In the world of technology, the design is one of the significant aspects that most companies genuinely care about.

This is a fact that’s especially true when it comes to software, where you find companies increasing their rates of hiring software designers. However, as much as this is true, it’s important to note that technological trends are currently changing. One of the significant effects of this is the various roles that designers previously had also undergone significant changes.

Taking examples from the 2.8 million applications in Google Play store alone, our interactions with technology on a daily basis are fast turning out to be less visual, like connected devices and chatbots, and due to this, the field of visual design is growing more obsolete with each passing day. Luckily enough, the sound design consists of many other factors apart from how technology looks such as how it feels and the manner in which it works among many other factors. In light of this, it is safe to say that unlike previous times, Photoshop or wireframing will just not cut it any longer.

How Writing Fits into the Designing Process

Despite having a declining emphasis on the superiority of visual designs, it is important to note that it’s not headed anywhere else and its essence will remain over time in case designers learn how they can adapt. A good number of leaders in the designing industry will argue that the primary skill you have to learn for you to survive is only coding. However, in case you’re an aspiring or young designer, it is prudent to ignore people with such a mentality.

The reason behind this is that design is more edged towards people, rather than technology. For you to come up with outstanding products, the best approach that you can have is understanding not only what you’re coming up with but also the reason propelling you to make it. The primary method that you can use to accomplish this is by empathizing with your clients and having the heart to feel the pain that they go through. A great designer begins his/her journey to excellence only once he/she has been able to cultivate such a culture.

Just like designers, exceptional writers can wrap their minds around the dynamics of their audience. They have the drive to do adequate research because their character and plot development is centered on coming up with ideas that are devoid of gaps, believable and complete. They can develop a form of empathy for their characters, regardless of whether they are non-fictional or fictional while understanding not only who these people are, but the manner in which they came to be in their present state.

The parallels found between designing and writing become most active in the field of building context. Both of these two activities require sensitivity to almost all the plausible situations. Similarly to writing, the process of designing considers varying degrees of complexity when it comes to the context of use.

Examples of Context

• Emotional Context: How do people feel when they use your product? (Not only during the use of it but also after and before?) What are their attitude and mental state towards your product? Are they using it to get rid of boredom or could they be using your product even in serious scenarios such as medical emergencies?

• Environmental Context: Where are your customers when using your products? What could they be doing? Are there other things that are drawing their attention? Could they be having time constraints? Is your product being put to use when they are in the process of driving or when resting in their rooms?

• Social Context: How will others perceive them when they make use of your product? Will they feel proud or cool? Could they be seeking your product`s help with a form of problem which is too embarrassing to share with other people?

  The answers that you give to all the above-listed questions will provide significant understanding and will inform vital decisions about what products do, how they can look and also how they can be put to use. An excellent example of this is you take an application such as Snapchat. It does not matter the type of programming language or tech stack that it uses. If you cannot get into a camera view within three seconds for you to get a picture of a fleeting moment, the application becomes less valuable and useful to the majority of its clients.

The Importance of Contexts

In light of all the above, it becomes more vivid that the essence of maintaining that context in each step of your product`s development process cannot be stated enough times. The most exceptional designers are usually masters of summarizing as well as articulating the context of use. They are familiar with the dynamics of how they can share their products with different stakeholders for their production teams could possess a much more clear alignment. Sharing the details regarding the story of your client provides a suitable gateway for the whole company to rally and empathize with the various pain points from the customers.

Whether you share these stories in the form of storyboards, personas, a written merely plain and old narrative or via the use of journey maps, you need to write a clear and compelling story regarding your client`s problem and its context. Just as it is in storytelling, all design projects have at least one protagonist, a plot, a setting and finally a conflict and its resolution. Both designers and writers can arrive at this resolution in similar ways.

The Essence of Mastery in Coding

In all fairness, designers should learn how to code for them to be better placed to make decisions that significantly impact their usefulness. A great example of this is Instagram. During its infant stages, this application could not allow for portrait and landscape mode concurrently. The solution by the designers was to ensure that all the posted photos were crafted into perfect squares. This was among the smartest decisions that a designer has ever come up with, as it solved many unanswered questions among them being, “Which is the best way to take photos?” In a nutshell, the application`s designers would not have been able to make such a crucial decision if they did not have a significant mastery of code.

However, despite all the above, it is important to note that at the end of it all, whenever you lose your grasp on a product`s end-user, then none of what you’ll do matters. What companies require at the moment, as well as the near future, are designers who are equally good at writing and storytelling. Outstanding writing skills propel designers to come up with strong narratives for their customers in both a holistic and memorable manner. The result of this is thoughtful designs and exceptional products which people cannot live without.

Editing and Writing for Design

Remarkable editing and polishing refines and perfects a project. One of the best ways to grasp this concept is by taking an example of the icing found on cupcakes. It’s easy not to think about the icing`s presence on the cake until when you see it missing. For you to become a great designer, you need to begin by coming up with perfect content, otherwise, how will you know the best method of creating something if you haven`t understood the message?

In case you don’t have an idea of how to go about your writing process, you can incorporate the use of something that journalists refer to as “the inverted writing pyramid.” The concept of this pyramid entails the most vital information coming first and then it`s followed by less valuable facts. This is one of the most exceptional methods of approaching your writing for your products` designs. See to it that you’ve grabbed your readers with only the necessary things first and you’ll be on the right track!

When it gets to the actual language as well as writing itself, it would be prudent to keep the following key points in your mind:

1. Your audience`s mode of reading;
2. Creation of consistency between visuals and text;
3. Revisions and editing will make a copy leaner and cleaner;
4. The manner in which the exact words look on the display screen;
5. At times, it is best for you to hire professionals.

Having said all the above, it is of importance for you to have an idea of the steps that you should take to come up with flawless writing as part of your design process.

Steps to Coming Up With Flawless Writing as Part of Your Design Process

Step 1: Write With Your Audience in Mind

The first step when embarking on any writing projects is to always think about your target audience. Who will be reading your final copy? You should ensure that you come up with a text that catches and holds the attention of your target audience. This includes all your writing`s aspects: from the manner in which you write and your tone to the actual use of words and how you phrase them.

It is also crucial for you to note that regardless of the type of language that your intended audience speaks, you should have the language`s native readers and speakers to work with when you’re creating your text. Subtle language intricacies can end up being responsible for the difference makers between coming up with content that’s easy and comfortable to read as compared to texts which are both clunky and unprofessional.

Step 2: Ensure that Your Design and Writing Styles are Consistent

The second step is coming up with visuals and texts that can work hand in hand with each other. Many are the times that designers set up their workstations in one room while the same project`s writer is in another. This is not the best approach for you to take because the best of projects take place whenever these two elements collide.

You should always begin with an outline whereby, the design and writing teams should research and talk more about the text and visuals during all phases of your project. In case one group starts to veer away from the plan or even change the initial course of action, this group`s members should ensure that everyone else has been informed concerning such a development.

If you’d take time to analyze some of your highly loved projects such as books and some website designs, you find that their overall appearance has one distinct tone. The images and words (even their color choices and typography) all work in tandem to come up with a particular feel. In case any of the above-named elements is misplaced, the entire project ends up suffering.

Step 3: Ensure that Your Words Fit

Your final step is ensuring that all your words fit to make their combination with the project`s visuals a masterpiece. This will require you to do some in-depth and thorough editing so that you can first come up with your final piece. The minute you’ve placed these words into your project, you should then work to arrange them in a readable and logical way.

Search for any odd breaks that your sentences may have or even phrases that could make your sentences difficult to comprehend. In addition to this, make sure that you’ve checked for your content`s general consistency in the text styles for the body text to be formatted using a universal size and typeface. This should also apply to your headers as well as other elements.

Consider items like navigation elements and see to it that they are similar in the number of words, context, and size. Are your calls to action easy to understand? Are they clear and concise? Is there consistent use of phrasing for your projects` elements? If you are able to make sure that all these parameters are in the best of conditions, then you will have succeeded in crafting a great design for your project through properly furnished writing.

Conclusion

In these present times, it’s crystal clear that great project designs involve the use of exceptional writing content. In light of this, it is also vital to understand that seldom words are written and remain constant throughout. It requires great levels of planning, cooperation, and teamwork to modify these words into a success story for any particular design project. You should aim to forge your writing into a tool that encapsulates the mission and vision of a particular project.

In a nutshell, you are destined for greatness if your project`s design is able to marry your writing. They should all look like they go together in the end. In case you have any doubts, make sure that you revise, edit and re-plan until you’re able to attain a balance between your project`s visual design and writing.

So, what’s your take on having good writing and editing as an integral part of the design? Share with us in the comments section.