Call me Colin.

It all started with people chasing dinosaurs… 🦖

Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park wasn't just the first book for grown-ups I ever read as a boy. It also marked the awakening of my intellectual curiosity, partly about the dinosaurs but mostly about the people who made them. I didn't have the words to describe my feelings yet, but I was instinctively captivated by the promise of science and technology, whilst also mindful that its risks and consequences must be scrutinised and managed.

As an adult, I'm still just as curious about the world around me, except now I have a background in science to help me make sense of it, and having the words to convey complex ideas is now what I do for a living.

Experience

I've been working at Avature for the last five years. We make SaaS used widely in the HR industry. I started my career as a technical writer, but then I realised I enjoyed product design too. Eventually, I helped found a dedicated UX Writing team, where I'm the most senior writer.

I have written or edited thousands of pieces of UI text in a system that spans web apps, a mobile app, and a browser extension. I have experience developing guidelines, improving processes, and training new writers.

My approach combines common practices in user-centric design with the methodical problem-solving I learnt from my training in social science.

Good UX writing takes artistry, curiosity, research skills, attention to detail, some technical knowledge, a wide lexicon, and solid interpersonal skills. I do my best to get a little better at it every day.