KBX - UX Writing Guidelines
About Me
I'm a research-driven product designer and UX writer. I’ ve been writing professionally for global audiences. Designing through words, I craft experiences to help people achieve their goals.
Background
As a subsidiary of Koch Industries, KBX serves the growing demand for supply chain efficiency across broad logistics markets. As the company expanded its digital services, inconsistencies in UI text led to user confusion.
Recognizing the need for a unified voice and tone, the Design team initiated the creation of UX writing guide.
The Team
Myself and one other designer were responsible for the entire process of discovery, research, ideation, design, and presenting findings to product teams.
Challenges
Inconsistent Voice and Tone:
Different teams wrote UI text without a unified style, leading to a disjointed user experience.
Lack of Clarity:
Users struggled with vague instructions, wording, and time.
Scalability Issues:
Differing product team members had no reference for writing UX content, causing inefficiencies across product teams.
Localization Considerations:
The product served multiple regions, requiring consistency across translations.
Approach
· Research and Audit:
o Conducted an audit of existing UI text.
o Gathered feedback from customer support and product teams.
o Conducted research for best practices.
· Defining Principles:
o Established key UX writing principles: clarity, consistency, brevity, and grammar.
o Defined brand voice (helpful, professional, and accessible).
· Creating the Guidelines:
o Developed rules for microcopy
o Provided examples of do’s and don’ts.
o Created a glossary of commonly used terms.
· Testing and Iteration:
o Applied guidelines to existing UI text and gathered user feedback.
o Refined based on usability testing results and research.
· Implementation and Training:
o Integrated guidelines into the company’s design system.
o Held meetings with designers, developers, and product managers.
o Created a living document to update guidelines as needed.
Conclusion
Establishing UX Writing guidelines proved crucial for providing clarity and consistency, the company enhanced user experience, reduced friction, and streamlined content creation.
This case study highlights the importance of structured UX writing for improving digital interactions.