Using these two personas, I conducted research using Google Trends into the terms that would compose their shared language when working together:

• Proposal, instead of plan

• Hourly rate, instead of price

• Payment, instead of transaction

• Freelancer, instead of independent contractor

I explored the emotions both a business owner and freelancer might feel when considering the app:

The freelancer might feel…

• Nervous when requesting payments or proposing budgets

• Relieved and appreciative to receive a payment or budget approval

• Proud to report their progress to the business owner

• Excited to create new projects

• Stressed when they need to track their time

The business owner might feel…

• Reassured that they have an easy way to access payment requests and budget proposals.

• Happy when seeing the freelancer’s progress on their projects

• Both overwhelmed and satisfied when they need to send payments (depending on their funds)

Voice Guidelines: My research helped me create a consistent voice for the Handshake app with the characteristics below:

• Approachable, not inexperienced: “Need help starting an invoice? Let’s do it together.”

• Self-assured, not preachy: “Here’s a list of the invoices you’ve paid in 2022. We recommend saving them separately to a safe place.

• Empowering, not patronizing: “Great job! Your budget has been sent for approval.”

To put those guidelines into use, the designer asked me to brainstorm some headline + body sentence pairs for the app’s onboarding tour screens:

• Every second counts: Hassle-free time tracking for billable hours.

• Painless payments: Send or receive quick, secure payments anytime.

• Happy budgeting: Take on project budgets with full transparency.

• See where you stand: Track the progress of a project from anywhere.

• Keep growing: Make new projects happen in just a few taps. 

• Ready to connect? Invite whoever you’re working with to the app.

UX Copy Overhaul: I used my findings and style guide to edit the UX copy within the app for the upcoming design review.

Welcome Screens - After

My edits:

• Added an engaging slogan that appeals to both freelancers and business owners

• Created clear, specific CTAs that make the user feel confident in the next step of their journey

• Provided concise hint text so the user knows exactly what to input in fields

• Avoided a design flaw by splitting up the sign in and create account steps for returning and new users

• Let the user know what would happen after creating a new account

Business Owner Setup - Before

Business Owner Setup - After

My Edits:

• Improved headers to be more straightforward and conversational

• Provided more guidance to the business owner on what should be entered in the description field

• Fixed grammar and spelling mistakes (i.e. Paypal —> PayPal)

• Let the business owner know exactly what would happen once they invite their freelancer to the app

Business Owner Ongoing Use - Before

Business Owner Ongoing Use - After

My Edits:

• Aligned currency and date formats to be consistent throughout all screens

• Adjusted microcopy to cut down on unnecessary words (i.e. waiting to process —> processing)

• Changed the last screen to confirm payment before it’s sent, adding dynamic text that lets the business owner know exactly what they’re sending and to whom

Other considerations I had for the Designer and/or Product Manager:

• On the sign up screen, consider making the returning user versus new user two different screens for more space.

• It’s not super clear what screen a returning user is going to after they log in. Is it the project dashboard?

• What if the payment preference doesn’t match between the business owner and the freelancer? Can we send them a notification or message if that’s the case?

• Can we add a subject field and body field for the message screens to help users find and differentiate between messages?

• We should consider adding a button and subsequent screen for the business owner to negotiate the budget/hours with the freelancer.
  

Takeaways: It was an incredibly valuable learning experience to fulfill the role of UX writer on a product from start to finish. Conducting user research, refining voice and tone and learning about microcopy, hint text and tooltips helped me create compelling user-first content on every step of the journey. It allowed me to gain firsthand familiarity and confidence with Figma, understand how to work cross-functionally with product managers and designers and consider user testing in the future as an imagined last step.