8 Outstanding Books Every UX Writer Should Read
When I decided to transition to UX writing earlier this year, I knew I couldn’t afford expensive courses. But I was hungry for knowledge. So, where did I turn to? The treasure trove of wisdom — good old books.
Over the course of the year, I’ve sought knowledge in the pages of books on UX writing, user research, content strategy, psychology, and human-computer interaction. These books have helped me understand the fundamentals of UX writing without costing an arm and a leg.
So, as the year winds down, I’ve compiled a list of the top reads that have helped me in my UX writing journey. While some are dedicated UX writing books, others are not specifically for UX writers but contain nuggets that UX writers would find helpful. Check them out — you might just find the guidance you need.
1. Strategic Writing for UX
By Torrey Podmajersky
First on this list is one of my favorite books on UX writing — Strategic Writing for UX. Torrey Podmajersky, the author, brings a wealth of experience from renowned companies like Xbox, Microsoft, and Google. With insights from these experiences, the book provides valuable tools for creating UX content that meets your business and user’s goals.
“The strategic purpose of UX content is to meet two sets of goals: the goal of the organization responsible for the experience, and the goals of the people using the experience.”
After reading this book, you will learn about UX writing best practices, UX text patterns, structures for voice, iterative editing, and more.
Who is this book for?
Whether you’re an aspiring UX writer, a veteran UX writer, or just want to support a UX writer on your team, this book will help you.
2. Writing is Designing
By Michael J. Metts and Adams Welfle
This book argues that writing is a core part of the design process, and writers are designers. The key idea is that words shouldn’t be an afterthought that comes after the design. Rather, they should be woven into the experiential design process. Like visual design, writing should be iterative, validated with research, and highly collaborative.
“Design is often perceived as visual, but a digital product relies on language…When you write the words that appear in a piece of software, you design the experience someone has with it.”
Through the chapters of this book, you’ll discover ways to cultivate an objective, strategic approach to UX writing, create user-focused content, and work collaboratively with your team.
Who is this book for?
This book is not just for dedicated UX writers. It’s for anyone who puts words in front of users; whether you’re a designer, product manager, or developer, you’ll find the insights in this book valuable.
3. Nicely Said
By Nicole Fenton and Kate Lee
Nicely Said is a must-read if you’re new to UX writing. In this book, the authors offer their best advice from years of writing web copy professionally to help you write web copy that addresses the needs of your readers, supports your business goals, and attracts new customers.
“Don’t assume that your readers will understand what you’re writing about. You know your business and your website more than they do. Invite them in as if you’re striking up a conversation or telling a story.”
This book will show you how to plan a writing project, define realistic goals, and work towards your mission.
Who is this book for?
Whether you’re new to UX writing or an experienced writer looking to sharpen your skills, this book will help you.
4. Microcopy: The Complete Guide
By Kinneret Yifrah
This book is a gem for all aspiring UX writers. The author, Kinneret Yifrah, gives a formula for creating smart microcopy your users will love. This includes discovering your brand’s voice and tone and tailoring your microcopy accordingly.
“Language is, therefore, the main factor that makes an interface more human-like, it endears them to users and creates an emotional connection that motivates us to act. But for this to happen, the interface needs to conform to social conventions and feel natural and authentic.”
After reading this book, you’ll know what content will influence your users and the best way to phrase it; no more speculations.
Who is this book for?
This book is perfect for new and aspiring UX writers.
5. 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
By Susan M. Weinschenk
We’ve already established that writing is designing, so it’s no surprise that a design book made it to the list. But this is not your regular design book — this one focuses on applying psychology and behavioral science to design. The author, Susan M. Weinschenk, a behavioral science leader, shares 100 insights on human perception and behavior to help you create better products.
“Understanding how people think is crucial if you’re going to design for them. Just as there are visual illusions, there are also thinking illusions.”
After reading this book, you’ll be able to craft more human-centered copy as you’ll know what motivates people to use a product or service, what grabs and holds their attention, and what influences their general behavior.
Who is this book for?
This book is for anyone who has a role in creating an experience for users.
6. Just Enough Research
by Erika Hall
To create meaningful digital content, you need to understand your users, who, in most cases, are different from you. This is where research becomes essential. And if there’s one book that makes research accessible to everyone, it’s Just Enough Research.
“For a design to be successful, it must serve the needs and desires of actual humans. Strangely, simply being a human is insufficient for understanding most of our fellows.”
After reading this book, you’ll know what research is and isn’t, how to conduct research in various situations, how to avoid bias from creeping in, and more. The book also contains a step-by-step process for conducting effective research.
Who is this book for?
Just Enough Research is ideal for every product team member involved in decision-making.
7. The Elements of International English Style
By Edmond H. Weiss
If you’re creating web content and want to ensure that your readers understand your message clearly, regardless of their English proficiency, this book is for you. This book outlines guidelines for clarity, simplicity, and layout to help native English speakers write text that non-native English speakers can understand without stress.
“…the editor should nearly always choose the more accessible arrangement of text and figures, presuming that any facet of page design or layout that taxes the abilities or attention of an E1 [native English] reader will be an even greater burden for the E2 [non-native English] reader.”
The tactics you’ll learn from this book will help you reduce the burden on non-native English speakers to the barest minimum.
Who is this book for?
This book is ideal for native English speakers who create content for international readers. Non-native English speakers creating content for global audiences might also learn a thing or two from it.
8. Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design
By Kat Holmes
As creatives, we often use our abilities as a baseline when creating solutions. For example, our language fluency influences the way we write. However, such biases can lead to solutions that work well for people with similar abilities as us but exclude a much wider group of people. In this book, Kat Holmes dives into this problem, exploring how design can both cause and remedy exclusion.
“A solution becomes a barrier when it’s designed for people with certain abilities. The brainpower of those we exclude remains untapped. When we create new ways for people to contribute their talent, their contributions influence everyone.”
This book will shift your approach from creating solutions “for” users to creating solutions “with” them.
Who is this book for?
This book is for every member of a product team who is interested in building more inclusive products.
And there you have it! Eight outstanding books to help you on your UX writing journey. These books have played a major role in helping to sharpen my UX writing skills, and I hope they do the same for you.
Which one will you dive into first? Happy reading!
