Before we begin, remind yourself of Surfshark’s vision:
Our dream is a world where people have full control of their digital lives. That’s why we humanize digital security, making it accessible to all.
UX Writing is a collection of human-centered design principles and writing best practices that help shape how people interact with digital products.
In short, UX Writing makes using devices feel like talking to a person.
You’ll sometimes hear it referred to as Content Design, and sometimes it falls under the umbrella of Content Strategy or UX Design.
It’s important to know the distinction between a UX Writer and a Copywriter. A Copywriter’s goal is to create messaging that persuades or makes people aware of a product or service. A UX Writer makes engaging with a product or experience feel intuitive.
Copy gets people to an experience, UX Writing helps them use it.
A UX Writer’s abilities have a lot of overlap with a UX Designer. They use similar methods and follow similar design principles: make things useful, usable, and responsible.
However, a UX Writer’s tools are different than a UX Designer, and much of the work revolves around creating microcopy.
Microcopy is the text in a product that help users interact with it, and is generally made up of instructions, guidance, labels, interactions, validation, and accessibility.
The number one priority when starting your UX writing is to empathize.
You should focus on assisting, guiding, and supplying the user with what they need at all times. Remember that as an online security tool, we will have both advanced and novice users. When writing, be sure to consider the user’s level of experience and understanding, pain points, and goals.