An online, self-paced course for individuals and teams

UX Writing for Technical Writers

It’s time technical audiences got some UX writing love.

Bring priceless UX writing skills to your technical documentation. Earn a certificate in UX writing to support your next career move.

Price: US $1000

Get certified in UX writing best practices

In this self-paced course, you'll learn to craft outstanding experiences for technical users. Whether they're working in docs or an interface, you'll be ready to meet their needs.

Practice the craft

Learn best practices for user experience writing and content design to craft user-centered guidance for docs or interfaces.

Master UX skills

Add user-centered writing to your already impressive skillset. Get ahead of the curve and get that promotion as a hybrid writer.

Learn UI writing

Master writing for UI components including buttons, alerts, error and success messages, forms, empty states, and more.

Flex your options

Add UX writing examples to your portfolio to stand out from the crowd. Double your options—work in either UX or tech writing.

What students are saying

I think this is a very unique course. I haven't been able to find any articles or other content that addresses this intersection of doc writing and UX writing. And tech writers are writing UI text and need support.

Holly Jauch

Sr Technical Writer & Editor, Splunk

I wish I took this course sooner! There's a lot of concrete information that UX writers are expected to learn on their own. This course helped tremendously!

Nerie Ohana

Content Designer, Microsoft

I'm planning on putting together a portfolio for UX writing. I have learned a lot about UX writing best practices and how to do comprehensive research to advocate for users.

Kyra Lee

Technical Writer, Magnetic Forensics

Course overview

Perfect for tech writers

Add to your solid technical documentation foundation
Learn user experience writing best practices and skills
Broaden your content design expertise for docs
Find out how to write UI text for common components

Looking to transition to UX writing full time? Consider UX Writing Fundamentals for a deeper dive into the role.

What to expect

Online exercises to practice and reinforce what you learn
Full lifetime access to reference throughout your career journey
Networking with other students on Facebook and Slack
Certificate of proficiency upon successful completion of the final project and final exam

Course authors & instructors

Dave Connis,
Course Author

When Dave discovered UX writing, it was like the heavens opened up and doves descended from the sky offering him a path that combined all of his favorite things (UX and words). Now, he’s a Senior UX Writer at OutSystems.

Bobbie Wood,
Course Author

Bobbie is the founder of the UX Content Collective and former head of UX content strategy and design teams for Google and Intuit. She began her writing career as a tech writer.

Carly Gray,
Instructor

Carly puts customers first to create content that’s always intentional and never distracting. She excels at UX writing for AR/VR products, financial services, and accessibility and currently works at Meta

Daree Allen-Nieves, Instructor

Daree takes complex, difficult-to-understand material and breaks it down for the everyday person. She works with clients in various industries, including e-commerce, advertising, health and tech.

Kevin Bui,
Instructor

Kevin writes words that make software easier to use—things like error messages, menu items, form labels, tooltips, and other UI copy. He also writes help documentation. He’s currently a Senior Content Designer at Atlassian.

Course syllabus

Principles

Technical and UX writing compared
How good UX affects documentation
Technical UX writing principles

Strategies, best practices, and techniques

Voice and tone for docs
Human-centered technical language
Strategies for doc discovery and research
Strategies for doc design and writing
Strategies for reducing user error

UI component writing

Best practices for component writing
Writing guidance elements—tooltips & empty states
Writing user actions—dialogs, CTAs & button text
Writing effective communications—notifications, alerts & errors
Writing user inputs—lists & forms
A few extra bits and pieces

UX content deliverables

Create a style guide
Test your text

How to integrate design steps in your workflows

UX workflow principles
UX writing and usability testing
How to make the case for technical UX writing

Course details

Structure

Entirely self-paced reading and quizzes
5 units each consisting of 3-6 lessons
Practice writing assignments follow each unit
20-40 hours of study and practice work
Certification upon passing final project and final exam

Requirements

*This course is currently offered only in English. For students to be certified, the ability to write and read in fluent English is required. If English is not your primary language, please take this free test before signing up for the course to assess your English-proficiency level. If your score is at C1 or above, you’re ready to take the course. If you score below C1, it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to certify you. Thanks for your understanding.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the course? Is it self-paced?

Time estimates fall around 20-40 hours of study and practice work for this course depending on your speed. There are 5 units in the course. Each unit is broken down into a series of 3-6 lessons with practice quizzes and reviews along the way. To be certified, you must receive a passing score on the final project and final exam.

This course is designed to fit around your schedule; lessons are available on-demand at any time. There is no live instruction, so you’re free to study at your own pace.

Who is this course for? What are the prerequisites?

This course is made with technical writers in mind. If you’re a tech writer who’s interested in applying UX best practices to your work, this course is for you. If you’re a tech writer who is interested in moving into UX writing full-time, consider UX Writing Fundamentals.

Prerequisites:

A computer with the latest version of Chrome
A broadband internet connection
Fluent English comprehension and writing proficiency
Working technical writing knowledge
A love for writing, tech, and good communication with humans

How does this course differ from UX Writing Fundamentals?

The UX Writing Fundamentals course is designed for writers who are new to working as part of a design team. Perfect for junior writers looking to make a switch, or writers transitioning from adjacent roles who want to take on UX writing full time.

UX Writing for Technical Writers takes your existing technical writing knowledge and builds on it. You’ll learn to apply UX writing best practices to your work as a tech writer plus how to write for UI components. Designed for writers who want to be competent in both disciplines.

Is there a professional certification upon course completion?

Yes! If you successfully complete the final project and exam, you’ll walk away with a certificate to showcase your new skills.

Why should I study with UX Content Collective?

Unlike other courses out there, our courses are developed by expert UX writers and managers from companies like Google, Intuit, MYOB, Charter Communications, Amazon, and more. Studying with the UX Content Collective will set you up to succeed at similar tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, Spotify, Shopify, and Netflix.

Already work in tech, but need to hone some world-class writing skills? Are you ready for a fun, creative, and lucrative job?

Come study with us! Our courses provide:

A curriculum designed by professional UX writers from the world’s leading companies
A solid, career-building foundation in user experience and design writing
A Facebook group and a Slack Mentor group exclusively for students
Practical, hands-on experience with the opportunity to finish a portfolio-ready project
Personalized feedback from instructors on practice work and your final project
More than just UX writing skills: the critical knowledge you need to succeed in a UX design team

Course webinar

Become a hybrid writer

Dave Connis, Sr. Documentation & UX Writer, shares his experience as a hybrid technical & UX writer, the benefits of applying UX best practices to documentation, and offers a sneak peek of the UX Writing for Technical Writers course.

Sign up and get started today!