More than Verbal Design “We talk about the power of words — both content and style — all the time. When it comes to friendships, romance, work dynamics, and, dare we even mention it — though Design: nothing is more telling, more relevant — politics, words have the power to change our opinions, incite action, divide or unify us, move us. Words can shape reality.” Code is not the only JENNIFER VAN unicorn skill Words as Material “I think of design as a process of articulation. We join together to express an idea in a coherent form. We bring ideas to life. We connect the dots or build bridges for our users. That often means being specific about what a product does, who it’s for, why it matters, and how it works. We have to trek through a pile of ambiguity to do this.” Programs NICOLE FENTON Design Schools that include Writing degrees or offer Writing and Content Strategy focused coursework Why UX Design is a Lot Like Writing 1. School of Visual Arts IXD MFA “Here’s where I’d like to draw the parallel with writing — because a core skill of the 2. Otis College of Art and Design MFA interaction designer is imagining users (characters), motivations, actions, 3. Ringling College of Art and Design BFA reactions, obstacles, successes, and a complete set of “what if” scenarios.” 4. Savannah College of Art and Design BFA/MFA SUSAN STUART @nicoleslaw @susanstuart @fatimahkabba @jennvano @jamalnichols Section 3: Design needs Designers 27