A lot about Content Design and UX Writing could be better. More focused. If only the inherent nature of product teams and tech organizations fundamentally changed…
But it won’t. Or, at least, it won’t overnight.
So how do we do the best we can with what we’ve been given? What do we do when we abandon the idea of things magically improving? Or when we accept that we probably won’t have another person on the team, that we probably shouldn’t find a way to do everything in an 8 hour work day, that we probably can’t fix everything?
There are three tiers of skill as a Content Designer: being able to create good microcopy; being able to craft good flows; and being able to do both under less than ideal conditions.
In case you’re unaware, no perfect company/team/product exists. You’re going to face some sort of issue, whether it be an ultra-fast-paced environment, not having enough writers, or having to navigate demanding stakeholder requirements.
I really felt these challenges when I worked as a sole UX Writer. I couldn’t do everything without being a bottleneck, so I had to quickly figure out where to direct my time and energy. And that’s painful, because we want everything to be perfect. No period left un-scrutinized, no experience left un-questioned.
But the strongest writers I know have made peace with asking these sorts of questions. What is worth fighting for, and what’s good enough? What can I delegate and what has to come to me? What can change about the process, and what can change about me?
I don’t have a catch-all answer to put in this article, but there are a few criteria you can check against when wondering if something’s worth your attention:
What’s the potential impact of getting this wrong?
How much effort would it take to fix later vs now?
Does this align with our content and design principles?
If your team is working on a flow, and you’re, like, 60% happy with the copy…is that good enough? Well, how serious is it if users are confused? Are you worried about the sentence structure or about the actual message not coming through? And is the choice something that can be easily shot down with set guidelines, or is it new territory that will require research and time?
We want our copy to be clear, consistent, relevant, and accurate. I’m more willing to give up ground over an inconsistency (i.e. a toast that is structured differently than most of our other toasts) than I am over relevancy (i.e. writing a subtitle that doesn’t provide any timely help to the user at this place in the flow).
Making these stances clear to your team can go a long way in setting expectations. I want my teams to know that Autumn’s not going to flip out about a missed period, but she will fight for the clearest possible content. Once they know that I’ll be a blocker, those issues are suddenly cleared up a lot earlier on in the process.
Look: I know it’s not ideal. Most UX Writers consider this a craft, and that means having standards and a sharp eye for detail. But the reality of tech’s fast-paced nature is that it also required discernment. And as frustrating as that can be, it’s also an opportunity for growth.
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