Utilizing Sketch Cloud for UX Writing Works

So, it’s been a few months since Sketch released Sketch Cloud, a cloud-based extension of their service which aim for a smoother handoff between designer and developer. At first glance, the idea is a lot like Zeplin; you preview the screen for the developer to understand what it is that they need to build. However, I discovered the use of this feature as well for UX Writing works. Let’s dig deeper on this.

As a UX Writer myself, my work is laying heavily on the collaboration between different functions; designers, developers and of course business people as well. As my task is to help interfaces to speak, I often struggling with the ways to present the final copy to the stakeholders. Adding dual-languages-setting into the equation, my struggle is even harder when I have to present copy for two different languages. Most of the time, the English copy looks fine and sit pretty on the placeholder. But lots of time (well, 80% to be exact), Bahasa copy is usually longer and takes more space. Hence, it’s so important for me as a UX Writer to have access to the screen design itself to measure the copy space.

Previously, as most of UX Writers do, I used Google Sheet to store my copy. I have a certain template that contains the UI screenshots, a field for English copy, another field for Bahasa copy and additional field for the copy attribute number (that basically tells which part of the screen is this particular copy). The work is tiring because to set the workspace, firstly I have to screenshot the screen one by one, adding boxes into the copy placeholder, then adding the attribute number to EACH copy palcement. For a quick adhoc task, 5–6 screens sounds fine. But when it comes to a whole end-to-end journey with dozens of screens, you can only imagine how stressful it is for me just to set the workspace first; let alone to work on the copy. And here’s where the magic of Sketch Cloud touched me and brought me to UX Writer’s heaven.

Firstly launched at February 2020, the feature looked promising. The idea is simple; this feature allows you to present the screen seamlessly to other stakeholders without any fuss. And sure, that idea entertained my exhausting soul in search of a platform to release me from the Kraken of Google Sheet for copy works. But it also means that I have to learn how to operate Sketch on the first place.

At first, I was terrified by the idea of having to learn a whole new tool. As a person without design background, the layers and buttons and different functions for each hotkeys terrified me. But I decided to give it a try. After dozens of Youtube videos and tons of Medium articles on how to basically operate Sketch, I now pronounce myself as a UX Writer with elementary-level of Sketch operation (but please don’t ask me to do anything more than changing a copy).

And here I am now, falling in love deeply with Sketch Cloud. Let me give you an illustration on how I utilize this platform for copy works.

• Copy on design = perfect combo
  I’m saying goodbye to painful process of having to screenshot the UI one by one; and now embracing the new way of working on copy. I usually will ask for the Sketch file to the respective designer and work on the copy directly on the design. This way, I can directly see how the copy looks on the design. This is especially helpful for writers that work with more than one language, because sometimes copy in non-English languages is longer. Goodbye to ask for designer’s help to check if the copy fits the placeholder, I’m now a big girl and I can do that myself.
• Sharing progress is now seamless
  Collaborate with different teams means you have to be ready to present your work at any time. Sketch Cloud helps a lot with this because I can simply share the link to that particular project and the stakeholders can see all of the copy — beautifully placed on the design. This will also help the stakeholders to grasp the context easier and check whether the copy flow is correct or not.
  The most exciting part of this sharing session is the fact that the stakeholders can comment on the particular copy on a particular screen; just like Zeplin. And a copy change can be executed within minutes; just simply click the Update button and boom! The screen is updated with the latest version of the copy. How magical is that? (It is, at least for me).
• Smooth collaboration with fellow designers
  My enthusiasm is blowing up like a bomb when I found out that collaborator in Sketch Cloud can easily download the Sketch file just with a single click. This helps a lot with the collaboration between UX Writer and UI Designers because I know how painful it is to have to copy-paste the final copy manually one-by-one like they got no better things to do. I’m so glad that I can help designers to escape from this hell-hole by simply giving them download access to my Sketch file, making it easier for them to update the final screen (along with the final copy equipped) into Zeplin.

As much as I love Sketch Cloud, there’s still one thing that I miss from this amazing platform. The Inspector feature is still in BETA, and the attribute code comes in a singular-mode so you can’t copy-paste the code for the whole screen at once (not that I understand coding, but this looks like a big turn-off for developer — which is why they still love Zeplin more). Moving forward, I hope that the BETA status will soon being upgraded and we can see more from Sketch Cloud.

This might sounds like a beautiful love story between a UX Writer and Sketch Cloud, but I’m sure that each writer has their very own process. My process might be unsuitable for certain collaboration settings and that’s okay. We all exploring all available options to craft a smoother collaboration process every other day.

Hope this helps for any UX Writer (or soon-to-be a writer) looking for alternatives for copy works.

Ciao!