Use Your Words: why you should write

about your work

Lisa Maria Martin | @redsesame

Web Design Day | June 12, 2015 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Hello, Pittsburgh.

It’s nice to be back.

Writing makes you a better designer. It’s true!

!

Design is thinking �made visual.

Saul Bass

Writing is thinking on paper. William Zinsser

Writing leads to better thinking.�Better thinking leads to �better design.

It helps you understand yourself.

1

I write because �I don’t know what I think �

until I read what I say. Flannery O’Connor

Only by writing my thoughts and speaking publicly do I actually understand what I’m thinking; �

only by sharing those verbalized thoughts with others can I begin to see

their broader implications.

Jeffrey Zeldman

http://alistapart.com/column/the-love-you-make

It helps you in your career. 2

It examines all the “whys” of �the job, turning entrenched habits into intentional actions. It equips

you with the communication skills to sell yourself and your work �

to bosses and clients. Sally Kerrigan

http://alistapart.com/article/writing-is-thinking

By daring to…write, you will become better at selling your ideas to �

tough clients, better at evangelizing methodologies or causes to your peers,

better at thinking and therefore at doing, and better at those all-important �

job interviews.

Jeffrey Zeldman

http://alistapart.com/column/the-love-you-make

It’s good for the rest of us, too. 3

When you write about your work, it makes all of us �smarter for the effort.

Sally Kerrigan

http://alistapart.com/article/writing-is-thinking

It forces you to go beyond the �polite cocktail-party line you use �

to describe what you do and �really think about the impact �

your work has…

Sally Kerrigan

http://alistapart.com/article/writing-is-thinking

…Done well, it means �you’re contributing signal, �

instead of noise.

Sally Kerrigan

http://alistapart.com/article/writing-is-thinking

So why aren’t you writing?

Writing comes from a place of not knowing—a place of

exploration, seeking clarity, and wanting to communicate.

Nicole Fenton

http://www.nicolefenton.com/writing-for-beginners/

You don’t have to be perfect.�You just have to start.

You can start small:

•  Rationales for client work •  Post-mortems for colleagues •  Process descriptions for portfolios

Maybe go a little bigger:

•  Case studies on your company blog •  Posts on your own blog •  Articles in (gasp!) publications

Some humble suggestions:

•  The Pastry Box •  Boxes & Arrows •  Smashing Magazine •  UXmatters •  UX Magazine •  UX Movement •  A List Apart

This requires vulnerability.

Sharing is terrifying, I know. Look at me. I’m on a stage. Please tell me you can’t see my hands shaking.

Put your words out there.

I don’t know, I’m not the boss of words. But I think you should. I think you should do it.

“You have a role to play. �Please play it."

Ben Callahan

https://the-pastry-box-project.net/ben-callahan/2015-March-22

Thank you.

Now go write.

Lisa Maria Martin @redsesame Web Design Day 2015