Writers in Tech

In this episode, Sharona Reouveni, a conversation design expert, joins the Writers in Tech podcast to demystify what conversation design is all about. It's not just chatbots; it's the future of human-machine interaction. Key Points What is Conversation Design? Sharona Reouveni starts by defining conversation design as the art of creating natural and meaningful interactions between humans and machines. It's more psychology than coding. Why It Matters Bad conversation design can ruin customer experiences. Ed emphasizes that businesses should invest in this to improve customer engagement and retention. Tools and Ethics Sharona mentions tools like Dialogflow and Wit.ai but also brings up the ethical considerations, such as data privacy. Final Thoughts Conversation design is more than a buzzword; it's a necessity in today's tech landscape. Sharona Reouveni's insights make it clear that this is a field worth diving into. Catch the full episode for all the nuanced details. It's a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of tech interactions.

I Have a Confession to Make I'm an Israeli guy who watched the American Survivor show. When I discovered that my favorite cast member from Season 43, Jeanine Zheng, is a product designer, I set a goal in mind: to interview her about her journey and inspire others. She told me how so many people reached out to her after the show, asking her about UX and what it's all about. I couldn't be more grateful for the fact that she said yes and agreed to be on the Writers in Tech podcast. Today, Jeanine is changing the world one step at a time as a product designer at EverBright. This new residential solar financing provider is dramatically simplifying the process with faster, more flexible, more affordable options for homeowners. It's giving installers the strength and stability they need to build their businesses while minimizing costs.

In this episode of Writers in Tech, Yuval Keshtcher, CEO of UX Writing Hub, interviews Amanda Bridge, a senior content designer at HubSpot. Amanda shares her inspiring journey into UX writing, discusses challenges in building a UX writing discipline, and highlights the importance of human touch in content design. The conversation explores AI's impact on UX writing, introduces AI writing tools like Writer's Figma plugin, and emphasizes the benefits of being embedded in product teams. The theme "Advocating for Your UX Content" inspires content designers to promote their craft within their organizations.

In the latest installment of Writers in Tech, our host Yuval Keshtcher, founder of the UX Writing Hub, is joined by Jaime Walke, a principal UX writer and content designer at Booking.com. The duo delve into the realms of UX writing, accessibility, and the evolution of Booking.com's UX writing team. Jaime talks about his transition from tourism to tech companies, the ethos of continuous learning at Booking.com, and the growth of UX writing in the organization. They also explore the subject of accessibility, discussing its ethical implications, business benefits, and its broad spectrum that includes users with disabilities as well as those using assistive technologies.

Episode Summary In this episode of Writers in Tech, Yuval Keshtcher, the founder of the UX Writing Hub, hosts a conversation with Nick Babich, a mega influencer in the UX space. They discuss the intersection of AI and design, the importance of UX writing in the era of AI, and the tools they use to enhance their design process. Nick shares his insights on the importance of balancing user needs and business goals, the role of AI in design, and his approach to content strategy.

In this episode of Writers in Tech, we're thrilled to have UX legend Jared Spool back on the show. Here's what you can expect to learn: The critical role of strategic UX research and why skipping it is like guessing directions in an unfamiliar city. The potential financial losses that can result from poor UX, illustrated by a real-life example of a company that lost significant revenue due to a poorly worded button. The importance of making organizations human-centered and how every decision within an organization impacts the user's experience. Insights on when to hire full-time UX professionals versus contractors, depending on whether UX is at the core of the business. Don't miss out on this insightful conversation with Jared, who is passionate about influencing organizations to be more human-centered.

Episode 100: Celebration and Reflection on the Journey Intro: Welcome to a special episode of Writers in Tech! We are thrilled to be celebrating our 100th episode with you, our incredible listeners. Over the past episodes, we have explored various aspects of writing, technology, and creativity. Today, we embark on a unique journey as we dive into the world of "Post-Apocalyptic Leadership in Content Design." Join us as we reflect on the remarkable stories, insights, and lessons we have gathered along the way. Episode Summary: In this milestone episode, we reflect on the extraordinary challenges and triumphs of leaders in the realm of content design within a post-apocalyptic setting. We explore the unconventional and inventive approaches required to thrive and create impactful content in a world forever changed. In this episode of Writers in Tech, Jenn Shreve, Content Design Lead at Google, shares insights on maintaining consistency in writing and the valuable contributions of journalists in the field of UX. She discusses the importance of understanding one's energy patterns and establishing a routine that aligns with personal productivity. Jenn introduces "The Artist Way" process, specifically the practice of Morning Pages, as a method to stimulate creativity and generate ideas. The conversation dives into how journalists excel in simplifying complex concepts and technologies, enabling them to effectively advocate for users in UX writing. The ability to find and convey a compelling narrative is highlighted as a valuable skill in prioritizing messaging and shaping the user journey. Jenn offers tips for UX writers who are transitioning into leadership roles within their organizations, emphasizing the importance of developing a broader perspective and focusing on solving larger content problems. The discussion also addresses concerns surrounding AI tools like Chat GPT. While acknowledging the power of such technologies, Jenn encourages a critical approach and questioning the potential benefits and drawbacks. Drawing a parallel to concept cars in the automotive industry, she raises the question of whether certain AI capabilities are practical or aligned with industry trends. As we conclude this 100th-episode celebration, we express our deepest gratitude to all our listeners, guests, and supporters who have joined us on this incredible journey. We are honored to have shared these thought-provoking conversations and insights with you, and we look forward to continuing to explore the evolving landscape of content design and leadership in the post-apocalyptic world. Remember to stay tuned for more episodes of Writers in Tech as we continue to delve into the ever-evolving realm of writing, technology, and creativity. Thank you for being a part of our community!

In this episode of Writers in Tech, Ben Davies, a Senior Content Designer at Klarna and co-founder of Tech Outcast, shares his experience transitioning from product management to UX writing. He emphasizes the importance of educating oneself about UX writing and being resourceful when working with other departments. Davies also discusses his process for standardizing terminology across different departments in a company and suggests using AI tools like Chad GPT to analyze archived discussions. Yuval and Ben discuss the potential uses and limitations of Chat GPT, an artificial intelligence tool for generating content. They caution against relying too heavily on it as a solution and emphasize its usefulness in brainstorming and refining ideas. The conversation also touches on the importance of advocating for UX writing as a discipline within tech companies, despite recent layoffs impacting the industry. Towards the end, they mention Tech Outcast, a new community focused on offering content design services to companies through freelancing and consulting. Ben, a content designer, enjoys working with early stage startups and solo entrepreneurs to help them put together their first version of products. He believes in the importance of combining UX, product management and marketing to create value propositions that resonate with users. Ben founded Tech Outcasts as a community for talented people who feel like outcasts in the tech industry due to homogeneity in backgrounds and approaches. To land a UX writing gig right now, Ben advises contractors or freelancers to figure out their unique perspective before seeking out companies they'd like to work with directly rather than relying on traditional job boards.

In this episode of the Writers in Tech podcast, Yuval Keshtcher interviews Mohana Das, a lead UX Writer at Lazy Pay and founding member of a group of UX writers in India. They discuss Mohana's journey into content design, the challenges she faces as the only UX writer at her company, and the concept of "content debt" - a build-up over time of bad content that accumulates just like financial debt. The podcast is brought to you by the UX Writing Hub, which offers free and advanced courses on UX writing including Figma for UX Writing and Generative AI for UX Writers. Mohana, a content designer at LazyPay, shares her approach to tackling content debt in the interface. She emphasizes starting with a full audit of the entire application and product and taking a holistic approach. Mohana also stresses the importance of defining goals and ROI before revamping content. To show impact, she recommends picking low-hanging fruit like button copy or key screens for optimization. Collaborating with designers is crucial for success in this field. For those looking to break into content design, Mohana advises brushing up on UX fundamentals and creating a strong portfolio with real-world projects.

Content designer Ilana Zholobovsky talks about how networking, books and AI can help people get into UX writing.

Ben Pines, the Director of Content at Wordtune, is optimistic about the future interaction between people and AI.

Lead UX writer Sherry Samtani on the different career directions UX writers can take, including content ops.

Aerial silk teacher Alexandra Spark shares how she transitioned to UX writing and her step-by-step process for creating an app.

Lead UX writer Sarah Loigge shares how she found inspiration outside of work and overcame impostor syndrome with the help of Star Trek.

What’s the value of UX writing and how can we measure it? Yael Ben-David has written a book on the topic.

How do you land a job in product design in today’s business climate? Get recruitment insights from Matt Carter, Senior Product Design Specialist at Eurobase People.

Senior UX writer Axel Viersac on how to be the only writer on a product team.

Ferdinand Goetzen, CEO @ Reveall, explains why UX writers should spend 80% of their time understanding the problem.

Get career and process tips from two lead UX writers at Qonto, a fintech app with one of the fastest-growing UX writing teams in Europe.

Gene Kamenez of UXcel talks about learning design beyond traditional degrees.

Design educator and influencer Ran Segall is excited about a future where AI will do the heavy lifting.

Maggie Trisler stumbled into UX by making the most out of past failures. Today, Maggie is a Principal Content Designer @ Fidelity Labs.

Slater Katz shares her wealth of experience as a freelance UX writer and entrepreneur to guide you through the process of establishing your own Freelance UX Writing practice.

Anthony Shore, award-winning linguist and CO at naming agency Operative Words, shares his process to craft the best copy signifying brands and ideas in 6 words or fewer.

Jane Portman, CEO at Userlist and UI Breakfast presenter, has tons of advice on how to write lifecycle emails for Saas.

Sarah Doody at Career Strategy Lab™ helps UX graduates get hired. In this episode, she shares priceless tips on how to land the UX gig of your dreams.

Tech writer, CEO and MEGAComm conference organizer Paula Stern talks about the importance of building bridges across departments, communities, and countries.

In this special episode of Writers in Tech, we've got something a bit different for you. We’ll be taking you inside our first ever UX writing Twitter Space! In this all-audio open community platform, we had a great group discussion with people from around the globe about what’s going on in the industry. Now, we’re sharing it as a special episode of the podcast for everyone who missed it.

UX writer and mentor (from our very own UX Writing Academy) Boris Šlesar shares his stress-busting processes and talks about the best way to learn the tricks of the trade.

We are often unaware of how language can implicitly be exclusionary. To draw our attention to this and to discuss how we can all become more inclusive UX writers, today we are joined by UX Writing Hub graduate and UX Writer for HelloFresh, Emerson Schroeter. Emerson explains what led them from content writing into the world of UX writing. They talk about the projects that they did during a volunteer program at Kindship, how this drew their attention to the many ways that writing can be exclusionary, and set them up for their current role. Tuning in you’ll hear how Emerson knew that UX writing was the perfect career for them and how their writing process changed when they transitioned from content writing to UX writing, before explaining why inclusion shouldn’t be an add-on but something that is worked into the writing process from the beginning. To find out Emerson’s tips and resources for anyone who is interested in getting into UX writing, as well as their best practices for writing inclusive copy, tune in today!

DesignWings founder Punit Chawla on Figma plugins that will transform your UX work.

Juan Buis shares how he lands freelance UX writing gigs for brands like Spotify, Minecraft, and Tommy Hilfiger.

Welcome to writers in tech, a podcast brought to you by the UX writing hub; an online education platform for writers in tech. We have the UX writing academy, which is the first and only UX writing and content design food camp in the world so if you are interested in getting into your exciting writing journey, checkout uxwritinghub.com. Today Yuval Keshtcher is going to talk to May Habib. She is the founder of “Writer” an app that will be discussed on today’s episode. Furthermore Yuval and May will discuss how the app will help companies in their writing process using the power of artificial intelligence.

Samuel Hulick and Yohann Kunders discuss the concept of "Value Paths" including what they are and how they can help businesses improve their service processes.

Maryann Reid, award-winning author, talks about how you can become a better UX writer.

Ghost is a powerful non-profit, open-source alternative to paid content management systems.

What do content design recruiters look for when hiring?

Aaron Raizen, Chief Editor @ UX Writing Hub, clears up the product writing title mess.

UX writing is so much more than adding words to screens. Hailey Reynolds explains why UX writers need to approach content through a design thinking lens.

What do UX writing and music have in common? Loads, says Noah Fulton Beale at the e-learning platform Preply.

Associate Professor Colin M. Gray runs a research lab that maps and spreads information about dark patterns, aka manipulative design.

Ahava Leibtag is the founder of Aha Media, author of The Digital Crown: Winning at Content on the Web, and an Innovative Individual in the Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame.

After 2 years, Stephen Curran returns to the podcast to talk about how he and his team created Intuit’s content design system (which blew my mind completely!).

Kalina Tyrkiel dropped by for a chat about writing in English as a non-native speaker. Tune in to hear about the methods and tools you can use to succeed in UX writing, even if you have another mother tongue.

I invited Andy Vitale, VP of Design at Rocket Mortgage, to hear his views on design past, present and future. As the co-host of the Surfacing podcast, Andy has had many conversations with top-level decision makers in the industry.

Dr. Natalya Sarana is a UX researcher, writer and mentor rolled into one. After 3 years at Flixbus, her conclusion is that we shouldn’t be afraid of user research—because it makes the writing process a walk in the park.

Jan Haaland has taught designers how to build portfolios for years. He popped round to Writers in Tech for a chat about the power of a great case study.

I got my friend Pieterjan Benoit on the podcast to talk about our favorite subject (no points for guessing what). By taking a lot of chances, Pieterjan fell down the UX rabbit hole a few years ago and was hooked immediately.

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of talking to content design industry leader Rachel McConnell. Based in Brighton, Rachel is one of the organizers behind the (now virtual) Content by Design conference. She’s also the author of Why You Need a Content Team and How to Build One and the co-founder of the great Medium resource LeadwithTempo.

Do we have to choose between UX writing and copywriting? Susan Reoch does both! In this episode, she shares her experience working for brands that are new to UX writing.

Content strategist and UX writing mentor Andrew Astleford is always happy to share his journey from journalism to UX writing. He is full of good advice about personal growth, and this is also the recurring theme in this episode.

Sarah Kessler went from zero product experience to landing a UX writing job at the unicorn company Gympass in only two years. In this episode of Writers in Tech, she shares how she got there and what she did to position herself as a UX writer.

Netflix content designer Diego Graglia has a lot to say about creating English copy for a global audience. Being bilingual helps him to understand the complexities involved in localization, which comes in handy when your product is available in 30 languages. His collaboration with the localization team often starts even before he starts writing. But it’s not just about a multilingual perspective – it’s just as important to have a multicultural approach.

Get inspired to work on your UX writing process with Helen Legendre, UX writer at OpenClassrooms. Helen uses a bunch of creative methods to inform her UX copy, including lo-fi copy and even listening to rap.

Interview with Neil Patel: New York Times bestselling author, top influencer on the web, and digital marketing legend.

Recently, I had the great pleasure of talking with Mike Monteiro, co-founder of Mule Design and author of the best-selling books Ruined by Design and Design is a Job.

Eran Soroka champions the use of chatbots to help organizations drive conversations with their users.

Lynsey Vallandingham, Senior Content Designer at HubSpot, talks about how to avoid using jargon, how to write inclusive products, and much more.

Jessica Drew worked as an ad copywriter in New York before she moved back to Boston, where she fell in love with UX writing.

Aladrian Goods, Product Content Designer at Intuit and I had a great chat about the buzz of UX writing on Clubhouse, why a customer service background can be perfect for UX, why you don’t have to be technical to make an impact in tech, and how to find your feet as the first content designer in a team. Episode summary For this episode of Writers in Tech, I had a great chat with Aladrian Goods, a Content Designer at Intuit and the driving force behind the UX Content club on Clubhouse. When Aladrian discovered content design in 2019, she realized that she had been doing UX all along – in customer service and digital communications. As the first content designer in her team, she had to find ways to set up the team for success. Overwhelmed by the opportunities to revamp and revise each product, one of her biggest challenges was knowing where to start. To deal with numerous content requests from her new colleagues, she came up with her own methods which helped her to prioritize her workload effectively. Tune in to hear Aladrian’s thoughts on: 🤩 Why a customer service background can be perfect for UX 🤩 How she found success in tech without a technical background 🤩 How to find your feet as the first content designer in a team 🤩 How to set up a product team for content design success 🤩 The future of content design

I had the great honor of interviewing the well-known UX writer, Leo Smits. Leo transitioned from being a copywriter to a freelance UX writer. We talked about how to land new clients and get more projects, how to charge more, how to work better with clients, and how to manage your time. We also talked about how to break a creative block, and Leo shared a simple peanut butter trick for freelance UX writers. Don’t miss it!

The digital revolution helped us to create accessible health systems all over the world. Zara Fishkin mastered the way to communicate digital products in the healthcare industry after working in different health care companies and also at Facebook for 4 years on localizing different platforms. When it comes to UX writing, Zara’s resume is MIND BLOWING. Through here experience writing for tech companies and ad agencies, she has built a content strategy skill set that spans internationalization, accessibility, copywriting, research, design, process development, terminology, having an opinion about Oxford commas, and making non-exhaustive lists. You should definitely check out this episode if you want to learn: How to write a healthier product How FB are localizing their platform The challenges of making health care accessible to people UX writers face challenges after being acquired

The last episode of Writers in Tech is a bit controversial. We had a conversation about inclusive design, sexuality, ADHD, and more. I had the pleasure to chat with Danny Harrop-Griffiths, content design lead at Mojo about: -The differences and similarities between writing for the government and for difficult topics such as sex, sexuality, relationships, gender -Why ADHD people make good content designers -When should we ask for the gender of the user -How content design can help people with ADHD -A step-by-step guide to procrastination -When should we ask for the gender of the user -Why you should delete all social media apps from your phone (or at least remove all notifications) Join us!

Larry Swanson hosts the fabulous Content Strategy insights podcast. We talked about what content strategy is, what kind of events are organized for writers in tech (hint: we're sponsoring the UX writer conference this month) and much more in our last talk. Join us if you want to learn: ✅ The different flavors of content strategy ✅ What are the differences between product content strategy and different type of content strategy ✅ The overlap between content design and content strategy And to listen to Larry’s Step by step guide to content strategy in 2021

Feeling stuck when it comes to getting jobs and new UX writing projects? Well, maybe a lot of your issues have to do with your own personal brand. Building an online presence is what makes or breaks your UX writing and content design career. I asked Cory Lebson, author of the UX Career handbook and probably the best UX courses on Lynda, what’s the secret sauce to building a network that gets you UX jobs for more than 10 years in a row. Listen up!

Candi Williams is a Content design manager and strategist and published author from beautiful Bristol who loves bright colours and writes about everything from amazing food to awesome females. In our last talk Candi shared with me useful information about: -How to write 3 books while working full time -The importance of having an inclusive team and what we’re missing today -Using an inclusive language -Understanding the importance of accessibility -Improving your process while letting go of your imperfections Don’t miss it!

Leonardo Raymundo is a UX writer turning into a content strategist for Orca Pacific, an Amazon agency that delivers innovation to over 100 of the world’s leading brands. This episode is for you want to learn how to write on Amazon. Listen to this page if you want to learn about: ✅ How to do Amazon keyword research ✅ How to increase your Amazon store views by 20% with one simple step ✅ Creating branded content for you Amazon store ✅ How to generate more reviews on your Amazon store using copy ✅3 tips to optimize your Amazon store

Hans van Dam is the co-founder of Robocopy and the Conversational Academy. His goal is to develop and promote the role of the conversation designer. He develops curriculum for the Conversational Academy, lectures at multiple universities, and speaks often at conferences around the world. Hans is a designer, educator, and strategist of chatbots and voice assistants. He helps develop chatbots that are more helpful, natural, and persuasive. In this episode, we talk about Robocopy, Hans’ experience, and how chatbots are changing the virtual game on almost every platform. Listen to this episode in order to learn - Who can potentially become a conversation design? - The skill set required to design great chatbot? - Hans’ Conversational Academy.

See all of the different UX Writing Events of October 2020!

Join Yuval in our first ever Live Facebook where he covered everything related to Writers in Tech podcast, our weekly newsletter, and our own UX Writing Academy program. Don't miss it!

Angela Kilduff is a UX writer at Stripe, where she designs products that help entrepreneurs around the world bring their ideas to life. Before Stripe, she worked in product design at Twitter and Facebook and did editorial content strategy for Mule Design and Huge. Outside of work, she likes to curl up with a good book and cook elaborate meals for friends. Victoria Stanell is currently designing the economic infrastructure of the internet as a UX writer at Stripe. Previously, she’s put pen to pixel and shaped experiences at Uber, Medium, and Levi Strauss & Co. When she’s not thinking about content or strategy, you can find her cooking, painting, meditating, or enjoying other creative pursuits. https://stripe.com/jobs/listing/ux-writer/2293358 In this episode, we chat about Victoria and Angela’s career journeys and how their experience could help UX writers—big time. Listen to this episode and learn about: — Victoria and Angela’s career — What is Stripe? — The huge hype/demand on writers and designers — Challenges they face and the structure of their team — What writers and designers can learn from processes at Stripe

Check out this eye-opening interview with Yuval Keshtcher, CEO and founder of the UX Writing Hub, and automation expert David Zisner. They chat about copywriting, no-code, and more. Listen now if you want to learn: -Why we should use no-code tools -The power of no-code automation and copywriting -What's in it for the copywriters -Best practices to automate your processes

Kate Garner is an English teacher turned full-time UX writer at Coursera. She's also a language lover with experience in copywriting, editing, SEO, and creative content development. Her Master's of Communication in Technology degree helped turn her into quite the masterful communicator. In this episode, we look at what UX writing at Coursera is all about. Kate shares her love of the product and why Coursera is such a great online learning platform. Listen to this episode to learn about: — How writers and designers fit into Coursera's structure — Overcoming the challenges of being a first time UX writer — Her first-hand experience as a UX writer, what tools she uses specifically for UX writing, and other tools of interest that are available — Coursera's procedures, strategy, and team structure

Harry Ashbridge is the content style guide author and senior writing lead at Monzo, an online bank founded in 2015. In this episode, we talk about Monzo Bank: what it is, how it works, and why it’s different from your old-school bank.

Liraz Margalit, PhD, is a Social Psychologist who specializes in Behavioral Design and Decision Making. She integrates Neuropsychology and Behavioral Economics perspectives to analyze User behavior and deliver actionable insights for business stakeholders. Her consumer behavior research was awarded with the OBE, Online Business Excellence for 2016 as well as the Best of Neuromarketing and was chosen as CMSWire contributor of the year 2017. Her research papers and studies can be found in top business magazines such as Entrepreneur, TechCrunch and Forbes. She also writes an ongoing blog for Psychology Today named “Behind Online Behavior”. In our episode we’ve talked about digital interactions that matters. Listen to this episode in order to learn Different approaches to customer experience Shaping moments for our customers and users to remember How to use words to shape customers experience What part of the journey you should pay attention too

Writers in Tech is back for Season 3! A few years back, when we first started our UX Writing Academy program, I got a call from Mattias Åkerberg, then a Swedish copywriter. We shared the same vision about the future of UX writing, and I realized I was speaking with someone who was ready to invest all of his resources and energy into learning what UX writing is all about. Since completing our training program, Mattias has probably become the biggest UX writing influencer in Sweden. He now lands the best clients, runs his own Swedish UX writing course, and publishes a UX writing newsletter called Please Copy Me. We spoke about his transition from copywriter to UX writer and the first steps he took to make it happen. We also talked about his strategies for landing new projects. Great tips for all you freelancers out there. Super informative episode—don’t miss it!

In this episode, we spoke withLi-Na Koh, a senior content designer at Zapier. I have to say, Zapier is one of my favorite digital products out there today. It allows you to easily connect your favorite services. For example, every time someone signs up for one of our webinars, Zapier automatically creates a Zoom event and sends a confirmation email at the same time. It's pretty magical! Two aspects of this product are really interesting: -Their copy is particularly well done, even though they don’t have a lot of writers on their team -They've been an all-remote company for more than nine years Li-Na Koh is the first writer on the team and we spoke about being a remote UX writer, working on a product like Zapier, and much more. This episode is a must!

As the digital products we use continue to tighten their grip on our society and adversely affect our mental health, one question has become paramount: Are we doomed to digital addiction or can we break the spell and learn to live in harmony with our devices? No one knows more about this subject than my recent guest Nir Eyal, the bestselling author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Nir’s expertise on both sides of the issue gives him an invaluable and compelling perspective that is not to be missed. We covered topics such as: -Combating digital addiction and the link between product design and mental health -Staying focused when your phone is buzzing with notifications -The difference between drug dealers and designers -Promoting ethical design in your company -Why people don’t like to read digital interfaces -What industries are most infamous for having dark patterns -Should creating digital experiences be licensed -The undervalued skill of writing in tech companies

The rapid growth in the practice of UX—and UX writing in particular—is due in no small part to the power of the community. The feedback and knowledge sharing seen throughout the UX community are what is helping many writers and designers improve their practices. I was curious to speak with the founder of one of the biggest UX communities in the world, Ioana Adriana Teleanu of UX Goodies. We spoke about her best practices when it comes to creating content for the international UX community and about the UX writer’s role within the product team. Give it a listen if you want to learn: -How to stay up to date with current UX trends -How to build a flow for content creation for the UX community -What makes a UX community thrive

Amir Shevat has worked for companies such as Microsoft, Google, Slack, and was the VP of product at Twitch. He also wrote the book “Designing Bots” and currently runs his own start-up called Reshuffle. Quite a resume! As he’s someone with so much experience in the valley, I was curious to talk to him about the future of writers in tech and where he thinks our field is headed. In this episode you’ll learn: -The current status of bots -The future of conversational software -About the best case studies and use cases for conversation design -How to start a conversation design product -How to design a delightful conversation -All about the bot “beer test” -Ethical design suggestions

In our brief conversation, Stephen talks about his processes for working on QuickBooks payroll software. Give it a listen if you’d like to learn about: -Customer interviews and what tools you should use when showing prototypes to your users -Delighting your customers with content instead of stressing them out What design tools you can and should use -How to talk with recruiters as a UX writer/content designer Don’t miss it!

Greg Digneo is an entrepreneur, Content strategy expert, and business consultant. A few years back, after building a 7-figure content agency, Greg was burned out. That may sound a bit off-topic for UX writers, but if you’ve ever wanted a lesson in advanced content strategy that drives traffic, this is the episode for you. In a frank and honest talk, Greg shared the struggles of building a successful content agency from the ground up. He talked about his process for planning content that would drive lots of traffic for his client, Time Doctor. It was a fascinating perspective and I now implement some of what I learned in our own blog. He also walked me through his 7 steps of content development. Give this episode a listen if you want to learn how to: Scale your content agency Create better content strategy practices that drive traffic Find high volume keywords Define your audience and create content for them Find pain points We even talk about why you should call your readers on the phone! Enjoy 🥳

Dave Glazier is the UX writing lead at Nedbank, one of Africa's largest banks. Recently, I spoke to him about writing microcopy for a large and diverse emerging-market audience. In this episode, we cover: -Creating a content style guide and working with designers -Why and how you should listen to your customers -Crafting the voice and tone for a banking experience -Inclusive writing and writing for 12 different languages -Using Google Trends to find inspiration and improve your writing

Erika Hall is the author of Just Enough Research and Conversational Design—probably two of my favorite books on these topics. Both of her books are available at A Book Apart: https://abookapart.com/products/just-enough-research Recently, I spoke with her about the gap that exists today between research and conversational design. I learned a TON from this talk and anyone that’s creating any type of digital experience will certainly benefit from it too. We covered a lot of ground, including: -How a philosophy major like Erika became a design leader -Meeting Mule Design co-founder Mike Monteiro, author of Ruined by Design (my 2019 fave book!) -Changing with the industry as a designer -Making a case for research and convincing stakeholders to commit to a research process -Defining goals before starting your research -Asking the right questions as a researcher -How research can be like planning a vacation Enjoy this episode!

How can a localized content increase your conversions by 700%? Listen to the next episode! I had a pleasure to talk to Mette Thomsen Danish Language Specialist at GetYourGuide. Listen to it if you want to learn about: -How to add context to your localization process -Content team hierarchy in a unicorn (B$) company -Best practices for localization -Creating a content style guide for your localization team -What tools you should be using -Marketing guidelines vs product content style guides -Scaling a localization team -

Typeform has some pretty slick copy—from their transactional emails, homepage, and the product itself. Their lead copywriter, Steve Howe, writes fascinating pieces for their blog about UX writing at Typeform, and I was eager to learn about his processes—particularly, best practices for writing forms. This episode is not only a great lesson in conversational UX writing, but also a great resource for anyone that creates online forms. So don’t miss it! Topics include: Writing copy for landing pages Static vs dynamic copy AI and copywriting How to put the right amount of information in a form How to build a content team Chatbots Enjoy!

I remember when I first heard about UX writing best practices in a talk at Google’s I/O 2017 conference—it was a huge “aha” moment for me. As a product designer, microcopy was just a small part of that larger design world. Just something for a small Facebook group where I invited friends and we posted different ideas about microcopy. But that one day, everything changed. I decided to explore and talk to all of the practitioners out there so I could know more about this exploding new topic. And it was quite a journey. Not long after listening to that talk, in a moment of complete serendipity, I met Allison Freedenfeld. I was eavesdropping on a nearby table that was in a long conversation about UX Writing and I decided to take action. That day I met Allison for the first time and we’ve been friends ever since. So I’m very glad to start the second season of Writers in Tech with her in a talk where we cover: The differences between content strategy and UX Writing Doing research as a UX writer and building the story of the product Testing copy with the highlighter test Which design tools you should learn And much more

The largest airline company in South America has a unique approach when it comes to UX writing. They’re user-centered and everything about their digital experience is content-driven. In our latest episode, Carolina Rayo, a senior UX writer from LATAM, shares valuable wisdom and insights about: Putting your ego aside and staying humble Testing stories before designing anything How to absorb content like a sponge and learn as you go How not to be an a**hole to your users Enjoy this one!

If way back in 1999, you told my father that he could replace his old Subaru at the click of a button without even test driving it, he would have never believed it! Now, twenty years later, even though he probably wouldn’t buy a car online, he wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that several companies are successfully selling them online. CarNext.com is one of those companies. And there’s no doubt about it that their slick user experience contributes greatly to their high conversion rate with selling used cars. Recently, I had the chance to speak with Don Seidenberg, the first UX writer at CarNext.com. We talked about the process of writing copy that sells cars online. Don’t miss it

This week on Writers in Tech I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Vicki Siolos, the lead UX writer of the mother of all crowdfunding platforms, Kickstarter. You’ll learn about: -Using Google Translate for a nifty brainstorming trick -Giving your users what they’re asking for -Tricks that will help you to educate about UX writing in your organization -What books you should read (seriously, I need to read Nicely Said already) -Why you should zone out and just write It was great learning about Vicki’s brilliant processes and I’m sure you’re going to love it as much as I did!

Greta van der Merwe’s UX writing career has skyrocketed, going from an ad agency to senior UX writer a unicorn company recently acquired by Uber. I first met Greta when she was among the original members of our Facebook group, participating in discussions and sharing her talents with others. In fact, after she participated in the first class of our UX writing course (we’re about to open the fourth), we were so impressed that we took Greta on as a student mentor in future classes. She has a great post about how no one in her organization seems to understand how UX writing should work. It’s been a true honor watching her career progress and I was delighted to speak with her recently about the following topics: How she went from copywriter to Senior UX writer in such a short period of time How to collaborate with designers as a senior UX writer The processes and tools she uses How she stays up to date with the UX Writing industry Overcoming the challenges of collaboration, tools, and localization Words of wisdom from one of the best UX writers I know.

Mario was one of the first UX writers in our Microcopy & UX Writing Facebook group. Today, he’s a senior UX writer for King, one of the largest gaming companies in the world. I had a blast talking to him as he shared the necessary skills to be a UX writer for a gaming company. In this episode, you’ll learn about: -Why UX writers are like Gandalf -How Mario observes users during his commute -How to leverage communication using words -Card sorting and testing for UX writers

You take the carton from the refrigerator door and give it a shake. “Empty,” you think to yourself. No problem. “Hey Google,” you exclaim, activating your Google Home device. “Ask Colruyt to add milk to the list.” But instead of confirming the addition, your home device informs you that “Milk has already been added to your grocery list. Would you like to add an additional carton?” You know the culprit—your heavy milk-drinking girlfriend Sharon. You’re so impressed by this digital gesture that you almost forget about Sharon putting the empty carton back in the fridge for the 100th time. Today, most of us understand that this isn’t some distant sci-fi fantasy. In fact, for customers of one of Belgium’s largest supermarket chains, Colruyt, it’s already a reality. Recently, I spoke with Yves Van Kerkhove of the Colruyt Group. Yves was a student in our first UX writing course and has been working on a game-changing project—a voice interface app for Colruyt’s supermarket shoppers. Yves relied upon his 15 years of copywriting experience plus massive amounts of testing to bring it to fruition. The result is a full-fledged voice interface assistant for online shopping. This episode is for you if you are curious about: The future of writers in tech Working in a product team without a UI designer Writing a voice interface app Testing for voice interfaces Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I recently spoke with Erin O'Loughlin and Annalise Nurme about creating a UX Writing culture in a product team of the language education platform Babbel. More companies are beginning to understand that they must hire writers; Erin and Annalise are the first official UX writers at Babbel. We talked about the challenges of creating a UX writing culture in a company that’s never had writers. Topics covers: -Presenting the concept of UX Writing to your team -Creating a content style guide and establishing new conventions -Building test groups for your product -Working with designers

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Matt Hayes, a UX Writer at Deloitte Digital. Imagine a place that gives you the opportunity to work on the digital experiences of the biggest companies in the world. Well, that’s Deloitte digital. Matt shared with me his process and everything that product team members need to know about UX writing. We covered: -Structuring content for wireframes -Creating a content style guide -Setting up a document at the beginning of a project -Working with UX designers as a writer If you are currently creating a writing culture in your product team, you don’t want to miss this episode.

In this week’s episode of our Writers in Tech podcast, I had the great pleasure of interviewing an absolute UX legend, Jared Spool. He’s the mind behind the UX of the personal computer keyboard as we know it, which he designed back in 1978. After years of following his work at UIE and his UX podcast “SpoolCast”, I was lucky enough to have him join me for a chat. We talked about: The history of UX and of writers in technology UX Writing vs. Technical Writing The UX strategy of a service Research for writers Jared has had a huge influence on my work, so for me it was very exciting to speak with one of the most influential UX personas out there. Don’t miss it!

The fields of content strategy and UX writing are becoming more established thanks in no small part to the community leaders out there fighting for us. One such leader is Sarah Richards. She’s the author of the book Content Design, founder of the site Content Design London, and creator of GOV.UK’s content style guide. If you’re not familiar with her work, you should be… and here’s a perfect opportunity! In our latest podcast, Sarah and I chat about content leadership, how to make people care about content strategy, and the differences between content design and UX writing. It’s an informative discussion not to be missed. Don't forget to share our podcast with the rest of the world! #comeonelon

On the first episode of Writers in Tech podcast, Oz Chen shared with me his journey of becoming a content strategist at Disney. We've talked about: The transition from business analytics to content strategy What does it take to be a Content strategist for Disney The differences between UX writing and content strategy The ROI of UX writing and content strategy How to test your copy like a PRO How to get into UX writing Enjoy and don't forget to share it with a friend :)