Why we need people ‘who care what words do, not just what they say’

Do you see writing and content strategy as technical skills? Both have often been labelled as purely creative pursuits, according to Jane Ruffino, but that needs to change.

Ruffino is based at the Berghs School of Communication in Sweden, where she’s currently prepping her upcoming course in user experience (UX) writing. If you haven’t heard of UX writing, you wouldn’t be alone – it’s not a new field by any means, but it is one that’s beginning to garner more attention.

UX writing involves crafting the text that appears on digital products such as websites, apps and more, working with design teams to create ways of interacting with or informing the end user. 

“You know, UX writing is new and not new. A few years ago, I used to get annoyed at the term, because I felt like it was the name given to a role that a lot of us had been doing for a long time,” she said. 

What is UX writing?

“I think a lot of what we are is translators,” she said. “Maybe you don’t have the depth of science expertise in specific areas, but you have the mindset to ask the right questions. And then you have to translate it for the right audience.

“What we should have is the curiosity and the brain – the designer mindset – to ask the right questions so that we can translate what somebody is trained to do with a product to the audience.

According to Ruffino, the most important attribute of a good UX writer is caring about “what words do, not just what they say”.

How can you get involved?

The course kicks off on 10 March, with lessons running weekly. The sessions will be interactive online classes with assignments to complete between lessons, averaging a commitment of about 10 hours a week. 

Ruffino will be reachable for help and support, and she has career guidance modules planned for the students, too.

To read the full interview, check out Lisa Ardill’s full article at Silicon Republic.
If you want to craft words that make things happen, then our 8 week online UX Writing course is for you. Learn more here.