Writers of Silicon Valley

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 10. The essential book on UX Writing, with Andy Welfle and Michael J Metts Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

There have been a few books on UX writing published, all of them very good, but I think this one might take the cake.

Andy Welfle and Michael J Metts have written "Writing is Designing". I think it advances the conversation as it approaches writing as a design tool, and builds on the great work that has already been published by other UX writers.

Listen to our conversation and you'll see why.

A few things: 1. Buy Writing is Designing from Rosenfeld Media

2. Andy and Michael are hosting a launch event in San Francisco on January 27. You should go.

3. Follow Andy and Michael on Twitter.

4. The UX Writers Collective and San Francisco UX Writers Meetup are hosting a conference: The UX Writing and Content Design Summit 2020. Check it out and propose your talk!

Listeners get 20% off podcasts and workshops at UX Content Collective! Just use PODCAST20 at checkout.

Ep. 9. How to get hired as a UX writer in 2020, with Gordon MacRea Jan 05, 2020

Show notes

Are you looking for a job as a UX writer in 2020? Then no hyperbole: you need to listen to this podcast.

Gordon MacRae is an instructional designer, product manager, UX writer, and more.

He started the UX Writing Jobs newsletter in 2018 to collate all the opportunities for UX writers around the world, and he's learned more along the way about the market than just about anyone else.

After all, you don't talk with hiring managers and read job ads every month without understanding a thing or two about the UX writing job market.

In this podcast, we talk about everything to do with hiring UX writers in 2020, and getting hired. We talk about: - What skills you need - The trends in UX Writing job descriptions - What managers are looking for - What to avoid - How the standards are rising for good UX writers - How to stand out to hiring managers - And so, so much more

Seriously, this discussion is gold for anyone who's looking for a job. We talk about the trends you need to know in order to get hired in 2020. Even if you're happy in your current role, you should listen to understand what the market is doing. After all, who knows what 2020 will bring. What better way to start the year?

I hope you enjoy the podcast, and as always, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy the content! It helps others find the pod.

Listeners get 20% off podcasts and workshops at UX Content Collective! Just use PODCAST20 at checkout.

Ep. 8. UX Writing at Spotify, with Tamara Hilmes Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

Spotify! Do you use it? Probably. Remember when we owned CDs? Crazy. Actually, you know what's crazy? Paying for stuff I don't have in my hands. I'm 32, so I still want to read that lyrics sheet damn it.

No, streaming is better. And Tamara Hilmes is one of the people making it better. She's a UX Writing Manager at Spotify, and she and I spent some time talking about her background, what makes working at Spotify so great, and the skills she needs to succeed at a major company there - and how to succeed as a UX writer, specifically.

Her experience is impressive. Foursquare, Vimeo, and she's written a ton about UX writing in general.

Say hi to Tamara on Linkedin.

Many thanks to the team at Spotify for featuring Writers of Silicon Valley on their Events page!

I hope you enjoy the podcast, and as always, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy the content! It helps others find the pod.

Listeners get 20% off podcasts and workshops at UX Content Collective! Just use PODCAST20 at checkout.

Ep. 7. How does UX writing work at Dropbox? (Angela Gorden) Sep 04, 2019

Show notes

Dropbox is one of those fascinating companies. Steve Jobs wanted to buy it at one point. Now it's huge. HUGE. With that growth comes a need for UX writing, and that's why Angela Gorden is here today.

Angela Gorden is all about making big ideas easy to absorb. Currently a UX writer and manager at Dropbox, she studied design thinking at Stanford University and creative writing at the University of Iowa. Angela blogs about product, design, and writing on Medium.

Angela is a big thinker in the UX writing community, and today we talk about how UX writing works at Dropbox - particularly in such a large team.

If you want to learn how UX writing works in a team, this is the pod for you!

As always, listeners to this podcast get 20% off the UX Writing Fundamentals course at www.uxwriterscollective.com.

Resources mentioned in the show:

- On Writing Well - San Francisco UX Writers Meetup - Daily UX Writing - UX Writer Jobs - UX Writing Fundamentals at UX Writers Collective- UX Writer Salary Survey

Say "hi" @angiegorden or reach out on LinkedIn. I'm on twitter @pdstafford.

BONUS: Be a better UX writer, think like a journalist Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

Yep, I get it. You signed up to listen to other UX writers, not me. In that case I say, skip! Delete! Burn! Destroy your phone, even.

Last week I gave a presentation to Content Melbourne, at General Assembly. I spoke about how journalism skills can help you as a UX writer.

It's just a piece of bonus content, so I hope you enjoy it.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

- Elements of Style

- Strategic Writing for UX

Ep. 6. Good UX writing is boring, with Ryan Farrell Jul 20, 2019

Show notes

We spend so much time and effort thinking about UX writing that's "delightful" we often miss the point: form over function. Good UX writing should be…pretty boring, actually.

That's what i discuss in today's episode with Ryan Farrell. Ryan is a content strategist at GoodRx, but you might very well know him as the creator of the Daily UX Writing Challenge. As of the time this episode went live, the free course had over 2200 students. That's crazy. Crazy good.

In today's episode, we talk about the newsletter, why Ryan created it, the skills we think are underrated in the UX writing community, and whether Neil Armstrong should have been told "good job" by his onboard computer when landing on the moon.

Stuff we mentioned:

Find Ryan online:

Twitter

Enjoy wherever you get your podcasts:

I hope you enjoy the podcast, and as always, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy the content! It helps others find the pod.

Listeners get 20% off podcasts and workshops at UX Content Collective! Just use PODCAST20 at checkout.

Ep. 5. UX writing in the fashion industry, with Annie Adams May 26, 2019

Show notes

I am terrible at fashion.

Well, maybe not too terrible. I can dress myself. I look nice on occasion. But I definitely don't know the ins and outs, let alone from a UX writing context.

That's why I enjoyed my conversation with Annie Adams so much. At the time we spoke. Annie was working as a UX writer in the fashion industry (she's still a UX writer, just in a different industry now). Our conversation covered so much - best practices for testing copy, the nuances of the fashion industry, and much more.

You'll just have to listen to find that all out.

Enjoy!

Listeners get 20% off podcasts and workshops at UX Content Collective! Just use PODCAST20 at checkout.

Ep. 4. How to create chatbots that people actually use, with Hillary Black Apr 20, 2019

Show notes

Yo, chatbots.

They're all the rage, but are they actually going to be a necessary tool for UX writers and content strategists in the future? How essential are they to your arsenal? If they are, what skills do you need to learn?

That's the crux of today's interview with Hillary Black, VP of Strategy & Conversation Design at Black Ops. Her company has created multiple chatbots for clients in the insurance, finance, and retail industries. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the podcast about what UX writers need to know about this exciting field.

Hillary has actually published a fantastic ebook about how to create chatbots, and Writers of Silicon Valley listeners get a free download! Use the code "Podcast" at Gumroad to download your copy.

I hope you enjoy the podcast, and as always, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy the content! It helps others find the pod.

Stuff we mentioned:

Hillary's ebook on Gumroad
Chatbot Conversation Design Club on Facebook

Find Hillary online:

Twitter

Listeners get 20% off podcasts and workshops at UX Content Collective! Just use PODCAST20 at checkout.

Ep. 3. Kathryn Strauss, Senior UX Writer - Square Apr 06, 2019

Show notes

Kathryn Strauss is currently a Senior UX Writer at Square, but her background extends far beyond that with roles at Wells Fargo, US Bank, WebEx, Glassdoor and Weebly.

It would take hours to speak about everything she's done at those roles, so I tried to keep our conversation high level. We spoke about how writers can participate in UX research, the future of the industry, and the types of skills it takes to be a really, really good UX Writer and Content Strategist.

Stuff we mentioned:

Listeners get 20% off podcasts and workshops at UX Content Collective! Just use PODCAST20 at checkout.

Ep. 2. Sophie Tahran, UX Writer - Invision Mar 23, 2019

Show notes

Working remotely is something most people dream of. For Sophie Tahran at Invision, it's a lifestyle. I spoke to her about what it's like to work for a fully remote company, how her time at Lyft impacted her design sensibilities, and what it's like to work for one of the biggest software companies in UX.

We also spoke about what it's like to create governance and style guidelines for an entire company. If UX writing governance and guidelines is your thing - then this interview is for you.

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Writers of Silicon Valley is hosted by Patrick Stafford, senior digital copywriter at MYOB. He's the co-founder and chief marketing officer at the UX Writers Collective.

Listeners get 20% off podcasts and workshops at UX Content Collective! Just use PODCAST20 at checkout.

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