UX Writing Weekly #156

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Journalists, copywriters, marketers, yearning to breathe free!
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Oxford announced its word of the year for 2021—”vax.” Variations include anti-vax, double-vax, and vaxxie, a selfie taken during or immediately before or after a vaccination.

The only appropriate response to vaxxie is their 2015 word of the year: “😂.”


WHAT’S INSIDE

Issue #156 (Nov 3rd, 2021)
  • UX writing: a home for "career refugees?"
  • From therapist to UX writer
  • Bob Ross: straight up G!
  • New fun Figma feature



ARTICLES 📰

🗽 Before I became a UX writer, I was a ___. Copywriter, journalist, lumberjack, chicken sexer? Something else, perhaps?

This quick read looks at how people of diverse professional backgrounds make up today’s community of UX writers and how inspiring that can be.

UX writing: A field of career refugees

🛋️ Speaking of transitioning into UX, what about therapists? Here, four ex-therapists discuss their shift to UX and what’s still applicable from their old professional lives.

What UX Designers Can Learn From Therapists

😉 Nudging works. But should we use it in our products? And if so, can we do so ethically? This Harvard Business Review article gives us a framework for designing and evaluating nudges.

How to Manipulate Customers … Ethically




MICROCOPY BITE 💬

Google Domains helps users make a decision about buying a new domain name with info about the top-level domain (.io) and more. Good for users, good for business.




TRENDING IN UX 🐦



UPSKILL: LIVE EVENTS & MORE 📚


November 10th: Join us in a Facebook live audio room (think Clubhouse) for our 2nd UX writing talk—a free form discussion/Q&A session with Yuval.

UX Writing Talk  | Live Audio Room (free)

PODCAST: Afraid of research? UX Writing Academy mentor Dr. Natalya Sarana discusses why we needn’t be. (Hint: it makes writing a lot easier!)

Who’s afraid of UX research? with Dr. Natalya Sarana @Flixbus



JOBS 👔

Exclusive positions!

GI Trak (USA/remote), a new digital medicine startup, is hiring a part-time UX writer. Email
[email protected] to apply.


Audioburst (NY/Tel Aviv/remote) is in dire need of a UX writer to take their product to the next level. Email
[email protected] to apply.

And there are plenty more where those came from on the job board:




PORTFOLIO 🎨

There are many great aspects to Heather McBride’s portfolio, but notice something subtle. Her base URL goes straight to her work, not the “About” page or anything else. Straight to what we’re looking for—that’s good UX.

https://www.mcbrideswords.com/




VOX POPULI 🗣️


Join our online communities, and take part in the discussions and debates that are shaping the field.

And if you like our newsletter, share it!

See you next week!

— Written and curated by Yuval Keshtcher, Aaron Raizen, and the UX Writing Hub team —



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