Jump to content

    Rise of the "UX Writer"

    For the summer I rented a place in San Francisco.

    It's across the street from Uber HQ, Square HQ, and Twitter HQ. Literally I can see tech nerds lunching on the Twitter rooftop from where I wake up in the morning:

    scooters-overlooking-twitter-hq-building

    With the help of my spy surveillance equipment, I was actually able to zoom in and hear some real arguments between a UX Designer and a Copywriter:

    ux-designer-argument-on-twitter-building

    The point is in this epicenter of tech, I've started to hear murmurs of a new position that combines those jobs:

     

    👉🏼 UX Writer 👈🏼7>

     

    The "UX Writer" is a position that's catching on lately. You can see it in this trend chart:

    ux writer trends

    I've started to see postings hiring UX Writers from tons of big companies like AmazonUberGoogleZenDeskWixDropBox and PayPal (~$70,000/yr).

    So this new-ish position is starting to become a real thing. The rise of the UX Writer makes a lot of sense:

    UX Designers and Copywriters often work hand-in-hand, and sometimes it doesn't make sense to hire TWO PEOPLE for a job that could theoretically be done by a single person.

    Here's an example of how the process used to work:

     

    The UX Designer would create a blank mockup of a page:

    ux-designer-layout.png

     

    Then the copywriter goes and writes all the content:

    ux-writer-layout-lorem-ipsum.png

    Now just imagine for a moment you are a copywriter that also knows some basic UX design.....you could theoretically do this whole process yourself!

    Copywriter

    +

    Content Strategist

    +

    User Experience Designer

    = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

    UX Writer!

     

    I was curious what kind of salaries we could dig up for this position, but the "UX Writer" is such a new position, that I can't find any final evidence. We know copywriter salaries pretty well, but as far as I can tell, UX Writer salaries are comparable to UX Designer Salaries:

    ux writer salaries

    It's kind of neat to see as the market gets more efficient some of these jobs start to get combined together.

    It's further evidence that if you are a copywriter, it's SUPER IMPORTANT you learn new technical skills that make you a Triple Threat!

    Sincerely,

    Neville Medhora - Keeping an eye on those Twitter nerds 😐

    neville twitter

     

    P.S. Have you seen this "UX Writer" role pop up anywhere? Lemme know in the comments:


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    I have taken to giving clients a suggested mockup for the homepage in a web copy project. I think this gives you something else to stand out from the rest of the pack. All my years making websites using WordPress comes in handy this way.
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Agreed! I think you're a far more valuable freelancer to a client if you can ALSO do that, and not make them farm out yet another task. Great job Todd :-)
    Link to comment
    Guest Chris Burbridge

    Posted

    Ginny Redish is a UX and writing expert whose book Letting Go of the Words (https://www.amazon.com/Letting-Go-Words-Interactive-Technologies/dp/0123859301) I've nerded out on for quite a while. Just to round out the point you're making, I'll echo hers: It is wise to design pages with the specific content in mind, because it can change so much about how you lay it out, and even how it _feels_. You're just using Lorem Ipsum up there to make a point; but in a real project when people use Lorem Ipsum and then "fill in the copy later", I think it leads to generic-looking designs, and then people wonder why their design looks generic. So, anything that could help people craft the copy and the design as a whole, gets my vote :-)
    Link to comment
    Guest 5 Cross-Industry Skills Newbie Designers Should Master [GUEST POST] - Design Roast

    Posted

    […] you may not have seen the term “UX Copywriting” yet, large enterprises are already using it – Google, Amazon, Uber, and the likes. It’s only a matter of time before small and mid-sized […]
    Link to comment
    Just read this. I am working not far from where you are -- Uberites abound here, too. I have spent decades writing corporate and marketing communications. Have done a tiny bit of UX. Just hired on contract to write UX for a software platform -- $70/hr. They were very clear about the type of writing I've done, saw my portfolio, I told them I'd done a bit of UX...they just wanted someone who was very particular about words and committed to writing clearly and succinctly (also want some emails, etc.) . I'm trying to get up to speed on the software the designers use for their wireframes. Everyone very nice -- and every one I meet tells me how they've been waiting for me, how they need me. Company been around 5+ years, successful...they want consistency in spelling, terms, punctuation, usage, capitalization. GO FOR IT -- your advice is SWEET -- and more and more of these jobs will obviously soon be opening up across the country.
    Link to comment
    Guest Mike Searles

    Posted

    Interesting... BUT

    Back to the secret rooftop discussion ... who won?

    Because I have a question.

    Chicken or egg first?

    Copy or design first?

    Should the design fit the copy - or the egg after the chicken?

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Hey Mike!

    I always tell people to first WORK BACKWARDS to figure out what the goal is.

    Is your goal to make a sale?

    Then the copy is most important followed by the design.

    Is your goal to showcase how luxurious your brand is?

    Then maybe design can take some precedence.

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Nice recco Chris....it's definitely best to consider them both together, that's why I really think the UX Writer role will become more and more popular!
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Oh nice SLF, you're on the cutting edge!

    I think UX Designers learning some Copywriting, and vice versa will be great for everyone. Glad you've been so much help to everyone at the company :)

    Link to comment
    Guest Week 3: Learning UX Design at Academy Xi | Don’t Stop Believin’

    Posted

    […] The only thing that saved the day was an excellent UX writing workshop by Patrick Stafford (UX writer at MYOB). I first heard that UX writers were becoming a thing in an article by Neville Medhora. […]
    Link to comment
    Guest Cortex Copywriter

    Posted

    But the words would have to be written luxuriously / seductively – back to chicken or egg / copy or design :-)

     

    Link to comment
    Guest Jasper Verelst

    Posted

    Hi Neville

    Great post, had a good laugh again (as usual).

    I'm working as an seo-copywriter at a digital consultancy agency in my home country Belgium, and we do have a bunch of UX Writers here indeed.

    Just thought I'd mention, since you asked :-)

    Greetings

    Jasper

    PS: UX writing is terribly boring, if they ask my to go and do some UX writing for a couple of months at a client, and I say no, and they say yes, then I quit.

    Link to comment
    Guest Dalia

    Posted

    I can tell, Helen... I've always thought the UK government website is a great example of usability! Simple language and clear design.
    Link to comment
    Guest Mia Angela

    Posted

    Combine two or more jobs into one role and make yourself a new job title. The possibilities are endless, especially in digital marketing.
    Link to comment
    I've been accidentally doing this (being a UX writer without knowing it) for clients and some of my own sites. I am liking the UX copywriter term. I have a wacky and sometimes facetious sense of humour, and have to mute that regularly when writing for "serious" clients. Love your style!
    Link to comment
    Guest How To Become A UX Writer – Here Are The Resources To Get You There | A Touch of Business

    Posted

    […] Rise of the UX Writer (What is it, Salaries, and How to Become One) […]
    Link to comment
    Guest How To Become A Copywriter (with No Experience)

    Posted

    […] example a UX Writer combines copywriting with user experience design and gets a higher […]
    Link to comment



    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now

    • Join 55,000+ people getting our newsletter

      nev-and-logo-going-into-email (3).gif

      - Get notified of new posts -
      - Get weekly S.W.I.P.E.S. Email -
      - Get a free masterclass in copy -
      - People love our emails, see testimonials -

    ×
    ×
    • Create New...
    Guest