Interview Guide for

UX Writer

Welcome to a comprehensive interview guide designed to help you identify and select the perfect UX Writer for your organization. This guide provides a structured approach to evaluating candidates through multiple interview stages, with carefully crafted questions to assess writing skills, user empathy, technical knowledge, and cultural fit. Whether you're in [Industry], building digital products, or enhancing user experiences, this guide will help you find someone who can craft clear, concise, and user-focused content.

How to Use This Guide

This interview guide serves as your roadmap to finding the ideal UX Writer who can translate complex concepts into simple, user-friendly language. Here's how to make the most of it:

Customize for your needs: Adapt this template to reflect your company's specific requirements, products, and culture.
Prepare thoroughly: Review each candidate's portfolio and resume before interviews to ask relevant follow-up questions.
Follow the structure: Use the sequential interview approach outlined to progressively evaluate different competencies.
Score independently: Have each interviewer complete their evaluation before discussing candidates to prevent bias.
Focus on depth: Use follow-up questions to dig deeper into candidates' experiences rather than rushing through many questions.
Share with your team: Distribute this guide to everyone involved in the hiring process to ensure consistency across interviews.

For additional guidance on conducting effective interviews, check out our blog post on how to conduct a job interview.

Job Description

UX Writer

About [Company]

[Company] is a leading [Industry] organization dedicated to creating intuitive, accessible, and engaging digital experiences for our users. We believe in the power of well-crafted words to guide, inform, and delight users as they interact with our products.

The Role

As our UX Writer, you'll work closely with designers, researchers, product managers, and developers to craft clear, concise, and compelling copy for our digital products. Your words will shape how users understand and interact with our solutions, creating seamless experiences that feel intuitive and human. This role is vital to our ongoing commitment to user-centered design and our company's success.

Key Responsibilities

Create clear, concise, and user-centered content for product interfaces, including error messages, button text, tooltips, menu items, and onboarding flows
Collaborate with product designers, researchers, and product managers to understand user needs and product requirements
Establish and maintain content guidelines and style documentation to ensure consistency across platforms
Review and revise existing content to improve clarity, usability, and brand voice
Conduct content audits and make recommendations for improvements
Participate in user research to understand how content affects user experience
Work within design systems to create scalable content solutions
Help teams understand the value of UX writing and best practices
Stay up-to-date with UX writing trends and innovations

What We're Looking For

Experience in UX writing, content design, or related fields
Strong portfolio demonstrating your UX writing skills
Excellent writing and editing skills with meticulous attention to detail
Ability to write in a clear, concise, and user-focused way
Experience working closely with design and product teams
Knowledge of UX principles and user-centered design
Understanding of content design systems and governance
Experience with or knowledge of accessibility standards for content
Excellent communication and collaboration skills
Ability to receive and implement constructive feedback

Why Join [Company]

Join our team and help shape digital experiences that impact thousands of users daily. At [Company], you'll work in a collaborative environment that values creativity, user advocacy, and continuous learning.

Competitive salary: [Pay Range]
Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance
Flexible work arrangements
Professional development opportunities
Collaborative and innovative work culture
Opportunity to make a real impact on products used by many

Hiring Process

We've designed our interview process to be thorough yet efficient, giving you a clear understanding of the role while helping us assess your skills.

Screening Interview: A 30-minute call with our recruiter to discuss your background and interest in the role.
Writing Exercise: A take-home assignment to evaluate your UX writing skills in a real-world context.
Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: A 60-minute deep dive into your portfolio and technical UX writing skills with our design team.
Competency Interview: A 45-minute discussion about your collaboration approach and how you work with cross-functional teams.

Ideal Candidate Profile (Internal)

Role Overview

The UX Writer plays a critical role in creating clear, concise, and user-friendly content across our digital products. This person will collaborate closely with designers, researchers, product managers, and developers to craft content that guides users efficiently through our interfaces. The ideal candidate combines strong writing skills with a deep understanding of user needs and product goals, ultimately helping us deliver a superior and cohesive user experience.

Essential Behavioral Competencies

Communication Excellence - Ability to express complex ideas in simple, clear language that users can immediately understand. Communicates effectively with various stakeholders from different disciplines.

User Empathy - Demonstrates a genuine understanding of user needs, pain points, and contexts, then creates content that directly addresses these aspects. Can anticipate and solve user problems through thoughtful content.

Collaboration - Works effectively with cross-functional teams, incorporating feedback constructively while advocating for user-centered content decisions. Navigates complex team dynamics to achieve the best outcomes for users.

Problem-Solving - Identifies content-related challenges and develops creative, user-focused solutions. Uses data and research to inform content decisions and solve complex content problems.

Adaptability - Quickly adjusts to changing requirements, feedback, and constraints while maintaining quality and user focus. Can work within different product areas and for various user needs.

Desired Outcomes

Establish a consistent voice and tone throughout the product that aligns with our brand identity and meets user expectations
Reduce user errors and support tickets by 20% through clearer interface content and more helpful error messages
Create a scalable UX content strategy that works across multiple platforms and product areas
Develop comprehensive UX writing guidelines and a content style guide that can be used by the entire product team
Increase user engagement and task completion rates through improved content clarity and information architecture

Ideal Candidate Traits

Strategic thinker who understands how content impacts the overall user experience
Detail-oriented with excellent proofreading abilities and grammar skills
Curious and research-minded, constantly seeking to understand user needs better
Passionate advocate for users who can diplomatically push back when necessary
Self-starter who can work independently while maintaining strong team collaboration
Experience working within agile or sprint-based development processes
Familiarity with content design systems and design tools like Figma or Sketch
Knowledge of accessibility standards and inclusive language practices
Demonstrated ability to translate complex concepts into simple, user-friendly language
Portfolio showcasing a range of UX writing work with measurable impact

Screening Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This initial screening interview aims to quickly identify candidates with the right background, skills, and enthusiasm for the UX Writer position. Focus on understanding their experience, approach to UX writing, and how they've handled relevant challenges in the past. Look for candidates who demonstrate clear communication, user-centered thinking, and a strategic approach to content. The goal is to determine which candidates have the fundamental qualifications and mindset to move forward in the interview process.

Be sure to take notes on specific examples the candidate provides, particularly around their writing process, how they've handled stakeholder feedback, and their approach to measuring success. Allow time for candidates to ask questions at the end of the interview to gauge their interest and understanding of the role.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"I'll be asking questions about your background in UX writing, your approach to content creation for digital products, and how you've handled specific challenges. Feel free to share concrete examples from your work experience. We'll have time at the end for any questions you might have about the role or our company."

Interview Questions

Tell me about your experience as a UX Writer or Content Designer. What drew you to this field?

Areas to Cover

Career path and how they transitioned into UX writing
Understanding of the role of UX writing in product development
Previous experience with digital products or interfaces
Passion points and what motivates them in UX writing work
Level of experience and types of products they've worked on

Possible Follow-up Questions

What aspects of UX writing do you find most rewarding?
How has your understanding of UX writing evolved over time?
What types of products or interfaces have you worked on?
What was the size and structure of the team(s) you worked with?

Walk me through your typical process when creating UX content for a new feature or product.

Areas to Cover

Research methods used to understand user needs
Collaboration with designers, product managers, and developers
How they balance user needs with business requirements
Approach to drafting, revising, and finalizing content
How they incorporate feedback from stakeholders

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you collaborate with designers during the content creation process?
What research methods do you rely on to inform your content decisions?
How do you handle situations where business requirements conflict with user needs?
What tools do you use throughout your UX writing process?

Describe a situation where you had to advocate for user-centered language against stakeholder preferences. How did you handle it?

Areas to Cover

Approach to presenting their case for user-centered language
Ability to use data or research to support their recommendations
Communication skills in potentially difficult conversations
Flexibility in finding compromises when necessary
Results of their advocacy efforts

Possible Follow-up Questions

What specific evidence or arguments did you use to make your case?
How did you balance being an advocate for users while maintaining good relationships?
What was the outcome of the situation?
What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation in the future?

How do you ensure consistency in voice and tone across different parts of a product?

Areas to Cover

Experience creating or using content style guides
Processes for maintaining consistency across teams or products
Understanding of content governance
Approach to documenting decisions and guidelines
Methods for auditing content and identifying inconsistencies

Possible Follow-up Questions

Have you created or contributed to a content style guide? Tell me about that experience.
How do you handle situations where different product areas have evolved different voices?
How do you balance consistency with the need for content to be appropriate to context?
How do you socialize content guidelines with larger teams?

Tell me about a time when you had to simplify complex information for users. What was your approach?

Areas to Cover

Process for breaking down complex concepts
User research methods used to validate understanding
Testing approaches to ensure clarity
Iterative improvements based on user feedback
Results and impact of the simplified content

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you determine the appropriate level of detail to include?
What challenges did you face in simplifying this information?
How did you know your simplified content was successful?
What principles do you follow when simplifying complex information?

How do you measure the success of your UX writing?

Areas to Cover

Familiarity with quantitative and qualitative metrics
Experience with A/B testing or other experimental methods
Approach to gathering and incorporating user feedback
Understanding of business KPIs related to content
Methods for iterating based on performance data

Possible Follow-up Questions

Can you share a specific example where you used data to improve your content?
What metrics do you find most valuable for evaluating UX writing?
How do you approach A/B testing content changes?
How do you balance qualitative feedback with quantitative metrics?

What tools and technologies are you proficient with that are relevant to UX writing?

Areas to Cover

Experience with design tools (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, etc.)
Content management systems and workflows
Collaboration and project management tools
Research and analytics tools
Understanding of technical constraints in different platforms

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you use [specific tool] in your UX writing workflow?
How comfortable are you learning new tools or systems?
Have you worked with design systems or component libraries?
How do you stay organized when managing content across multiple projects?

Interview Scorecard

Communication Skills

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Communication is unclear or overly complex; struggles to express ideas succinctly
2: Communication is generally clear but sometimes lacks precision or conciseness
3: Communicates ideas clearly and concisely; tailors communication appropriately
4: Exceptional communicator who can explain complex concepts with remarkable clarity and adapt style to audience needs

User-Centered Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Shows limited understanding of user needs; focuses more on business or technical constraints
2: Demonstrates basic understanding of user-centered approach but may not consistently apply it
3: Regularly considers user needs and contexts when making content decisions
4: Deeply empathetic to user needs with proven ability to translate this understanding into effective content

UX Writing Experience

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited relevant experience in UX writing or content design
2: Some experience with UX writing but may lack depth in certain areas
3: Solid experience in UX writing across multiple projects or product areas
4: Extensive, varied experience in UX writing with notable achievements and impact

Process & Methodology

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Lacks structured approach to content creation and evaluation
2: Has basic processes but may be rigid or incomplete
3: Demonstrates thoughtful, flexible processes for creating and improving content
4: Exhibits sophisticated, data-informed methodologies for content creation and iteration

Establish a consistent voice and tone throughout the product

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited understanding of voice and tone; no experience with content systems
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Basic understanding of consistency but may struggle with scale
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Good experience with content guidelines and maintaining consistency
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Proven track record of establishing and scaling consistent voice across complex products

Reduce user errors and support tickets through clearer interface content

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited experience with error messaging or problem-solving through content
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Has some experience but may lack systematic approach
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Demonstrated ability to identify and improve problematic content
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Strong history of measurably reducing errors through content improvements

Create a scalable UX content strategy across multiple platforms

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited strategic thinking or experience with multiple platforms
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Some strategic experience but may struggle with complex ecosystems
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Good understanding of content strategy across different contexts
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Exceptional strategic thinking with proven success in multi-platform environments

Develop comprehensive UX writing guidelines and style guide

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited experience creating documentation or guidelines
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Some experience but may lack comprehensiveness or adoption strategies
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Good experience creating and implementing content guidelines
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Extensive experience creating influential, widely-adopted content systems

Increase user engagement and task completion rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited understanding of content's impact on user behavior
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Basic understanding but may lack measurement experience
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Good track record of improving engagement through content
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Proven ability to significantly impact user metrics through content optimization

Candidate Recommendation

1: Strong No Hire - Does not demonstrate the necessary skills or experience for the role
2: No Hire - Has some relevant skills but significant gaps that would make success difficult
3: Hire - Demonstrates the core skills and experience needed to succeed in this role
4: Strong Hire - Exceptional candidate who would make significant contributions beyond expectations

UX Writing Exercise

Directions for the Interviewer

This work sample is designed to evaluate the candidate's UX writing skills in a practical setting that simulates real work they would do in this role. The exercise should be sent to candidates who pass the screening interview, with clear instructions and reasonable time expectations. When reviewing submissions, focus on the candidate's ability to write clear, concise, user-focused content that solves the given problem while maintaining a consistent voice and tone.

Look for evidence of strategic thinking, information architecture skills, and ability to translate complex concepts into simple language. Pay attention to how they handle error states, empty states, and help text. The quality of their explanations is just as important as the content they create, as it demonstrates their thought process and rationale.

Give candidates 3-5 days to complete the exercise. Make it clear this should take approximately 2-3 hours of their time, not including thinking time.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"This exercise is designed to assess your UX writing skills in a realistic context. We've created a scenario that reflects the type of work you would do as a UX Writer at [Company]. Please complete this exercise within the next [3-5] days. We estimate it should take approximately 2-3 hours of focused work, though you're welcome to spend more time if you wish.

Please approach this exercise as you would a real project, and include a brief explanation of your thought process, any assumptions you made, and how you arrived at your solutions. We're interested in both your final content and how you approached the problem."

Exercise Details

Scenario: [Company] is launching a new feature in our [product type] that allows users to [feature description, e.g., "collaborate on documents in real-time"]. You've been asked to write the UX content for this feature, including:

Onboarding: Create brief content for introducing users to this new feature (up to 3 screens)
Empty states: Write content for when users haven't yet [used the feature]
Error states: Create content for 2-3 common error scenarios:

[Error scenario 1, e.g., "User loses connection while collaborating"]
[Error scenario 2, e.g., "Conflict occurs when multiple people edit simultaneously"]
[Error scenario 3, e.g., "User tries to share with someone who doesn't have access"]

Success states: Write content for when a user successfully completes key actions
Help text: Create tooltip or help drawer content explaining how the feature works

Format: You may deliver your content in any format that clearly presents your work (Google Doc, PDF, mock-ups if you're comfortable with design tools, etc.). Please include a brief explanation of your thought process and rationale for each section.

Additional information to provide:

Brief description of our product's existing voice and tone: [brief description]
Any existing content patterns you should follow
Links to any relevant resources (e.g., our public website) that might help you understand our brand

Interview Scorecard

Clarity and Conciseness

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Content is wordy, unclear, or overly complex for users to understand quickly
2: Content is generally understandable but could be more concise or clear in places
3: Content is clear, concise, and easy to understand throughout
4: Exceptionally clear and concise content that communicates complex ideas with remarkable simplicity

User-Centered Approach

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Content focuses on system perspective rather than user needs
2: Shows basic awareness of user perspective but inconsistently applied
3: Consistently addresses user needs and context in all content
4: Demonstrates deep understanding of user psychology with content that anticipates needs and emotions

Voice and Tone Appropriateness

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Voice/tone inconsistent or inappropriate for the context
2: Generally appropriate voice/tone but with inconsistencies
3: Consistent, appropriate voice/tone that aligns with brand guidelines
4: Masterful application of voice/tone that enhances the user experience while perfectly reflecting brand identity

Information Architecture

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Poor organization of information; important details buried or missing
2: Basic information hierarchy but room for improvement
3: Well-structured content with clear hierarchy and good progressive disclosure
4: Exceptional information architecture that guides users intuitively through complex information

Problem-Solving Ability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Solutions don't effectively address the underlying user problems
2: Solutions address basic problems but miss opportunities or edge cases
3: Thoughtful solutions that effectively address user problems
4: Innovative, comprehensive solutions that show exceptional problem-solving skills

Establish a consistent voice and tone throughout the product

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Inconsistent voice/tone across deliverables
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Mostly consistent but with lapses
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Strong consistency with good understanding of brand voice
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Perfect consistency with content that elevates the brand voice

Reduce user errors and support tickets through clearer interface content

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Error messages or help content lack clarity or helpfulness
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Basic error handling but missing opportunities
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Clear, helpful error messages that guide users toward solutions
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Exceptional error content that both explains and solves problems

Create a scalable UX content strategy across multiple platforms

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Content approach seems one-off rather than systematic
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Some evidence of systematic thinking
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Clear evidence of scalable, systematic content approach
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Sophisticated content system thinking evident in deliverables

Develop comprehensive UX writing guidelines and style guide

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Inconsistent application of conventions
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Generally consistent but without articulated patterns
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Consistent patterns with clear rationale
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Sophisticated pattern use with explanation that could form guidelines

Increase user engagement and task completion rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Content likely to create confusion or barriers
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Content facilitates basic tasks but may miss nuances
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Content effectively guides users to complete tasks
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Content that would noticeably enhance engagement and completion

Portfolio Review & Technical Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This interview focuses on evaluating the candidate's technical UX writing skills and professional experience through discussion of their portfolio and specific UX writing examples. The goal is to understand their writing process, how they make content decisions, their collaborative approach, and their ability to measure the impact of their work. This interview should be conducted after reviewing their writing exercise.

Ask candidates to share their screen and walk you through 2-3 pieces from their portfolio. For each example, dig into their process, challenges they faced, and the results of their work. Look for evidence of strategic thinking, problem-solving, and their ability to collaborate with others. Pay attention to how they talk about users and how they incorporate user research and feedback into their work.

This interview should be conducted by a UX writer, content designer, or UX designer who understands the nuances of UX writing and can evaluate the candidate's technical skills.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"In this interview, we'll take a deep dive into your portfolio and UX writing experience. I'd like you to share your screen and walk me through 2-3 examples of your UX writing work that you're particularly proud of. For each example, please be prepared to discuss your process, the challenges you faced, how you collaborated with others, and the impact of your work.

We'll also discuss some technical aspects of UX writing and how you approach specific content challenges. This is an opportunity for us to understand how you think about UX writing and for you to showcase your expertise."

Interview Questions

Please walk me through a specific project from your portfolio that you're particularly proud of. What was the challenge, what was your process, and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover

How they frame the problem and articulate goals
Their process for research, ideation, writing, and iteration
How they worked with designers, developers, and other stakeholders
Specific UX writing decisions and the rationale behind them
How they measured success and the impact of their work
Challenges they encountered and how they overcame them

Possible Follow-up Questions

What research informed your content decisions?
How did you collaborate with designers and other team members?
What specific content changes did you make and why?
How did you know your solution was successful?
What would you do differently if you were to approach this project again?

Tell me about a time when you had to create or revise a content style guide or pattern library. What was your approach?

Areas to Cover

Experience with creating documentation and guidelines
Understanding of content governance and systems
Approach to auditing existing content
Methods for getting buy-in from stakeholders
Process for implementing and maintaining guidelines
Experience with different types of content patterns

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you determine what to include in the style guide?
How did you socialize the guidelines with the team?
How did you handle situations where existing content didn't follow the new guidelines?
What was the impact of having these guidelines in place?
How did you ensure the guidelines remained relevant and useful over time?

How do you approach writing for different user personas or target audiences? Please give specific examples.

Areas to Cover

Understanding of user psychology and different user needs
Experience with persona development or using existing personas
Ability to adjust writing style for different audiences
Methods for validating content with target users
Balance between consistency and audience-specific adjustments
Examples of writing differently for distinct user groups

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you research different user groups to understand their needs?
Can you give an example of how you've modified content for different user segments?
How do you balance brand consistency with the need to speak differently to different audiences?
How do you test whether your content resonates with specific personas?

How do you use data and user research to inform your writing decisions? Walk me through a specific example.

Areas to Cover

Types of data and research they utilize
How they translate insights into content changes
Experience with various research methodologies
Approach to A/B testing or multivariate testing
Ability to interpret qualitative and quantitative data
How they balance data with intuition and best practices

Possible Follow-up Questions

What types of data do you find most valuable for UX writing decisions?
How do you design experiments to test different content approaches?
Can you share a specific insight that significantly changed your approach to a content problem?
How do you advocate for additional research when you need more information?

Let's look at a specific interface element from our product. How would you approach rewriting this to improve the user experience?

Areas to Cover

Ability to quickly analyze existing content
Process for identifying potential improvements
Consideration of context and user needs
Understanding of interface constraints
Ability to provide multiple options with rationale
Thoughtfulness about voice, tone, and clarity

Possible Follow-up Questions

What questions would you ask to better understand the context?
What do you see as the main issues with the current content?
How might you test the effectiveness of your proposed changes?
How would you approach this differently if our users were [different demographic]?

How do you approach writing for accessibility? What considerations are important?

Areas to Cover

Knowledge of accessibility guidelines related to content
Experience writing with screen readers in mind
Understanding of reading level considerations
Approach to inclusive language
Familiarity with accessibility testing
Examples of content changes made for accessibility

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you test content for accessibility?
What are some common pitfalls in UX writing that create accessibility issues?
How do you balance brevity with the need for clarity for all users?
Have you ever received feedback from users with disabilities that prompted content changes?

How do you balance SEO best practices with the user experience in your UX writing?

Areas to Cover

Understanding of SEO principles relevant to interface content
Approach to keyword integration in UI text
Ability to write naturally while incorporating SEO elements
Methods for testing SEO impact without harming UX
Experience collaborating with SEO specialists
Examples of successfully balancing these considerations

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you research keywords that might be relevant to interface content?
How do you integrate SEO considerations into error messages or help content?
Can you give an example of a situation where SEO requirements conflicted with good UX writing?
How do you measure whether your SEO-optimized content is also working well for users?

Interview Scorecard

Technical UX Writing Skills

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Demonstrates basic writing skills but lacks depth in UX-specific considerations
2: Shows solid UX writing skills with some gaps in specialized areas
3: Exhibits strong technical UX writing knowledge across various contexts
4: Demonstrates exceptional expertise in all aspects of UX writing with sophisticated approaches

Strategic Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Focuses on tactical execution without connecting to larger strategy
2: Shows some strategic consideration but primarily execution-focused
3: Demonstrates good strategic thinking, connecting content decisions to user and business goals
4: Exhibits exceptional strategic vision, with sophisticated understanding of content's role in product strategy

Research Integration

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Makes content decisions with little reference to research or data
2: Uses basic research but may not fully integrate insights
3: Effectively incorporates research findings into content decisions
4: Sophisticated use of multiple research methodologies to drive content strategy and execution

Content Systems Knowledge

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited understanding of content systems or governance
2: Basic knowledge of content systems but lacking depth
3: Good understanding of content systems, patterns, and governance
4: Expert knowledge of content systems with experience creating sophisticated content infrastructures

Establish a consistent voice and tone throughout the product

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited understanding of voice/tone systems
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Basic understanding but gaps in systematic approach
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Strong understanding of voice/tone with systematic approach
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Expert in creating and maintaining consistent voice/tone at scale

Reduce user errors and support tickets through clearer interface content

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited understanding of error states and help content
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Basic understanding but incomplete approach
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Strong approach to preventative and helpful error content
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Sophisticated strategies for preventing errors and guiding users

Create a scalable UX content strategy across multiple platforms

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited strategic or cross-platform experience
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Some strategic experience but gaps in execution
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Strong strategic thinking with good cross-platform experience
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Expert at creating sophisticated, scalable content strategies

Develop comprehensive UX writing guidelines and style guide

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited experience with documentation or guidelines
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Some experience but lacking depth or implementation
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Strong experience creating and implementing guidelines
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Expert at creating comprehensive, impactful content systems

Increase user engagement and task completion rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited understanding of content's impact on engagement
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Basic understanding but inconsistent application
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Strong approach to engagement-focused content with good results
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Sophisticated strategies for using content to drive engagement with proven results

Competency Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This interview focuses on the candidate's behavioral competencies and how they approach collaboration, problem-solving, and professional challenges. The goal is to understand how they work with others, handle feedback, adapt to changing requirements, and advocate for users. This interview should be conducted by someone who will work closely with the UX Writer, such as a design manager, product manager, or senior UX designer.

Use these behavioral questions to explore past experiences that demonstrate the candidate's competencies. Look for specific examples rather than hypothetical approaches. Pay attention to how they describe their interactions with others, how they handle challenges, and how they measure their success. The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) can be helpful in evaluating their responses.

This interview complements the technical assessment by focusing on the soft skills and behaviors that will make the candidate successful in your organization.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"In this interview, I'll be asking questions about your past experiences working as a UX Writer or in similar roles. I'm interested in understanding how you collaborate with others, approach challenges, and handle various professional situations. Please share specific examples rather than hypothetical approaches. For each situation, try to describe the context, your specific role, the actions you took, and the outcomes of those actions."

Interview Questions

Describe a time when you had to collaborate closely with designers and developers to implement UX copy. How did you approach this collaboration? (Collaboration)

Areas to Cover

Their approach to cross-functional collaboration
How they communicate with technical and design team members
Methods for integrating into existing workflows
How they handle different perspectives or priorities
Skills in building relationships across disciplines
Specific techniques for effective collaboration

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you ensure your content was implemented as intended?
What challenges did you face in this collaboration and how did you address them?
How did you adapt your communication style for different team members?
What would you do differently in future collaborations?

Tell me about a time when you received critical feedback on your writing. How did you handle it? (Adaptability)

Areas to Cover

Openness to feedback and criticism
Approach to processing and evaluating feedback
Ability to separate personal feelings from professional critique
How they incorporate feedback into their work
Comfort with iteration and improvement
Learning and growth from feedback experiences

Possible Follow-up Questions

What was your initial reaction to the feedback?
How did you determine which feedback to incorporate?
What changes did you make based on the feedback?
How has this experience influenced how you approach feedback now?

Can you share an example of a situation where you had to make UX writing decisions with limited information or research? How did you handle it? (Problem-Solving)

Areas to Cover

Comfort with ambiguity and uncertainty
Strategies for making decisions with limited information
Proactive approaches to gathering necessary information
Balancing speed with quality
Risk assessment and mitigation
Learning from outcomes of decisions made with limited information

Possible Follow-up Questions

What information did you have and what was missing?
How did you prioritize what information to seek out?
What principles guided your decision-making in this situation?
What was the outcome and what did you learn from it?

Tell me about a time when you had to balance multiple UX writing projects with competing deadlines. How did you manage your time and priorities? (Planning and Organization)

Areas to Cover

Time management and prioritization strategies
Communication about capacity and timelines
Ability to negotiate realistic deadlines
Methods for tracking multiple projects
Approach to maintaining quality under pressure
Adaptability when priorities shift

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you determine which projects to prioritize?
How did you communicate your capacity to stakeholders?
What tools or systems did you use to stay organized?
What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation?

Describe a situation where you had to advocate for the user's needs when there was pressure to compromise for business or technical reasons. (User Empathy)

Areas to Cover

Ability to stand up for user needs
Understanding of business and technical constraints
Skills in finding win-win solutions
Communication and persuasion strategies
Data or research used to support their position
Comfort with constructive conflict

Possible Follow-up Questions

What specific user needs were at risk in this situation?
How did you make the case for the user perspective?
How did you balance user needs with other legitimate concerns?
What was the outcome and how did it affect the user experience?

Tell me about a time when you had to learn new subject matter or technology quickly to create effective UX content. (Learning Agility)

Areas to Cover

Approach to learning new domains or technologies
Research methods for unfamiliar subjects
Comfort with technical concepts
Strategies for translating complex topics into simple language
Time management for learning while delivering
Resourcefulness in finding information

Possible Follow-up Questions

What resources did you use to get up to speed?
How did you verify your understanding was correct?
How did your learning process impact your content creation?
What would you do differently next time you need to learn something new?

Can you share an example of how you've used data or user feedback to improve your UX writing? (Data-Driven Approach)

Areas to Cover

Experience with various types of user feedback
Approach to analyzing and interpreting data
How they translate insights into content changes
Methods for measuring impact of changes
Balance between data and intuition
Comfort with iterative improvement

Possible Follow-up Questions

What specific metrics or feedback led to changes?
How did you determine which changes to make based on the data?
How did you measure the impact of your changes?
What challenges did you face in implementing data-driven changes?

Interview Scorecard

Collaboration

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Struggles with cross-functional collaboration; prefers to work independently
2: Works adequately with others but may face challenges with certain stakeholders
3: Collaborates effectively across disciplines with good communication skills
4: Exceptional collaborator who builds strong relationships and enhances team outcomes

Adaptability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Resistant to change or feedback; prefers established processes
2: Adapts to changes when necessary but may need time to adjust
3: Embraces change readily and responds well to feedback
4: Thrives in changing environments; sees feedback as valuable and actively seeks it out

Problem-Solving

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Requires significant guidance with problems; struggles with ambiguity
2: Solves straightforward problems but may need help with complex issues
3: Approaches problems methodically with good solutions in ambiguous situations
4: Exceptional problem-solver who thrives with complex challenges and creates innovative solutions

User Empathy

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited focus on user needs; prioritizes other considerations
2: Basic understanding of user perspective but inconsistently applied
3: Strong user advocate who consistently considers user needs
4: Exceptional understanding of users with proven ability to create user-centered solutions

Learning Agility

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Slow to acquire new knowledge or skills; prefers familiar territory
2: Can learn new areas with support but may take time
3: Quickly learns new domains and effectively applies new knowledge
4: Exceptional learner who rapidly masters new areas and transfers knowledge across domains

Establish a consistent voice and tone throughout the product

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Lacks system thinking or consistency focus
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Has basic skills but may struggle to scale
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Good approach to creating consistent experiences
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Exceptional ability to create and maintain consistent voice at scale

Reduce user errors and support tickets through clearer interface content

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited focus on error prevention or resolution
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Basic understanding but lacks depth
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Good approach to creating helpful, preventative content
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Exceptional ability to anticipate and address user confusion points

Create a scalable UX content strategy across multiple platforms

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Tactical focus without strategic thinking
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Some strategic ability but gaps in execution
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Good strategic thinking with cross-platform awareness
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Exceptional strategic vision with proven cross-platform success

Develop comprehensive UX writing guidelines and style guide

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited systems thinking or documentation experience
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Basic documentation skills but gaps in implementation
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Good experience creating and socializing guidelines
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Exceptional ability to create influential, comprehensive guidelines

Increase user engagement and task completion rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve This Goal - Limited focus on user outcomes or measurement
2: Likely to Partially Achieve This Goal - Basic understanding but inconsistent application
3: Likely to Achieve This Goal - Good approach to engagement-focused content
4: Likely to Exceed This Goal - Exceptional focus on measurable user outcomes with proven success

Debrief Meeting

Directions for Conducting the Debrief Meeting

The Debrief Meeting is an open discussion for the hiring team members to share the information learned during the candidate interviews. Use the questions below to guide the discussion.

Start the meeting by reviewing the requirements for the role and the key competencies and goals to succeed.

The meeting leader should strive to create an environment where it is okay to express opinions about the candidate that differ from the consensus or from leadership's opinions.

Scores and interview notes are important data points but should not be the sole factor in making the final decision.

Any hiring team member should feel free to change their recommendation as they learn new information and reflect on what they've learned.

Questions to Guide the Debrief Meeting

Does anyone have any questions for the other interviewers about the candidate?

Guidance: The meeting facilitator should initially present themselves as neutral and try not to sway the conversation before others have a chance to speak up.

Are there any additional comments about the Candidate?

Guidance: This is an opportunity for all the interviewers to share anything they learned that is important for the other interviewers to know.

Is there anything further we need to investigate before making a decision?

Guidance: Based on this discussion, you may decide to probe further on certain issues with the candidate or explore specific issues in the reference calls.

Has anyone changed their hire/no-hire recommendation?

Guidance: This is an opportunity for the interviewers to change their recommendation from the new information they learned in this meeting.

If the consensus is no hire, should the candidate be considered for other roles? If so, what roles?

Guidance: Discuss whether engaging with the candidate about a different role would be worthwhile.

What are the next steps?

Guidance: If there is no consensus, follow the process for that situation (e.g., it is the hiring manager's decision). Further investigation may be needed before making the decision. If there is a consensus on hiring, reference checks could be the next step.

Reference Checks

Directions for Conducting Reference Checks

Reference checks are a crucial final step in the hiring process for a UX Writer. They help verify the candidate's experience, skills, and working style, while also providing insights that may not have emerged during the interviews. When conducting reference checks for a UX Writer position, focus on understanding how they collaborate with others, their writing process, and the impact of their work.

Aim to speak with former managers, peers, and cross-functional colleagues if possible. This provides a well-rounded view of how the candidate operates in different contexts. Take detailed notes during each reference call and look for patterns across multiple references.

Be sure to share that the reference check can be used multiple times with multiple references, tailoring follow-up questions based on the reference's specific relationship with the candidate.

Questions for Reference Checks

In what capacity did you work with [Candidate], and for how long?

Guidance for interviewer: This establishes the context of the relationship and helps evaluate the reference's perspective. Note whether they were a direct manager, peer, or from another team. The length of the relationship is also important for understanding how well they know the candidate.

How would you describe [Candidate]'s strengths as a UX Writer?

Guidance for interviewer: Listen for specific examples that demonstrate writing skills, collaboration abilities, and strategic thinking. Note whether the strengths mentioned align with what you observed in the interview process and the needs of your role.

What areas of growth did you observe for [Candidate] during your time working together?

Guidance for interviewer: This is a more constructive way to ask about weaknesses. Listen for how the candidate responded to feedback and whether they actively worked on improving in these areas. Consider whether the growth areas mentioned would be critical to success in your role.

How did [Candidate] collaborate with designers, developers, and other stakeholders?

Guidance for interviewer: UX Writers need to work effectively across disciplines. Listen for specific examples of how the candidate navigated different perspectives, handled conflicts, and built relationships. Note their communication style and effectiveness.

Can you describe [Candidate]'s process for creating UX content? How did they approach research, feedback, and iteration?

Guidance for interviewer: This question helps verify the candidate's methodology and approach. Compare what the reference says with how the candidate described their process during interviews. Look for evidence of thoroughness, user focus, and adaptability.

How did [Candidate] handle situations where there were competing priorities or tight deadlines?

Guidance for interviewer: This explores how the candidate performs under pressure, which is common in UX writing roles. Listen for their prioritization skills, communication about capacity, and ability to maintain quality while managing multiple demands.

On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to hire [Candidate] again if you had an appropriate role available? Why?

Guidance for interviewer: This direct question often reveals the reference's true assessment. Pay attention not just to the number but to the explanation they provide. Ask follow-up questions if the rating seems inconsistent with other feedback.

Reference Check Scorecard

Communication Skills

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates significant communication challenges
2: Reference suggests adequate but inconsistent communication
3: Reference confirms strong, effective communication
4: Reference highlights exceptional communication as a standout strength

Collaboration Ability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates difficulties working with others
2: Reference suggests adequate collaboration with some limitations
3: Reference confirms effective cross-functional collaboration
4: Reference highlights candidate as an exceptional team player who enhances group outcomes

UX Writing Skills

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates limitations in writing quality or approach
2: Reference suggests adequate writing skills with some inconsistency
3: Reference confirms strong writing skills and user-centered approach
4: Reference highlights exceptional writing talent with significant impact

Work Ethic and Reliability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates concerns about reliability or commitment
2: Reference suggests generally reliable with occasional issues
3: Reference confirms strong reliability and consistent performance
4: Reference highlights exceptional dedication and consistency

Establish a consistent voice and tone throughout the product

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates candidate struggled with consistency
2: Reference suggests candidate maintained basic consistency
3: Reference confirms candidate successfully established consistent voice
4: Reference highlights candidate's exceptional ability to create and scale consistent experiences

Reduce user errors and support tickets through clearer interface content

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates limited impact on error reduction
2: Reference suggests some improvements to error states
3: Reference confirms meaningful reductions in user errors through content
4: Reference highlights exceptional results in improving user success rates

Create a scalable UX content strategy across multiple platforms

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates limited strategic thinking
2: Reference suggests some strategic ability but limited scale
3: Reference confirms successful strategic work across platforms
4: Reference highlights exceptional strategic vision with measurable cross-platform success

Develop comprehensive UX writing guidelines and style guide

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates limited documentation or systems work
2: Reference suggests some documentation experience but limited scope
3: Reference confirms successful creation of guidelines with good adoption
4: Reference highlights exceptional documentation that transformed organizational practice

Increase user engagement and task completion rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates limited impact on user metrics
2: Reference suggests some improvements to user experience
3: Reference confirms measurable improvements in engagement metrics
4: Reference highlights exceptional results that significantly exceeded expectations

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I prepare to interview a UX Writer?

Familiarize yourself with the candidate's portfolio before the interview. Review any writing samples they've shared and prepare specific questions about their work. Also, identify areas in your product where UX writing plays a crucial role, as these can make excellent discussion points or examples for the interview.

What's the difference between a UX Writer and a Content Designer?

The titles are often used interchangeably, but there can be subtle differences. UX Writers typically focus more on interface microcopy, while Content Designers may have broader responsibilities including information architecture and content strategy. During interviews, ask candidates how they define these roles and where their experience falls. For more on role definitions, check out our interview questions for UX writers.

How important is previous experience with our industry for a UX Writer?

While industry experience can be helpful, especially in highly specialized fields, UX writing skills are generally transferable across industries. Look for candidates who demonstrate strong research skills and the ability to quickly learn new domains. Their process for understanding user needs and business context is often more important than prior industry knowledge.

Should we give candidates access to our design system or style guide before the writing exercise?

If you have a publicly available style guide, it's reasonable to share it with candidates to help them align their exercise with your brand. However, a good UX Writer should be able to infer tone and style from your public-facing materials even without explicit guidelines. Consider what would create a fair evaluation while still testing their ability to adapt to your brand.

How can I evaluate a candidate's ability to work with designers?

Ask behavior-based questions about past collaborations with designers and listen for signs of mutual respect and understanding of the design process. During the portfolio review, note how they talk about design decisions and their role in the overall user experience. You can also include a designer in the interview process to assess rapport and communication style. Our article on how to conduct a job interview offers more tips on evaluating collaboration skills.

What should I do if a candidate's writing style doesn't match our current brand voice?

Focus on evaluating their ability to adapt rather than perfect alignment with your current voice in their sample work. Ask how they've adapted to different brand voices in the past. A skilled UX Writer should be able to adjust their writing style to match your guidelines once hired. What matters more is clarity, user focus, and strategic thinking in their approach.

How can I tell if a candidate will be able to handle the technical aspects of our product?

Look for examples in their portfolio where they've written for complex products or processes. Ask about their approach to learning new domains and technologies. During the technical interview, present scenarios similar to what they'll encounter in your product and evaluate how they break down complex concepts into user-friendly language.