Hi there
I'm Carly 👋I'm a content, product and UX designer.
Great UX starts with understanding the problem before pixels.
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From mobile apps and web portals to wearables and vehicles, I've designed experiences across a variety of products.
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I have a content-first approach, making rich designs and solutions that are always intentional and never distracting.
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HANDSHAKE
Business made easy for everyone
Handshake is a fictional app and the final project within UX Writers Collective's UX Writing Fundamentals course. It helps business owners and freelancers connect online, track projects, and manage payments. This project is the final design review before the app launches.
My Roles:
UX Writer
Content Designer
Content Strategist
SUMMARY
I used UX design principles to create copy revisions within the app. I highlighted opportunities for content research and testing and suggested design improvements for a better freelancer and business owner experience.
Fast track to a section of the app to see my suggestions:
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Personas
Meet Handshake's users—Freelancer (Kelly) and Business Owner (Tom).
Voice and tone
How I used the concept of a handshake to shape the look and feel of text.
Product Content
UX writing for onboarding, project management, and messaging within the app.
Research
Opportunities for content research and testing to enhance the Handshake experience.
It starts with a handshake
Before revising any app content, I learned more about Handshake's personas: Kelly and Tom.
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Kelly is a new grad and is taking up freelancing to grow her portfolio as a web developer. She met her client, Tom, through a mutual connection. Tom runs a heating and cooling business and needs to have his website updated to attract new customers.
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Getting to know Kelly and Tom helped me make more informed content decisions. It's one thing to open a designer's assets to correct typos and grammar, but it's the UX writer's responsibility to write in a way that's on-brand and tailored to users and help them succeed. We're the customer advocates, and can only guide users in the most efficient way after we know what their pain points and needs are.
Voice and tone
Next, I began to refine my voice and tone principles. I wanted Handshake to feel trustworthy, natural, and encouraging—much like a real-life handshake. I know that freelancing can be intimidating and working with new contractors is unnerving, so Handshake is there for both parties as a trusted guide throughout the entire project. Handshake is:
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Dependable, not dismissive
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Straightforward, never short
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Approachable, but not immature
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I worked these principles into a voice and tone matrix. This takes the guesswork out of questions I'd encounter like,
Do I use sentence case or title case?
Do we say business owner, client, or employer? Bill or invoice?
To punctuate headings or not to punctuate...