Writers in Tech

Liraz Margalit, PhD, is a Social Psychologist who specializes in Behavioral Design and Decision Making.

She integrates Neuropsychology and Behavioral Economics perspectives to analyze User behavior and deliver actionable insights for business stakeholders.

Her consumer behavior research was awarded with the OBE, Online Business Excellence for 2016 as well as the Best of Neuromarketing and was chosen as CMSWire contributor of the year 2017.

Her research papers and studies can be found in top business magazines such as Entrepreneur, TechCrunch and Forbes. She also writes an ongoing blog for Psychology Today named “Behind Online Behavior”.

In our episode we’ve talked about digital interactions that matters.

Listen to this episode in order to learn

Different approaches to customer experience

Shaping moments for our customers and users to remember

How to use words to shape customers experience

What part of the journey you should pay attention too

Writers in Tech is back for Season 3!

A few years back, when we first started our UX Writing Academy program, I got a call from Mattias Åkerberg, then a Swedish copywriter.

We shared the same vision about the future of UX writing, and I realized I was speaking with someone who was ready to invest all of his resources and energy into learning what UX writing is all about.

Since completing our training program, Mattias has probably become the biggest UX writing influencer in Sweden.

He now lands the best clients, runs his own Swedish UX writing course, and publishes a UX writing newsletter called Please Copy Me.

We spoke about his transition from copywriter to UX writer and the first steps he took to make it happen.

We also talked about his strategies for landing new projects. Great tips for all you freelancers out there.

Super informative episode—don’t miss it!

In this episode, we spoke withLi-Na Koh, a senior content designer at Zapier. I have to say, Zapier is one of my favorite digital products out there today. It allows you to easily connect your favorite services.

For example, every time someone signs up for one of our webinars, Zapier automatically creates a Zoom event and sends a confirmation email at the same time. It's pretty magical!

Two aspects of this product are really interesting:

-Their copy is particularly well done, even though they don’t have a lot of writers on their team

-They've been an all-remote company for more than nine years

Li-Na Koh is the first writer on the team and we spoke about being a remote UX writer, working on a product like Zapier, and much more.

This episode is a must!

A good chatbot reduces the number of customer service calls, gives the users the answers they need, and refers them to real person when necessary.

So how do you create a chatbot that is smart enough to know when a customer service representative is needed? For sure it can be easier said than done, as many user flows are complex and have multiple intents.

Amy Johnson, Senior UX writer at IKEA, explains how she uses data to map the customer journey and user intents, and why it is still crucial to keep testing and improving the bot after launch.

We also talked about how to make sure writers get a seat at the table early on in a project, and concluded that data is a writer’s best friend. Keeping track of data is the best way to show the magic of microcopy and help product managers see the value of UX writing.

As the digital products we use continue to tighten their grip on our society and adversely affect our mental health, one question has become paramount: Are we doomed to digital addiction or can we break the spell and learn to live in harmony with our devices?

No one knows more about this subject than my recent guest Nir Eyal, the bestselling author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.

Nir’s expertise on both sides of the issue gives him an invaluable and compelling perspective that is not to be missed.

We covered topics such as:

-Combating digital addiction and the link between product design and mental health

-Staying focused when your phone is buzzing with notifications

-The difference between drug dealers and designers

-Promoting ethical design in your company

-Why people don’t like to read digital interfaces

-What industries are most infamous for having dark patterns

-Should creating digital experiences be licensed

-The undervalued skill of writing in tech companies

The rapid growth in the practice of UX—and UX writing in particular—is due in no small part to the power of the community.

The feedback and knowledge sharing seen throughout the UX community are what is helping many writers and designers improve their practices.

I was curious to speak with the founder of one of the biggest UX communities in the world, Ioana Adriana Teleanu of UX Goodies. We spoke about her best practices when it comes to creating content for the international UX community and about the UX writer’s role within the product team.

Give it a listen if you want to learn:

-How to stay up to date with current UX trends

-How to build a flow for content creation for the UX community

-What makes a UX community thrive

Amir Shevat has worked for companies such as Microsoft, Google, Slack, and was the VP of product at Twitch. He also wrote the book “Designing Bots” and currently runs his own start-up called Reshuffle. Quite a resume!

As he’s someone with so much experience in the valley, I was curious to talk to him about the future of writers in tech and where he thinks our field is headed.

In this episode you’ll learn:

-The current status of bots

-The future of conversational software

-About the best case studies and use cases for conversation design

-How to start a conversation design product

-How to design a delightful conversation

-All about the bot “beer test”

-Ethical design suggestions

In our brief conversation, Stephen talks about his processes for working on QuickBooks payroll software.

Give it a listen if you’d like to learn about:

-Customer interviews and what tools you should use when showing prototypes to your users

-Delighting your customers with content instead of stressing them out

What design tools you can and should use

-How to talk with recruiters as a UX writer/content designer

Don’t miss it!

Greg Digneo is an entrepreneur, Content strategy expert, and business consultant.

A few years back, after building a 7-figure content agency, Greg was burned out.

That may sound a bit off-topic for UX writers, but if you’ve ever wanted a lesson in advanced content strategy that drives traffic, this is the episode for you.

In a frank and honest talk, Greg shared the struggles of building a successful content agency from the ground up. He talked about his process for planning content that would drive lots of traffic for his client, Time Doctor. It was a fascinating perspective and I now implement some of what I learned in our own blog.

He also walked me through his 7 steps of content development. Give this episode a listen if you want to learn how to:

Scale your content agency

Create better content strategy practices that drive traffic

Find high volume keywords

Define your audience and create content for them

Find pain points

We even talk about why you should call your readers on the phone!

Enjoy 🥳

Dave Glazier is the UX writing lead at Nedbank, one of Africa's largest banks. Recently, I spoke to him about writing microcopy for a large and diverse emerging-market audience. In this episode, we cover:

-Creating a content style guide and working with designers

-Why and how you should listen to your customers

-Crafting the voice and tone for a banking experience

-Inclusive writing and writing for 12 different languages

-Using Google Trends to find inspiration and improve your writing