Stop Writing For the Web

Erika Hall, author of Just Enough Research, gave this talk at Creative Mornings in 2016. Her argument is that designing interactive experiences requires an interactive approach, and that traditional writing habits and outdated models are holding designers back.

She points out how strange it is that we can type all day in chat conversations, yet when our brain switches into “writing mode” things fall apart. In her view, the only way to create good interactive language is by interacting with other people. She also reflects on how the act of writing things down changed the way people formulate and communicate thoughts. The talk is relevant to anyone working on interface copy, UX writing or interaction design.