Amanda (Stevenson-Grund) Butler

The perils of technical writing gone wrong - Is this your experience? How can you prevent this from being your experience? Let's connect in the comments below #technicaldocs #softwarestartups #softwareprojects #technicalwriting #customerfacingdocs #whitepapers #ebooks #longformcontent

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I generally don't duplicate posts from elsewhere, but... I will be writing a short (and shallow) book on SwiftTesting. If you'd like to tech review (it requires Xcode 16 beta), DM me your email address or email me. I'm also going to do light updates on my Swift and SwiftUI Kickstarts - mainly to make sure everything still compiles. This will be the last updates on these two books. Once I have the energy and have ceased (I hope understandable) doomscrolling I will update the Async and Data Flow in SwiftUI books. That's my current plan.

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Wahnt halp editting you’re cahpy? Writer's tip: change the font in the document you're reviewing and enlarge the font size - your brain will view/review the copy as new and any mistakes will be more obvious. 

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How do design system teams prove their value? Finding hard metrics around the impact of design system teams has historically been a challenge. A year ago, I met the design system team at Eventbrite who could confidently say that they saved 534 days of engineering effort with their design system. Here's their calculation: Time spent to develop a component pre-design system - time spent to install the design system component = Time saved In order to extrapolate this number, though, you need to know how many times a component has been used. And, that used to require a savvy dev on the team to build something custom. That's no longer the case. We built something at zeroheight that will allow you to track component use in a single repo or across all of your repos. This should help teams show how valuable they are, plus do things like: see which components to prioritize based on use see which product teams are adopting As an added bonus, anyone using the new feature set can also monitor design system packages, allowing them to quickly see which teams are using outdated packages. On a personal note, I'm hoping with data like this, more teams can confidently quantify their impact. And along the way, we'll get better as design system practitioners at identifying the right things to work on. This new feature set is in beta and totally free. Even if you aren't using zeroheight to document your design system, you can use it. Takes like 15 minutes and you've got rich data. Here's the sign up:

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Figma announced some powerful new AI tools for streamlining content and design work yesterday. As usual, my gut reaction was akin to clutching my computer mouse like a pearl to my chest and saying "OMG, my job!" Similarly, we've heard this repeated one way or another—and it's cold comfort: "AI won't take your job, but someone who knows how to use it will." After taking a beat, what I really want to say is: Let's all be that person for ourselves. Use the tools. Adapt, learn fast... or to reuse another quote: "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." Although I completely agree with the sentiment that AI is far from doing all the truly value-added work of content design (see repost below for more on that). Final thought: Remember the amazing film Hidden Figures? The women working in the NASA office thought they'd be out of a job due to the adoption of mainframe computing. Nielson Norman Group recently noted that gen AI is the first major leap forward in UI paradigms in the 60 years since that era in the film. So what they were dealing with in Hidden Figures was no less revolutionary. Their boss helped them learn how to use the machines, and they stayed employed. In fact, they were more valuable and valued than before. Let's learn from those ladies and do our best work yet with the new tools we have. And let's not pretend that a tool is as useful in the hands of a novice as it is in the hands of a pro. As subject-matter experts, they were the best suited to take on the expanded role with the machine rather than be generically replaced by it :-) Figma release: https://lnkd.in/g-Hx7_HC NNG article link: https://lnkd.in/gDCJainf

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Hey editors! Do you want to insult your writers from a single click and finish off with the second one? My TG stickerpack is aimed at toxic writing feedback with a little effort. Ask me and I'll give you this unfair advantage!

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One of the core tenets of UX writing is empathy, even more so if you're writing for a product or service with high stakes for its users. For example, finance, health, legal, and security companies operate in realms where users can receive life-altering news. As content designers, we must be keenly aware of this and strive to craft experiences that build feelings of trust, safety, and empowerment in our users. As a UX writer, I aim to understand the intended users before I write. This is not just a preference but a necessity. After all, our job is to craft conversational content without the benefit of everything happening during an actual conversation. Consider how human beings communicate. Whether in a face-to-face conversation or via text message, our goal is to gauge how the other participant feels. We do this by watching facial expressions and body language, assessing emoji use, and, of course, listening for tone of voice. In the absence of all of that, what we can do is research. And that's why research plays an essential part in this process. Pulling back the curtain on the world of our users allows us to understand the emotions they experience when faced with the information, questions, and other communications we share with them. So, my hat's off to all the UX professionals working hard to make digital products safe and empowering for users.  Specifically, shoutout to the writers at the companies featured in this post for getting the job done👍! Capital One, Flo Health Inc., Acorns, PayPal, Headspace, and Ada Health. #UX #UXWriting #TraumaInformed #UserExperience #ContentDesign #UXResearch #UserResearch #Microcopy #Trust #Empathy #HumanCenteredDesign 

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There's been a lot of talk lately about ageism and companies hiring younger talent. It begs the discussion - are companies in the right (legalities aside)to hire younger candidates if they are trying to create a certain culture that is more likely with a younger staff? Should they be forced to hire more senior candidates who are more experienced? Where does the idea of creating an environment with young staff who approach problems with a new way of thinking and acknowledging that cross the line into ageist hiring practices?

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I've been doing the work we now know as UX for over 28 years. I have perspectives and sentiments that those with much less experience are not very likely to possess or embrace. Remember that when folks who entered the discipline after 2011 express discontent with the stances I take. • They don't like my constant addressing of UX ≠ UI, but can't really relate and didn't witness the transition of UX's value proposition. • They refer to my outspokenness as "pontificating," but are doing nothing (genuine) to benefit the discipline. They only benefit themselves, many times at the expense of the discipline. • They express concern about what I do, but willingly empower folks that are doing the discipline great harm. • They don't like my stance against UX writing, but can't relate first-hand to observing information architecture and content strategy being swept under the rug. • They don't like my rejection of OOUX, but aren't sensitive to folks trying to make a name for themselves at the expense of the discipline AND don't understand the misdirective nature of someone's adding layers of complexity to today's UX culture that is fundamentals-averse. • They don't like my stance against bootcamps, but simply can't relate to and don't understand the predatory and snake oil factors at work. • They complain about my stance on imposter syndrome, but never say anything to refute the related facts I've shared. • They don't like my constant calling out of the sinister nature of today's UX operation, but only cry out if and when they're personally impacted by something. NONE of those stances negate or disprove what I'm addressing. If they knew what I knew (and they don't), cared like I care (and they don't), and experienced what I've experienced (and they haven't), they'd respond the same way. The things I address simply don't compute due to their biases or lack of understanding, but someone's lack of understanding DOES NOT mean it's not true. That's simply arrogance at its "finest."

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This is a really good article about common techniques of browsing the web with only a keyboard. I consider this a prereq for anyone working in the accessibility field. Martin does a beautiful job keeping the concepts simple and straightforward. #Accessibility #Keyboard https://lnkd.in/eQGKbADX

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I will never cease to be amazed at today's trends in UX leadership hiring practices. Far too often, I'm seeing people with 3-8 years of actual IC experience (at the most) being thrust into leadership roles they don't qualify for. When someone who's truly qualified applies, far too often we are told that they "decided to go with someone else who aligns better with the position." Eventually, you find out it's one of the aforementioned types of folks (again) OR someone who was inadvertently hired previously into such a role. Someone might think this is sour grapes, but I don't do sour grapes. No time for that. This is just....plain....wrong and the results are the additional proof in the pudding. What are the results of the hiring misdirects? • Poor UX maturity levels (not being managed). • Mid- and entry-level UXers go OUTSIDE the organization to get mentoring. • No growth for team members. • No genuine cohesion with team members. • No proper team representation in the org. Again, not only is it wrong, but it's counterproductive.

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⏱ “Just in time accessibility docs” I think I’ve been doing it all wrong. As we build out our design system, we’ve been continuing to add lengthy accessibility documentation to each of our components, check. But is it actually helpful? → W3C Guidelines are verbose and many of the guidelines become redundant once the component has been built. → Text based documentation can be hard to visualize without examples or access to assistive technology. → While components may test accessible in isolation, new issues come up when components are used in context. 👏 Some folks who are doing it right that we're trying to learn from at Exygy → Carbon design system from IBM provides context specific tips for both designers and developers. The guidelines they provide act as quick implementation checklists. https://lnkd.in/gbmeJe5F → GOLD Design System by Design System AU is really unique in the way that it provides accessibility previews of components. I really dig how they simulate keyboard navigation and color blindness! https://lnkd.in/gDBgUiyN → USWDS from GSA goes above and beyond any system that I have seen by providing accessibility testing documentation that can be used when doing QA of components in the wild. ...whoa https://lnkd.in/gYP2ptrR 💎 A couple of things our team has taken away from these amazing resources that might be helpful to others: → Focus component documentation on the most "actionable" implementation details for both designers and engineers. → Reserve verbose technical setup requirements for the initial component acceptance criteria. → Experiment with ways to easily preview accessibility options and outputs. → If possible, document how someone could test issues that could come up during ongoing product feature development and QA. 🧙‍♂️ This post was in part inspired by a talk from Dan Mall at the last Figma Config when he referenced "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" to describe the "notes in the margins that help Harry improve his potion skills" as a way to describe better "just in time" design system documentation. If you do actually need the verbose stuff for component acceptance criteria you can always get it here: → W3C Authoring practices guide https://lnkd.in/g_MUENbn #accessibility #designsystems #documentation #ui #uidesign

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When it comes to UX content, are you ever tempted to just "write your own"? You're not alone, but maybe this article by Aprill Jones, Associate Content Director at CapTech, will convince you to call on a professional. (I sure hope so.) #captech #uxwriting

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Is there such a thing as "hate content which converts"? I don't know, but I can't help to share this super funny site with you all: https://poortugalscum.com/ Not only does it cover the misfortunes of expats living in Portugal, it does so in a way that many of us - honest, hard-working Portuguese - can relate to. There's great SEO potential here, if I may add, with "bad things about living in Portugal" deserving a boost, or even "Portugal sucks". It's a bittersweet one, this. I've lived abroad for a large portion of my adulthood, and I could see myself leaving again. We have some serious issues as a society, and I can understand how some expats have immense challenges. Are you an expat in Portugal? Are you living the dream, or avoid focusing too much on the downsides? I could as easily tell you about how it felt living in the UK, Spain and Italy. _________________________ I write about #iGaming and #contenmanagement in a #remotework universe. Follow me for a crying shoulder - you're not alone!

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Don't end your essay with a section called Conclusion. We can tell it's concluding; we see your prose end two paragraphs later. Every subheading should contribute to the message. What's the takeaway? Worst case use "Looking forward." #AmEditing

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Being a writer with ADHD can be tough... (but you're not alone)! My friend K.M. Weiland approached me in March to do a guest post on her site 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀 looking for insight from a writer with ADHD. I wrote my tips, tools, and processes, and the post performed very well (link at the bottom of this post). Here are 5 unconventional tips that work for me: 1. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 Time management is key. Set a 25-minute timer and work on a single task. Take a break, then start again. 2. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲-𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀. Block out the outside world. Get in the zone with your favorite music. (I use brain.fm or movie scores.) 3. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 I love writing after everyone is asleep. Writing when it's quiet and dark is my jam. A quiet house and good headphones are the best! 4. 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 Roger Ebert said 'The Muse comes during the work' Write now, edit later. They're different disciplines. Type fast, don't stop, and keep moving forward. 5. 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 ADHD minds thrive on movement. Take a walk or do some jumping jacks. Then return to writing re-energized! They say ADHD is a curse, but being an ADHD writer can actually be an asset. ADHD gives me the superpower of hyper-focus, an extra gear that not everyone else has. Embrace your quirks, and use these tools to help you stay creative and productive! > What's your favorite ADHD hack? 59/100 (214) | #100DayRally 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘔𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘖𝘝𝘐𝘋. 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦. 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭. https://lnkd.in/gDH48z5S

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