Copy / UX / Editing / Content
Copy & UX Writing
Sometimes you aim to instruct. Other times, you need to inspire. When it comes to UI/UX, the goal is to create an experience so seamless that the text becomes all but invisible to users.
Whether you’re creating a roadmap or telling a story, you get there through a combination of clarity and creativity.
Editing & Content
I’ve written and edited content about film, travel, human resources, world news, television, history, science, wildlife, consumer tech, comic books, videos games, and more.
With proper research, any subject can be simplified and presented in an easily digestible, entertaining and informative package.
UX Writing
Zola - Edit Vendor Listing
Zola is a complete wedding planning platform for couples. In addition to gift registries, paper invites and websites, they also have a dedicated marketplace to connect with vendors. In this flow, vendors have the ability to customize their storefront to better connect with prospective couples.
The challenge:
This project included over 100 individual screens from start to finish, so the first challenge was achieving fluidity throughout the experience. Working closely with the product designer, I had to ensure that the language, terminology, labels and buttons were consistent and led logically from one step to the next across branching paths.
Because the platform includes various vendor categories (covering a wide range of personas), we needed to make the listings highly customizable, without allowing the editing process to become tedious or overly time-consuming. A large subset of users described themselves as lacking internet skills, and so we recognized that to avoid intimidating this demographic, we needed to be clear and straightforward in our instructions. By assuming nothing—and offering extra guidance wherever possible—we were able to craft a more human experience for the vendors.
Depending on the services that a vendor offered, we knew that we were still asking for a significant time commitment on their part. However, our research showed that more detailed listings attracted more serious couples. As such, we were sure to provide encouragement to the vendors throughout the editing process to reinforce the tangible value of adding more detail to their listing.
LANDR Projects
An all-in-one solution for artists and producers looking to better organize and manage their collaborative music projects.
The challenge:
Crafting intertwining journeys that are intuitive for both experienced project creators and any collaborators who are using the interface for the first time.
Because Projects serves as the collaboration hub within the larger LANDR platform, it connects users to a wide variety of products. These entry and exit points require clear and concise UI/UX copy to guide the user throughout the platform.
Sessions
A video chat app designed specifically for musicians. Sessions allows artists and producers to share high-definition audio directly from their DAW (digital audio workstation) to collaborate remotely without compromising their sound.
The challenge:
With a product like Sessions, the goal is to immerse the users in the experience with minimal friction. Music production often involves complicated setups and audio routing. Sessions streamlines the workflow and the UI copy needed to reflect this.
The value of Sessions is best conveyed when new users can quickly jump into a call with a collaborator. As such, copy and design work in tandem to direct the user towards the act of start a “Session” and inviting someone to join the call. Because the product welcome screen is used for both new and returning users, it needs to be informative and instructive, but also minimalist in its approach.
Creator
Creator is an in-browser tool that allows users to build loop-based beats while browsing the LANDR Samples catalogue to preview sounds in real time.
The challenge:
Online sample marketplaces tend to be visually chaotic. They bring together a wide variety of conflicting visuals in a limited space. Creator is docked at the bottom of the screen to minimize its impact on the overall UI, while still remaining available at all times while the user browses the library.
Because Creator is a powerful tool in a small package, it was essential to have strong onboarding for first-time users. This provides the necessary context before inviting users to explore the full range of possibilities afforded to them by the tool.
Copywriting
Collaboration tools
LANDR Collaboration tools bring together three products (Projects, Sessions, and Network) to empower musicians to better connect and create remotely.
The challenge:
LANDR Collaboration tools represent a shift away from individual products and services towards a complete platform for music creators. This suite offers users a complete toolbox to address the many needs of modern musicians—especially those connecting and collaborating remotely with other artists.
The Collaboration tools campaign aimed to convey the “all-in-one” nature of the offer, while also emphasizing the fundamentally human process of creating music together—even across great distances. The concepts at the heart of the campaign were: ease of use, creative freedom, and bridging the gap between collaborators.
Neo Smart Blinds
A tech startup specializing in app-controlled home blinds. They required a clean, easy to navigate website that appealed to both consumers and other businesses that might be interested in licensing their system. Though they had their own copy, much of it had to be reworked for flow and tone. The website also required detailed yet straightforward instructions for installing and operating the Neo Smart Controller device.
Project Responsibilities:
Copy editing
Front-end web design
Asset creation
(Please note: the instructions page on the website has since been updated by the client. The “technical instructions” link above contains a Google Doc with my original copy.)
Tales from the Void
A squad-based, atmospheric real time tactics game with a WWI setting and sci-fi premise. Because the narrative centers on a secret mission lost in time and space, I developed a thematic framing for their existing copy that fit the “covert” angle. In keeping with the vintage aesthetic, I designed a landing page reminiscent of classic “Greetings from” postcards. I also collaborated with the publisher on the copy to ensure consistency between the visual aesthetic and tone of the writing.
Project Responsibilities:
Copywriting
Asset creation
Theming
Front-end web design
Meridian4
Meridian4 is an indie video game publisher. Their website needed a complete redesign and updated visual identity to better fit the direction in which they were heading with their new titles. We went with a dark, gritty theme that complimented the horror, dystopian and fantasy games they were marketing at the time. Given that Steam is their primary distribution platform, links to the marketplace are incorporated throughout the site.
Project Responsibilities:
Copywriting
Copy editing
Asset creation
Theming
Front-end web design
Content Writing
How Kendrick Lamar Earned His Pulitzer Prize
“When you look at the discography of even the most iconic musicians, you’re sure to come across a lackluster release or two. Since making waves with the often-overlooked digital release “Overly Dedicated”, Lamar has put out one solid album or mixtape after another. Though his dynamic flow and lyrical content helps to create a sense of continuity between them, every album has seen the Compton rapper boldly pushing the boundaries of his own artistic identity. His discography traces his evolution as not just a rapper - but an artist that has consistently excelled at every new stage. “DAMN.” is both the culmination of everything that he’s done so far, and the proof that he’s still growing.”
What If We Could Save Our Lives on Digital Files?
“Blessed as we are with highly-developed brains, we navigate our time on this earth carrying a weighty mental burden - the knowledge that our corporeal existence is fleeting. We’re doomed to die and we can’t help but think about it. And so, for millennia, humans have endeavored to extend their lives as long as possible - or better yet, indefinitely. Ours is a long and storied history of attempting to cheat death. In the early 20th Century, doctor and philosopher Alexander Bogdanov claimed to have found the key: blood transfusions - only to die from one. Qin Shi Huang, the legendary Emperor who unified China, died in 210 BC, reportedly as a result of drinking a mercury-based “elixir of life”. He wasn’t the only emperor to meet this fate. Even Sir Isaac Newton spent significant time in the field of alchemy, pursuing the philosopher’s stone and, by extension, immortality. While we laugh at these ludicrous concepts in hindsight, we’re still pursuing the same goal today.”
The Australian Bushfires Explained
“Because summers in Australia tend to be hot and dry, there’s a recognized yearly bushfire season during which naturally-occurring blazes are expected; it’s actually an essential part of the cycle of renewal for plant life in certain parts of the country. Unfortunately, many fires result from human activity—including electrical issues, agricultural reasons, or simple carelessness with campfires and cigarettes. Others result from natural causes—primarily lightning strikes.”
The Groundbreaking Story of Oprah Winfrey
“The Oprah Winfrey Show ran from 1986 to 2011. During that time, the show produced 4,561 episodes. It also took home 47 Daytime Emmys (all before 2000, when Oprah opted to forego submitting the series for Emmy consideration). TV Guide lists it among its “50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time,” and today it remains the single highest-rated daytime talk show in the history of American television. After 25 seasons on the air, you’d think that Oprah might want to retire, but instead, 2011 was the year that she founded OWN, her very own specialty television network. It got off to a bit of a slow start, but by 2015, the channel was being broadcast into an estimated 81.9 million households in America. When Oprah faces adversity, she adapts, overcomes and finds a way to succeed.”
How the Post-Pandemic Travel Industry Must Change
“If we’ve learned anything from 2020, it’s how quickly an industry can be brought to a screeching halt by a pandemic. Though a global health crisis can bring the economy as a whole to its knees, few sectors have been affected quite as dramatically (or catastrophically) as travel. Scary though it might be to consider, another takeaway is that pandemics are inevitable in our modern world; they go hand-in-hand with our global population and increased international travel. Sadly, the travel industry was revealed to be woefully unprepared for a pandemic. In order for the industry to survive, it will be forced to put protocols and contingency plans in place. And these will need to be multi-faceted.”
The Cultural Significance of “Joker”
“We’ve met many different versions of this iconic Batman villain over the years. But with the 2019 film “Joker”, director Todd Phillips delivered a uniquely grounded cinematic take on the iconic character. Utterly lacking in conventional superhero action (or any superheroes for that matter), “Joker” is a dark and gritty origin story that places us in the perspective of the titular character. It was an incredibly bold and risky film for Warner Bros. to greenlight, but the gamble paid off many times over, with the film going on to make over a billion dollars. And it did so with an R-rating no less, shattering records in the process. The movie has been nominated for a staggering 11 Academy Awards after picking up two Golden Globes, including Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix. Much like its namesake character, this film is one of a kind.”
Overtourism Destinations to Avoid in 2020
“There’s nothing quite like a roughly 900-year-old temple to draw a crowd. Surrounded by lush greenery, Angkor Wat is truly stunning to behold, and is a testament to the architectural skill of the Khmer Empire. As such, it’s unsurprising that Angkor Wat is the most popular destination in Cambodia, attracting visitors from around the globe to marvel at its majesty. The problem is, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is showing significant signs of wear due to the dramatic influx of tourists over the last three decades. From its steps to the bas-relief, the stone itself is being worn down. Worse yet, the tourist-centric businesses (like hotels) that have popped up around Angkor Wat have caused significant issues of water scarcity for locals.”
Top 50 Best Action Films of All Time
“Released to critical acclaim in 1981, “Mad Max 2” is one of those rare sequels that overshadows the original. This visceral sci-fi action film is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which resources are scarce and tribal warfare is the way of life. “Road Warrior” boasts thrilling chases, unbridled violence, and some truly remarkable special effects, all bolstered by inspired production design. It’s a wild ride. Of course, you can’t talk about the action cinema glory of Mad Max without acknowledging the 2015 sequel. With Tom Hardy taking over the titular role, and George Miller pushing his unique visual style to the extreme, “Fury Road” gives “Road Warrior” a run for its money, which is saying a lot.”
Breaking Down The Weeknd’s “Snowchild” Music Video
“There’s a lot to unpack in this music video. But in broad strokes, it traces The Weeknd’s career from his humble roots in Toronto to the massive artist that he is today. More than just an animated musical biography however, the video dives deep into the artist’s psychological journey. The imagery, often metaphorical, gives us insight into the personal struggles he’s had along the way, especially at the transitions between the different phases of his career. The Weeknd, not unlike late, great David Bowie, has adopted a number of different personas and musical identities to accompany each album, and in this visual collage of a video, he effectively ties them all together to create one epic narrative.”
Troped: The Slasher Film Final Girl
“You can find examples of this trope dating as far back as the early ‘70s. But it wasn’t until Carol J. Clover’s 1992 book, “Men, Women, And Chain Saws: Gender In The Modern Horror Film,” that someone gave it a proper name. Clover saw the final girl not just as a character to be exploited and victimized for the pleasure of the genre’s predominantly male audience, but rather as an empowered female figure - one with whom male viewers come to identify and celebrate as she overcomes her oppressor.”