The Writers of Silicon Valley podcast is back! Listen to the first new episode with Chelsea Larsson, Senior Design Director at Expedia. We discuss the future of content design, UX writing, how AI is impacting everything, and why content designers shouldn’t hang on to old definitions.

And maybe…why content designers should learn Python?

I’m really excited to bring the podcast back, and really excited for you to listen.

Things we discuss during this episode:

• Generative artificial intelligence

• Information Architecture for the Web

• Open AI, ChatGPT, Gemini

• Python

Chelsea and her stuff:

• Chelsea on LinkedIn

• Smallish Book (newsletter)

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

The Interface is a monthly, can’t-miss group chat for everything happening in content design and UX writing. The Interface has industry updates, deep conversations, and other helpful resources.

The end.

Yael Ben-David is one the most thoughtful UX writers in the industry. She’s written numerous blogs and has spoken at several conferences on how to make sure UX writers and content designers prove the value of their work.

Today, we take a look at some of the regulations surrounding the fintech industry which make writing for it so difficult. Plus, we explore the ultimate question: how do you get out of the customer’s way?

Jane Ruffino is one of the most experienced UX writers in the industry, with an extensive work history. She also teaches a UX writing course and consults to companies on their UX copy.

But what makes Jane even more interesting is her studies - she’s currently pursuing a PhD in digital acheology. In this episode we talk about how she bridges that world with the world of content design, and the discussion may surprise you.

Andrea Drugay has one of the most experienced resumes in the content design industry. Now she works at Slack, one of the most coveted roles in all of design.

In this episode, we talk about Andrea’s background, what makes Slack’s copy so special - but most importantly, how to make sure UX writers and content designers bridge the experience that’s outside the product, and the experience inside the product as well.

Jasper Platz is NOT a UX writer or content designer. He says that straight up. However, he quickly discovered a love for content design when building other products.

So much so, that he decided UX writers need software of their own to manage the copy process.

We talk about that in this episode, but we also talk about:

• How software can democratize design for UX writers

• What would product managers look like if they came from design?

• Why is content design getting so much attention?

…and more. This was a great chat, so I hope you enjoy it!

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After all, being able to edit a design without any specific software makes it harder not to give writers access. Which means it’s easier for us to do our job.

Chris Baty is the Principal UX Writer at Figma, and was previously the head of UX writing at Dropbox. He’s also the founder of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). He’s a busy guy. He’s also an exceptional champion for all types of writers everywhere. Including content designers.

In this episode we talk about him joining Figma, the work he’s doing there to make Figma an exceptional tool for UX writers and content designers, and what it’s like working as a team of one.

And so much more.

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It’s crazy that digital conferences haven’t been a thing until now, but COVID really thrust this one upon us. Today, I’m speaking with some fantastic UX writers and content strategists: Duaa Osman from Google, Yael Ben-David from Fundbox, and Vicki Siolos from Kickstarter.

The one thing we have in common? We all attended Button back in late October, probably the first major conference that’s completely dedicated to UX writing and product content strategy.

I don’t want to get into detail, but if you missed the conference, let this serve as a reason to invest in the Button on-demand access pass, which is available now. Seriously, it’s worth the money. Enjoy the episode and find out why.

If you did attend Button, well, let this serve as a great reminder of the good times we had - and the great things we learned.

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Christie Fremon is probably one of the most experienced UX writers in the industry. She started as a technical writer, working through companies like Yahoo and Cloud.com in the 2000s, before moving to Apple as a UI writer on iTunes, and then at Google. 

Now, she's writing for electric vehicles.

Weird, right? Except UX writing for the digital aspects of owning an electric car are actually pretty complex...and that's exactly what we talk about in this episode.

That, and: - Moving from technical writing to UX writing - What's the difference between the two? - What does it take to succeed as a UX writer at Apple? - What does the UX writing industry need more of? - How others can make the leap from technical to UX writing - UX writing for vehicles - And a pretty cool Steve Jobs anecdote...

This episode is jam packed. with so much great information from one of the most experienced UX writers around.

Check out Christie:

- On LinkedIn - On Twitter - Her book recommendation: Designing for Cognitive Bias

Listeners get 20% off all courses, including the UX Writing Fundamentals Course, at the UX Writers Collective. Use the code “PODCAST20”.

• UX Writing Fundamentals

• Content Research and Testing

• Chatbot Writing and Design

• CX Writing

Mario Ferrer was a senior UX writer at King Games, now he’s a senior UX writer at Skyscanner. He’s also one of the cofounders of the UX Writers Meetup in Barcelona - and he’s perfectly placed to help us understand the UX writing community outside the United States.

Why do we focus so much on Silicon Valley? For a good reason - much of the activity happens there. But not all the activity. UX writing and content strategy is a global industry, and so we need to understand what’s happening outside of that sphere, as much as we do what’s inside it.

Mario and I talk about his life as a UX writer in games, but we also focus on what it means to work outside of that tech-centric bubble.

What does it mean for your work?

Your career?

Your life choices?

I’m in the same situation as Mario, so we got along great. I hope you’ll enjoy what we have to say.

Check out:

• Mario’s website

• Mario on LinkedIn

• Mario on Twitter

Writers of Silicon Valley is on:

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

Listeners get 20% off all courses, including the UX Writing Fundamentals Course, at the UX Writers Collective. Use the code “PODCAST20”.

• UX Writing Fundamentals

• Content Research and Testing

• Chatbot Writing and Design

• CX Writing