Integrating UX Writing into a company

In an increasingly digital ecosystem, writing is no longer an afterthought. UX planning is increasingly a strategic element that influences decisions, clarity, and trust. In this article, we adapt the main points of a Hyphen webinar presented by José Justo and Rui Agrião, who shared their experience as UX writers at Cofidis. Through their testimony, they show how it is possible to elevate the role of UX writing within an organization.

Why UX writing is important

Digital interfaces are mostly composed of text. Buttons, error messages, instructions, titles: everything depends on well-chosen words. Despite this, in many companies, UX Writing is still seen as a final step, still undervalued alongside the interface aspect, for example.

As UX Writers integrated by Hyphen, they observed an opportunity: copy was often requested after prototypes were designed — a chance to advocate for earlier involvement and stronger collaboration. “We were just entering the refinement phase. The text was a detail, not part of the process,” recalls Rui.

Understanding in order to write

The duo realized that, in order to enhance UX Writing, they had to start from within: integrate themselves into the dynamics of design thinking, show the value of content as part of the experience, not as an accessory.

They began by attending discovery, refinement, and planning sessions. They insisted on being present from the beginning. As José says, “Text is design. So, if we're not there from the beginning, we don't have the context we need to do it well. Because we need the same context as the rest of the team — the context of the product, the user, and the technical limitations. All of that influences what we write.”

But it wasn't enough to just be present. It was also necessary to show the rationale behind decisions. Whenever they created or rewrote a message, they developed an explanatory document: the problem, the opportunity, and the proposal. Whenever possible, they also brought in user research data or insights from tests.

UX Writing strategy

More than just writing, Cofidis' UX Writers work to systematize best practices. They created a weekly routine of syncs between the two, where they align approaches, prevent redundancies, and discuss decisions, from the ideal greeting to the most readable type of tables. These moments generated alignment, efficiency, and, above all, consistency.

In addition, they promoted a UX Writing Day, an internal event to raise awareness among other teams about the impact of writing as a design tool. They discussed topics such as inclusive language, brand voice, user testing, and the difference between UX Writing and copywriting. For Rui, the goal was clear: “Words are a tool for empathy. We don't write to sell, we write to solve.”

Making the impact visible

To sustain the work, it was essential to show how these choices impacted the final result. For example, when reformulating a letter with a cloze test (in which words are removed and comprehension is measured), they realized that only 20% of the written words corresponded to what users expected to see. One thing was clear: the current text was not clear.

In addition, they began to articulate UX Writing with Cofidis' design system, establishing guidelines on terms, capitalization, numerical formats, and character limits. Content began to be seen as part of the design system, rather than an external element.

A continuous process that is always worthwhile

None of this happened overnight. It took several baby steps, negotiations with legal teams, adaptation to legal terms, and resistance to the classic “it's always been done this way.”

But little by little, the role of UX Writing began to be valued as it deserves: not as a final task, but as a lever for clarity, consistency, and a better experience.

As José says, “We don't write for immediate impact, we write for solutions that last. And that makes the user feel that the brand understands them.”