The Fundamentals of UX Writing

Strong microcopy enhances usability, builds trust, and improves conversions, making it a crucial skill for designers, writers, and product teams. As digital interactions continue to shape our daily lives, effective functional text on websites is more important than ever. This book explores microcopy, why it matters, and how to craft effective, user-friendly text for digital experiences.

You’ll start by looking at the basics and then dive into the best practices that enable stakeholders to write better microcopy, faster, countered by exceptions to the rules. Real life examples throughout the book make the content clear and memorable. The book examines the advantages of not overloading users with information or alienating them with jargon or idioms, as well as how to design great calls to action (CTAs) and improve navigation, including setting up content hierarchy, localization beyond translation, and accessibility requirements.

After establishing a solid foundation for the tactical side of UX writing, the book explores the strategic side of the work: how you can use and conduct user research and market analysis and other data sources to aid in the creation of microcopy to serve the goals and values of the business and its users; how microcopy can be used for broader product marketing, content operations such as documentation and governance; and leveraging AI along the way.

The Fundamentals of UX Writing uses a hands-on tactical approach to writing better copy that meets your goals.

What You Will Learn

- Discover what microcopy is and how to do it well on a day-to-day, hands on, tactical level

- Explore UX writing strategy including use of voice and tone, as well as content hierarchy, governance, and the role of AI in our practice

- Use market research, user insights, and other data sources, and internal collaboration to write better copy that meets your goals

Who This Book Is For

Content designers and other UX writing practitioners and technical writers, as well as developers, UX researchers, product managers, marketers, and other business stakeholders who are involved in the selling, usability and adoption of digital products.