Clarity in UX Writing

Stop explaining your UX work like you’re writing a textbook. Too many juniors fall into the “jargon trap” ❌ “I conducted heuristic evaluations to identify usability violations in the IA…” Nobody outside design knows what that means. Here’s the fix. Make your work sound clear, not complicated. Example: ✅ “I noticed users had trouble finding key pages, so I reorganized the menu to make the most important items easier to spot.” See the difference? Next time you explain your work (in an interview, portfolio, or even networking): 1️⃣ Say what you did in plain English, no buzzwords 2️⃣ Connect it to the user’s experience, what problem were you solving? 3️⃣ Tie it back to impact, why did it matter? Quick exercise: Take one section of your portfolio and rewrite it like you’re explaining it to a non-designer friend.  If they get it instantly, you nailed it. Clear > Clever. Every. Time.

✍️ Golden Rules For UX Writing. With practical guidelines on how to avoid confusion and help people understand better ↓ ✅ Always write with respect, for people as smart as you. ✅ Write mobile-first: short, plain language, bite-sized chunks. ✅ Decide what to say, then find the shortest way to say it. 🚫 Avoid long buttons: use 2–4 words, max. 25 characters. 🚫 Avoid long links: at least 8 chars, max. 8 words (55 chars). ✅ Use sentence case by default, Title Case only for headings. ✅ Use progress anchors for long forms: “Next: Payment details”. 🚫 Don’t use placeholders as replacement for labels or hints. 🚫 Don’t hide critical details or guidelines behind a tooltip. 🚫 Don’t hide frequently used filters/nav behind a button. ✅ Front-load keywords in headings and text summary. ✅ Make people hunt for destructive buttons to avoid mistakes. ✅ Leave room for translation. Expect your text to grow by 40%. 🚫 Avoid more than 20 words/sentence, 50 words/paragraph. 🚫 Never mix 2+ type treatments (color, bold, indents, italic). Good writing is an incredible opportunity. Not only to help people get work done faster and with confidence, but also to build a strong and lasting relationships. To be charming when users get started. To help without a fuss when things go wrong. To show respect and sincerity, but also understanding and care when it’s needed. One little technique that has helped me is to imagine a real person speaking to the customer before I choose words to communicate something to them. I think about how they speak — from voice and tone to speed and intonation. How casual or formal they are dressed. What their personality is. And, most importantly, what traits, values, beliefs and principles they uphold. A product then needs to match that personality, and adapt tone based on user’s context. Once we have it, we write down all the questions users might have. We re-arrange them in order of importance and severity. We decide what to say, and find the shortest way to say it. And then we test, by reading out a piece of content loud. And if it doesn’t sound right, it doesn’t read right either. ✤ Content Design in Design Systems Atlassian: https://lnkd.in/eGpzQqm4 Amplitude: https://lnkd.in/eaB85T7n 👍 DHL: https://lnkd.in/eF494fkT 👍 Duolingo: https://lnkd.in/egCSX9At Girlguiding: https://lnkd.in/eZ8zMyC3 👍 Gov.uk: https://lnkd.in/ekRadXad Intuit: https://lnkd.in/eGyBUrZ2 👍 JSTOR: https://lnkd.in/eAnyrtcu 👍 MetLife: https://lnkd.in/evVE8sqf Progressive’s: https://lnkd.in/evx_8bzY 👍 Shopify: https://lnkd.in/eAKgEHNW Skrill: https://lnkd.in/e2HGTq4q 👍 Zendesk: https://lnkd.in/euxijT5m 👍 Wise: https://lnkd.in/eWk-Mvf9 ✤ Books – Strategic Writing for UX, by Torrey Podmajersky – Content Design, by Sarah Winters – Nicely Said, by Nicole Fenton, Kate Kiefer Lee – Everybody Writes, by Ann Handley – Conversational Design by Erika Hall – Writing Is Designing, by Michael Metts, Andy Welfle ✏️ [continues in the comments ↓ ] #ux #writing

When you don't focus on clarity... You will never engage users effectively. We all do it sometimes. We focus on: - Lengthy explanations - Complex jargon - Unclear messages But spending too much time on fluff, Holds users back from understanding. This is where UX copywriting strategies come in: 1. Clarity ↳ Use simple, direct language. ↳ Make sure your message is easy to grasp. 2. Brevity ↳ Keep it short and to the point. ↳ Avoid unnecessary words and details. 3. User-Centered Design ↳ Understand user needs and behaviors. ↳ Write copy that guides users smoothly. Less is more in UX copy... Every word should serve a purpose; Every sentence should enhance the experience. Use active voice and present tense. Test your copy and refine it. Maximize impact with thoughtful UX copywriting.

Clarity trumps persuasion. Every. Single. Time. Our industry has a problem. We’re so focused on sounding “smart” with jargon and buzzwords that we often lose the people we’re trying to reach. Emma Stratton joined Mark and I on an episode of GTM News Desk and it launched today! Recent studies show: → Simple, conversational language cuts through the noise. → Clarity is especially critical in tech, where products are already complex. → Fancy messaging often fails, as proven in 2009. Clarity beats fancy messaging: • Landing page copy that converts focuses on clarity, not persuasion. • Reframe your messaging to focus on what your audience needs to understand. • Audit your language to remove unnecessary fluff and complexity. All of this is crucial to understand. So, how do we achieve clarity? Follow these tips. For writing landing page copy: • Use simple, conversational language. • Focus on the core message. • Avoid jargon and buzzwords. For reframing your messaging: • Identify what your audience truly needs to know. • Make your message straightforward. • Use examples and analogies that are easy to grasp. For auditing your language: • Read your content out loud. • Remove unnecessary words and phrases. • Ensure every sentence is clear and concise. Clarity is not just a tool: → It's your greatest persuasive asset, → And it's essential in complex industries. Next time you write, ask yourself: Is this clear? Would my audience actually say this out loud? Clarity wins. Every time. Want to listen to the full episode? Apple: https://lnkd.in/eGzeqQvd Spotify: https://lnkd.in/e9NbVRuq TACK Insider: https://lnkd.in/e6fVmqcc

I have a quick accessibility tip about clear language! It’s normal to use the words we use for things. But sometimes those aren’t the right words to use. If your site is for highly trained professionals in a specific industry then it makes sense to use the words they’d use. But if your site is for regular people, then using words that only people in your industry (or company!) know will be confusing. Or frustrating. People will feel less trusting toward your company. And some people will just leave. We get so used to how we talk at a company that we forget people don’t know what radio buttons are. Or what a formulated integral attribute framework is (I made that one up). It can add credibility when your audience understands the terminology you use. But it can remove trust when they don’t. Testing your content with people is a way to figure out whether your wording works. You might not have the structure or the budget for testing. That’s okay! Maybe you can test it with someone who works in a non-tech role at your company. Or maybe you can ask a friend or partner if they understand a sentence. Being thoughtful about the language we use, and making sure it makes sense to the people who will read it can take time. But it’s worth doing! Here are a couple of resources on clear language: - Use Clear Words from the W3C (article) - https://lnkd.in/eKxK9v3T - Plain Language .gov (website) - https://lnkd.in/eXXA6F8X #Accessibility #A11y #AccessibilityMatters #AccessibleContent #Content #UXWriting #UserExperience

Your app content is not going to be graded by a writing teacher, and there's no way to get perfect marks. There's a misconception — common amongst UX designers and newer UX writers — about interface copy. They think there is one perfect "right" way for a given string of text to be. There's not. Even well-established conventions of style and grammar, or well-codified preferences in your own house style guide, are rarely black-and-white. (Not to mention that breaking conventions sometimes gives you a better solution.) So I recommend setting aside words like "right" or "correct" when evaluating interface copy. Focus on "effective". Put the energy you feel compelled to put into doing it right into figuring out if it says what you want it to say. If it says what you want it to say truthfully, as clear as you can say it, and as short as you can make it, you’re done. Move on — there's more writing to do! (I explain this as the "ACB" framework — Accuracy, Clarity, Brevity — in more detail in Writing for Designers. Remember, friends: clarity before brevity!)

"This is too easy to understand!" ....said no one ever! The Rundown: Simplifying content isn’t about dumbing it down. User research shows that even highly educated readers value clarity over complexity. The Context: Professionals like doctors or scientists don’t want content that feels overly academic or pretentious. Effective writing balances the use of necessary technical terms (like “cardiovascular”) with plain language principles—shorter sentences, simplified phrasing (e.g., “use” instead of “utilize”), and minimal fluff. The goal: Make information accessible without sacrificing precision or professionalism. Why it Matters: In digital content, complexity often alienates users. By prioritizing clarity, writers enhance engagement and usability, proving that even the smartest audiences appreciate simplicity. After all, no one ever complains that something was too easy to read. #TrainLikeAMarketer