Revolutionizing UX Writing: The Power of Design Systems

In the realm of user experience (UX) writing, consistency is not just a preference; it's a necessity. Pinda, a UX writer at SUV TechX, takes us through the transformative journey of incorporating a design system into UX writing, highlighting the pivotal role such systems play in ensuring coherent and effective communication across digital products. This article delves into the challenges faced by UX writers and how a well-structured design system can address these issues, ultimately fostering a more efficient and scalable writing process.

The Challenges of UX Writing

UX writing, by its nature, demands a level of consistency and reusability akin to UI elements. However, achieving this is easier said than done. Writers often grapple with maintaining uniform language across a product, a task complicated by the sheer volume of text involved. This inconsistency can confuse users and dilute brand perception. Additionally, the process of checking for existing copy or ensuring new writers are aligned with language standards is cumbersome and inefficient, plagued by time-consuming searches and communication gaps.

The Solution: A Copy System Built in Figma

In response to these challenges, Pinda and her team at SUV TechX crafted a solution: a centralized copy system constructed within Figma. This system allows UX writers to quickly find existing copy, ensuring consistency, or confidently create new copy, knowing it won't duplicate or conflict with existing text. The system is designed with two primary use cases in mind:

1. Finding Existing Copy: Aids in maintaining language consistency across the product.
2. Creating New Copy: Enables writers to innovate without the fear of creating redundant or conflicting copy.

How It Works

The process begins with the UX writer identifying the need for specific button copy. The system allows for searching by keywords in the copy or metadata, enabling quick identification of existing text. If no suitable copy exists, the writer can proceed to create new content, secure in the knowledge that it fills a unique need. Once the new copy is approved, it's added to the copy library, making it available for future use.

The Technical Foundation

The solution leverages the atomic design concept, separating visual elements from copy. Each piece of text is treated as a component within Figma, allowing UX writers to manage copy independently of UI design changes. This separation ensures that text can be updated or modified without affecting the visual design, and vice versa.

Designing for Information Retrieval

A significant part of the solution's success lies in its information retrieval system, which supports both browsing and searching. The system is organized to guide writers to the copy they need, whether through a flat organization scheme for button copy or a more elaborate structure for long-form text. This organization, coupled with strategic use of keywords and metadata, makes finding the right copy a breeze.

The Impact on UX Writing

This innovative approach to integrating UX writing with design systems has far-reaching implications:

• Efficiency: Streamlines the writing process, reducing production time.

• Scalability: Facilitates a scalable operation that can handle the complexity of growing products.

• User Experience: Ensures a consistent language that enhances user experience and brand perception.

• Empowerment: Provides UX writers with the tools and processes they need to thrive, highlighting the importance of their role in the product development ecosystem.

Pinda's presentation not only showcases the potential of design systems to revolutionize UX writing but also calls on UX writers, designers, and product teams to recognize and harness this potential. As digital products continue to evolve, the integration of writing and design systems will be crucial in creating coherent, user-friendly experiences.

For those invested in the future of UX writing, this case study is a call to action: to think of copy as a system, advocate for the necessary tools, and work collaboratively to make design systems serve the needs of writers too.

Let's embrace this opportunity to make design systems work for UX writers, ensuring that the words on the screen are as thoughtfully designed as the visuals that accompany them.

For a deeper dive into how SUV TechX tackled these challenges and implemented their solution, watch the full presentation here.