How Can You Use Metrics and KPIs in UX Writing?
Adopting KPIs to Frame Your Content for Actionable Insights
A UX Metric Framework: The 3x3 Method
Validating Your Successful Metrics
What is Benchmarking and How to Validate Measurements?
Sustaining User Engagement through On-Going Measurements
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
Part 3: Practices
9. Popular UX Writing Genres and Tasks
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
UX Writing Products
Microcopy and Microcontent
Onboarding Experiences
Help Guides and Contextual Tool Tips
Error Messages
Forms and Labels
Legal Notices
Settings and Specs
Designing Content with Style and Tone Guides
Designing Non-Textual User Interfaces: Video and Voice
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
10. The UX Writing Portfolio
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
Why Do You Need a Portfolio?
Where Should You Begin?
What Does a UX Writing Portfolio Look Like?
Component 1: About Yourself and You Goals
Component 2: Your Problem-Solving Process
Component 3: Your Project Samples and Results
Portfolio Review
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
11. Using Generative AI and Automating Your Content
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
What is Artificial Intelligence, Again?
The Limitations of AI and the Importance of Human-in-the-Loop Approaches for UX Writing
Using Generative AI: A Demo
How Generative AI Actually Function
Automating Your UX Writing Content: Different Tools
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
12. AI Recipes for UX Writing
Chapter Overview
Learning Objectives
AI Characteristics that are Important to UX Writers
How to Cook Up Good AI Prompts: Using the 6W and 1H Method to Frame AI Prompts
Specific Prompt Commands for AI
Idea Generation, Regeneration, Suggestions, and UX Techniques
Empathize Using AI: Conducting Preliminary User Research
Define Using AI: Competitors, Common Pain Points, and Design Brief
Ideate Using AI: Page Layout, User Interface, and Wireframe
Prototype Using AI: User Flows, Design Systems, Copy
Test Using AI: Usability Tests, Interviews
Other General Tips
Create Images and User Interfaces Using AI Prompts
Conclusion
Chapter Checklist
Discussion Questions
Learning Activity
Glossary of Key Terms
Biography
Jason C. K. Tham is an Associate Professor of Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University, USA.
Tharon Howard is a Professor of English at Clemson University, USA.
Gustav Verhulsdonck is an Associate Professor of Business Information Systems at Central Michigan University, USA.
“If you have a background in writing, this is the book you need to add the UX theory and techniques, as well as the specific types of writing UX writers do. You’ll enjoy the many examples, snapshots of UX writers on the job, and the practical exercises.”
Janice (Ginny) Redish, author of Letting Go of the Words — Writing Web Content that Works.
“This book is a must read. The authors articulate through robust professional spotlights, examples, and research the underlying principles and essential phases of the content design process and offer readers actionable guidance for engaging in UX writing work and for building a UX writing portfolio.”
Rebekka Andersen, University of California Davis, USA.
“This book is a necessary part of the future of the field. It is complete and comprehensive without being overwhelming. Each chapter is a sensible approach to learning. The organization of each chapter is presented in this way by design, perhaps, as its own lesson in UX writing.”
Tracy Bridgeford, University of Nebraska Omaha, USA.
