UX Writing Review | aftership

UX writing reviews of websites and apps are a great way to hone your skills as a UX writer. It's a great way for new or experienced writers to train their designer's eye, check out the competition, and learn how to objectively evaluate the quality of UX content and design.
Make sure you get my FREE book on Amazon worldwide: UX Writing for Beginners.
Get portfolio reviews and coaching at www.uxhewrote.com/hire-me
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Check me out on Medium: medium.com/@Andrew.Carney
UX design heuristics: nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/
Branded house vs house of brands: icdesign.co.uk/insights/brand-architecture-spectrum/
#uxwriting #uxdesign #ux

[@sibagaafar2292]

Thanks very much, looking forward to more like these

[@sejalghia7]

This was super helpful! Felt like I was in a pricey workshop. As an aspiring UX writer, I also felt encouraged when I spotted an issue and then saw you mention it as well! Thank you and looking forward to more of these.

[@UXHeWrote]

Wow, such kind words! Thanks!

[@MichaelMilton1]

I'm not a UX writer but I am a grammar nerd. Little details like the capitalised vs. non-capitalised brand name and "log in" vs. "login" do my head in. I also agree with the runts, not required. An interesting insight into writing and design for the web and a well presented video. 💪

[@user-wt4em6bu4s]

Thanks a lot for you work! Your videos are just insanely helpful and encouraging

[@foamzou652]

Good video

[@Sha-Ne-Ru]

Thank you for this! As someone brand-brand new to UX writing, this was very insightful to see and hear someone's thoughts from a live perspective analysis. It gives me an idea of how I can actively train my eye while self-studying, and also to look out for potential case studies or job opportunities. Maybe, in a few months' time, you could do another review, perhaps on a tablet or phone layout or even a smart device (and so on...)

[@UXHeWrote]

Yeah great idea. I was thinking about doing an app next actually.

[@lanresalau461]

This is the second video I've watched from you, and I've turned on notification. This one in particular, I find super eye-opening. I look forward to more review videos. Thank you, Andrew.

[@UXHeWrote]

Thanks! I'll be making more soon...I hope

[@asdasdasdasda8899]

this is really helpful! looking forward to seeing more.

[@CrystalApple]

This is awesome. Please keep these up!

[@leevicious8402]

Thank you :)

[@carmilu]

Good stuff. Thank you

[@elizavetavorobyova1016]

Great video of work process!

[@UXHeWrote]

Thank you!

[@tylerriggs95]

Love this! Very helpful look at going through the process. If one was to extrapolate a case study out of a critique like this, how would you go about documenting research/split-testing when we don’t have access to it?

[@UXHeWrote]

It's difficult to back up changes for a case study without actual data. Some hiring managers will look past this. But if you can do some guerilla research/testing, it will take your case study to another level. What you could do is make simple mock-ups for your version (Figma, Miro), and then make a simple questionnaire (there are a few tools out there for this, plenty of free ones) comparing your version to the original. Post it on Reddit, Facebook etc. in UX writing/design groups, and collect the feedback. Just make sure you ask them to look at it as a user, and not a design critique. But you'd have to look at it from a qualitative point of view really. Unless you're able to get a large number of participants, framing it as quantitative will be tough. You could just ask friends and family to go through it, and that's probably better because they won't be looking at it from a UX point of view. There are also sites where you can pay for participants. You could make paper versions of your designs, and go out into the field and ask people to go through them, as if they were using the site. You could do the same with simple PowerPoint slides. One side for each screen. Sit down with friends and family, and show them your Powerpoint, and then ask them to complete a task, ask them what they would click on, then show them the next slide based on what they clicked. Or confine it to one screen and ask them to complete a task, and time them for how long it takes on your version vs the original. Ask them how they understand something. Ask them to find something, etc. It's very very rudimentary, but...it's also a very agile way to design. You don't need fully-fledged designs to start testing. Pencil and paper designs are perfectly fine. Simple mock-ups too. It depends what you're testing. Obviously, you couldn't test the click-through rate of a button. This video from Kevin Liang is a great example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6rEYWiKgdWjaLs. His part 3 in the series shows an online questionnaire he set up for quantitative feedback too. You could also do card sorting. So for example the navigation bar on aftership. I said I don't think the KSPs belong there. You could write everything on the navigation bar down on a separate post-it note. Then ask people to group them. Then ask them how they would position it on a site. Which ones would they expect to find on the navigation bar. You could also just use industry standards for UX writing and design and improve the content based on best practices, stating that these are proven to do XYZ: improve readability, improve click-through rate, etc. You wouldn't necessarily have the data to back it up yourself, but best practices are there because they're proven to work.

[@tylerriggs95]

@@UXHeWrote woah, very comprehensive. I can tell this wide-range of demonstrations is best backed up by proficient UX knowledge in general, so I’ll need to take that into consideration as well with my studies. Thanks so much!

[@RS-te9tj]

Lol'ed at if the best part of customer experience is post purchase then that online retail is doing something wrong.

[@barbaraniv]

Hi Andy! Thank you for this channel! Question: How is the relationship with the UX Designer? I guess it depends on the company’s or project’s size but it really bothers me when the designer doesn’t give a sh** about your copy and just decides not to include it. What’s your experience?

[@UXHeWrote]

Good question! I think it really depends on the company rather than the individual designer. I worked in a company where the design team were against pretty much any feedback, which led to very unnecessarily heated discussions. But I feel they were very anti feedback from anyone, not just writers, which is just bad. There was no sense of cooperation. And leaving was one of the best things I did. But I've also worked in the opposite, where the design has regularly been changed based on the writer's feedback and input. It can be an uphill battle to get content the recognition it deserves. And unfortunately, sometimes it's a losing battle. I think this is something that is never mentioned in all the UX writing books. I think they take the rose-tinted glasses approach that one day you will triumph and everyone will admit, "We were wrong!" Sometimes, the company or the design team just won't care and no matter what you do, you won't change the dynamics. Sometimes it's a case of doing the best you can, or moving on to somewhere else. I think you have to approach the designers who don't include your copy though and find out why. Is it because there was no time? Is it because they think their understanding is better? I think you need to take it from there first and make your case for why they shouldn't be ignoring you. You were hired to do a job, and they're not letting you do it.