--- title: "UX Writing" url: "https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/ux-writing" language: "en" description: "What is UX writing? A plain-language explanation with an example, how it differs from copywriting and practical tips. Learn how clear words guide users." published: "2026-10-14T15:20:00+02:00" updated: "2026-10-14T15:20:00+02:00" --- # UX Writing UX writing is the craft of writing the words that guide people through a digital product, such as buttons, hints and error messages. The goal is that every task works without guesswork. - **Buchstabe:** U - **Englischer Begriff:** UX Writing UX glossary · engl. UX Writing # UX Writing UX writing is the craft of writing the words that guide people through a digital product, such as buttons, hints and error messages. The goal is that every task works without guesswork. Imagine you want to delete a bank transfer in your banking app. A dialog pops up: “Cancel process?” with the buttons “Yes” and “No.” Does “Yes” mean the transfer gets deleted, or that you cancel the deletion? You tap one of them and hope for the best. Good UX writing prevents moments like this. ## Explained simply UX writing is the craft of writing the words that guide people through a digital product: button labels, menu items, form hints, error messages, confirmations, empty states and onboarding screens. These short texts are also called [microcopy](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/microcopy). Think of the signs at an airport. They’re not there to entertain you. They’re there to get you to the right gate without detours. Good interface text does exactly that inside an app. The Nielsen Norman Group describes UX writing, in essence, as working with carefully considered information that fits people’s context, needs and behavior. While others on the team design with layout and interaction, UX writers design with words. The result is part of the [user experience](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/user-experience), not mere decoration. ## What matters Three qualities show up in almost every guideline. Text should be **clear**, meaning understandable on first read and free of internal jargon. It should be **concise**, because people scan online far more than they read. And it should be **useful**: it says what happens, what to do next and what consequences an action has. UX writing isn’t advertising copy. Copywriting aims to persuade and grab attention, while UX writing aims to help people complete a task. The two can overlap, on a landing page for example, but they pursue different goals. You can read more in [UX Writing vs. Copywriting: What’s the Difference?](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/blog/ux-writing-vs-copywriting-whats-the-difference). What the job looks like day to day is covered in [What Does a UX Writer Do?](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/blog/what-does-a-ux-writer-do). ## An example Here’s an example: after a failed payment, an online shop only shows “Error 402. Transaction not possible.” Many people don’t know whether they’ve been charged, so they contact support. After the rewrite, the message reads: “Your payment didn’t go through. You haven’t been charged. Check your card details or choose another payment method.” Below it sits a button labeled “Change payment method.” The text answers the most pressing question first and names the next step. The delete dialog from the beginning also becomes clear once its buttons say “Delete transfer” and “Keep.” ## In practice - **Name buttons after the action.** “Create account” is clearer than “Next” or “OK,” because people know what will happen before they tap. - **Write error messages that help.** Explain what went wrong and how to move on, without blaming anyone or showing codes without context. - **Test words like you test design.** In [usability testing](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/usability-testing), you quickly see which phrases make people stumble. A shared vocabulary in your design system makes sure the same things have the same name everywhere. ## Related terms [Microcopy](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/microcopy), [Onboarding](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/onboarding), [Usability Testing](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/usability-testing), [User Experience](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/user-experience) ## Sources - [Anna Kaley: UX Writing: Study Guide. Nielsen Norman Group, 2024](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-writing-study-guide/) - [Google: Material’s Communication Principles: Intro to UX Writing. Google Codelabs](https://codelabs.developers.google.com/codelabs/material-communication-guidance) - [Torrey Podmajersky: Strategic Writing for UX. O’Reilly Media, 2019](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/-/9781492049388/) ## More terms [ ### A/B Testing An A/B test is an experiment that shows two versions of a page or element at the same time to randomly split groups of visitors. It lets you decide with real data which version works better. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/a-b-testing) [ ### ARIA ARIA is a W3C standard that adds roles, states and properties to HTML. It tells screen readers what an element is and how it currently behaves. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/aria) [ ### Accessibility Accessibility means designing websites, apps and digital documents so that everyone can use them, including people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive disabilities. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/accessibility) [ ### Affordance An affordance describes what action an object makes possible and whether people can recognize it: a button invites you to press it, a handle invites you to pull. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/affordance) [ ### Alt Text Alt text is a short text version of an image, stored in the HTML alt attribute. Screen readers read it aloud so people who can’t see the image get the same information. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/alt-text) [ ### Atomic Design Atomic Design is a method for building user interfaces from small, reusable building blocks, from single elements like buttons all the way up to complete pages. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/atomic-design) [ ### BFSG The BFSG, Germany’s Accessibility Strengthening Act, has required many companies since 28 June 2025 to make certain products and digital services, such as online shops, accessible. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/bfsg) [ ### Card Sorting Card sorting is a research method in which people sort terms written on cards into groups. It shows you how they mentally organize content, so you can plan navigation that makes sense to them. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/card-sorting) [ ### Cognitive Load Cognitive load is the mental effort it takes to understand and use an interface. The less unnecessary thinking a design demands, the easier the actual task becomes. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/cognitive-load) [ ### Color Vision Deficiency A color vision deficiency means someone has a harder time telling certain colors apart than most people. The most common type is red-green deficiency. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/color-vision-deficiency) [ ### Contextual Inquiry Contextual inquiry is a research method where you observe and interview people in their real work environment. It shows you how they actually get tasks done, not just how they describe it. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/contextual-inquiry) [ ### Contrast Ratio The contrast ratio describes how much two colors differ in brightness, such as text and background. WCAG requires at least 4.5:1 for normal text. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/contrast-ratio)