LA Times

Background

The skills essential to a Journalist are the skills essential to a UX Writer. 

I began as a Reporter, and it influenced every subsequent step in my career.  As I moved to digital copywriting, then content strategy, then content design, and now as a UX Writer, I saw that each stage was an outgrowth of my early steps as a Features Writer.

The Parallels

• You’re given a story/assignment by your Editor; you’re given a task/project by a client

• You research the subject

• You formulate an approach

• You run it by your team, strengthening your work through collaboration

• You do a competitor analysis.  For example: what publications have run similar stories?  Has a client got a Unique Selling Point (USP) over the competition? How can I capitalize on my findings?

• You seek out a pitch-perfect Tone of Voice (TOV) for the article/product and the reader/user

• You work collegially with Leads/Senior Editors, Stakeholders/Publishers

• You map out the story; you create a journey

• You deliver the goods!