UX Writer Career: What Does a User Experience Writer Do?

A user experience writer (UX writer) writes text that appears in a digital product’s user interface (UI design). UX writers help users engage with a digital product through on-brand, concise, and direct copy that communicates clear directives.

User experience writers—sometimes called content writers, content designers, or content strategists—work with UX designers and product managers to help craft the most user-friendly product. When interacting with a car screen’s interface, smart televisions, chatbots, mobile apps, or any online software, you typically encounter UX writing.

A UX writer is responsible for writing the copy and microcopy for a digital product’s user interface (UI) that helps users navigate their interactions. Here are the kinds of UX copy that these writers tackle:

1. 1. Chatbot conversations: UX writers are responsible for writing any automated dialogue for customer service chatbots. They also craft the copy for digital assistants.
2. 2. Error messages: UX writers create copy that alerts users of a dead link or internal error.
3. 3. Guides: Depending on your organization, a UX writer may write externally facing step tutorials for using technology or copy for new employee onboarding guides.
4. 4. Microcopy: Microcopy refers to the small (usually one-word copy) you see on user interface buttons or drop-down menus.
5. 5. Notifications: UX writers create brief, informal notification copy alerting users to things like new messages, new connections, or any changes to their account.

Good UX writing establishes a connection between the user interface and the end-user. Leveraging usability testing, UX writers research the words and tone of voice users find most appealing or helpful. UX writers use this information to help guide users through an intuitive, productive, and positive user experience.

Individuals with backgrounds in journalism, copywriting, or technical writing will likely have many transferable skills that qualify them for UX writing jobs. For example, technical writers can distill complex information into easy-to-understand instructions, helping improve user flows. However, most other writing jobs operate separately from the design process. Individuals with experience writing marketing copy are likely to be more familiar with sales and marketing goals than they are with interaction design. Regardless, you can learn UX design skills, and UX writing is a great career path for writers interested in visual design.

Here are six essential skills all UX writers need to excel at their jobs:

1. 1. Collaboration: UX writers are typically part of an organization’s product design or product team. They are often involved in the design process and work alongside product designers to write copy for wireframes (blueprints for interface elements).
2. 2. Communication skills: UX writers must often explain to stakeholders why they chose a particular tone of voice or phrase, so they must have strong written and verbal communication skills.
3. 3. Content strategy: UX writers must be able to create content that aligns with an organization’s style guide and brand voice. In some cases, UX writers might create these documents or collaborate with a content strategist to develop them.
4. 4. Empathy: A good UX writer must understand the end-user's point of view. UX writers employ UX research strategies—surveys, interviews, personas, and A/B testing—to better understand their user’s product experiences.
5. 5. Knowledge of design tools: Most job descriptions for UX writer roles require experience working with user experience design tools. UX writing courses often teach the fundamentals of these tools and offer new UX writers the chance to gain experience.
6. 6. UX writing skills: Solid writing skills are fundamental to UX copywriting. UX writers must have a strong grasp of grammar, spelling, and writing conventions. However, a UX writer’s job functions differently than most other writing jobs. UX writers perform user research and case studies to inform their copy. Good UX content should be concise and prioritize usability above all else.

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