UX Writing Principal User Journey
Content and UX design for a marketplace app.
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As a student with UX Writing Hub’s Academy, our final project was to create a fictional digital product using the content-first approach and provide several UX writing deliverables.
Overview
Life’s Lemons is an e-commerce marketplace and sharing app that aims to reduce surplus food waste and connect people to all things local.
See the full project brief and copy rationale here: Life's Lemons Copy Docs
Scope
Aside from just coming up with a fictional product, I was tasked with completing this project in three comprehensive phases:
UX Research (3 weeks)
Content-First Design (4 weeks)
Testing + Optimization (2 weeks)
Due to the nature of this large project, collaborating with external participants during each phase of the project’s lifecycle helped to guide the project through to completion.
My role: UX Writer
Stakeholders: UX writing mentor, UX Writing Hub, me (as this is my product)
Deliverables
UX research (plan and final report)
Card sorting product features
Mini content style guide
User journey map
Several product screens (journey+ more), +1 iteration
User testing and findings
Timeline: 9 weeks total
Tools used: Figma, Miro, Airtable, Notion, Google Docs
Initially, starting a project from scratch seemed daunting. Yet, it was also very exciting because I had the freedom to design something from the ground up, which allowed this project to have endless room for interpretation, flexibility, and creativity.
Thinking big picture, I had so many questions:
What type of digital product would I create?
What research would be needed?
What would the principal user journey be?
How would I test the copy?
But first things first.
Hypothesis
Creating an app solely on sharing surplus homegrown produce or home-baked or other goods was limiting. By nestling that “sharing” part in a marketplace app, it would be more relevant and palatable for general consumers.
Challenges
I didn’t have prior experience designing product screens for an entire user journey. Yet, I knew it would be a fun challenge. To overcome this, I applied the UX principles I’d learned in the course, researched UX/UI best design practices, reached out to colleagues, asked questions, and made decisions based on research and testing.
Problem
My grandparents’ orchard often had surplus produce (lemons, oranges, and avocados) that went to waste because we didn’t have an easy or obvious way to share them. But “people with surplus backyard produce” would be too narrow of a niche for a marketplace app.
So, by focusing on the “sharing with neighbors” and “community” aspects of this, the app would aim to get people to share more, waste less, and connect people to buy and sell locally made or sourced goods.
UX Research
Part I
For the research phase, I used a variety of UX research methods to help me better understand the needs and goals of the end user and thoroughly develop an understanding of the market/industry I’m writing for.
The research findings in the slideshow below contain the most important information.
For a more in-depth look at my work, please use the links provided to the right.
Deliverables
Research Findings (in slideshow below)
Market Research, Competitor Analysis (AirTable)
Determining Target Audience + Users
Conversation Mining (AirTable)
Waste & Sharing Survey (PDF)
User Interviews
User Persona (PDF)
UX Research: Key Takeaways
Conversation Mining
Buyers, sellers, and sharers all want a marketplace that is easy to use and straightforward.
This audience rates customer service as very important and doesn’t want to be just another ticket number.
Users want to be reassured about safety for food sharing and free item pick-up arrangements.
Ensure that rules for sellers are fair to buyers. Many upset buyers want sellers to be held accountable for not shipping items or have the app look into preventing scams or fraud.
Sellers want a fair fee structure that works for their business.
Competitor Analysis
TooGood2Go: collects excess food from restaurants and offers it at a discount for its member
Imperfect Foods: a subscription service that delivers fresh/seasonal produce and pantry staples made imperfectly and not good enough to sell in grocery stores. Eye-catching, friendly, and fun design.
Olio: a sharing app that started with food but later included household items.
GumTree: Australia's free marketplace to buy things locally (for Aussies). Find cars, furniture, electronics, jobs, real estate & more for sale across Australia.
Sprouts: a supermarket chain that focuses on local growers and small sellers, playing up the idea of small-town life and community in a clever and engaging way on their website.
Content-First Design
Part II
Before drafting copy, I used card sorting to determine what features the app would have. I also needed to map the principal user journey of a new Life’s Lemons user to help design the conversation. Using the pain points and other data gathered in the research phase, I was then able to start writing.
To keep things short, I’ve only included the user journey map and first iteration user flow screens below.
Deliverables
Card sorting product features
Mini content style guide
User journey map
1st iteration screens of the principal user journey
Life’s Lemons: User Journey Map
Onboarding Screens: 1st Set
Testing & Optimization
Part III
Once the initial screens were created, I iterated on the designs by creating a second set of screens to test the onboarding flow, navigation clarity, and whether there would be a preference to have a carousel of tips or a tour of the app.
With the second set of screens done, it was time to validate and refine them through user testing. This phase focused on ensuring the app’s content and primary user flow were intuitive, engaging, and aligned with user expectations.
Deliverables
2nd iteration of screens
Perform user testing
Analyze findings to determine how to best organize the onboarding flow
Onboarding Screens: 2nd Set
Life’s Lemons: User Testing
I conducted usability testing with 6 participants who matched the app’s target audience.
They were tasked with completing key actions, such as signing up and completing the onboarding process. Through direct observation on a live call and feedback collection, I identified areas where users hesitated or encountered friction.
Below is one of the tests I created to collect user feedback:
Key Findings
Clarity is Key: Users preferred the conversational tone and clear language of the 1st iteration's welcome screen over the "flowery" language in the 2nd version.
Sequence Refinement: While users appreciated the updated design of version 2, they found the onboarding flow of version 1 more intuitive. Specifically, they recommended keeping the placement of the community pledge confirmation before account creation.
Guided Tour: Users overwhelmingly preferred the guided tour of the app over a static carousel of tips.
Design & Copy Harmony: While the overall design of the 2nd iteration was preferred, some copy elements from the 1st iteration resonated more effectively with users. This suggests merging the best of both versions in the 3rd iteration to balance the visual appeal while also preserving the logical flow.
Positive Brand Personality & Perception: Users loved the app’s positive brand personality, as reflected in the design, conversational tone, and branded graphics, which made the experience feel “caring/kind” and “approachable”.
Conclusion
The testing and optimization phase brought the app closer to being a functional, user-friendly product. Through iterative design and copy adjustments, I was able to:
Strengthen the app’s sense of community by ensuring onboarding felt welcoming and informative.
Improve engagement by refining navigation and highlighting key actions.
Enhance overall usability through content design choices.
While this fictional app was part of a UX writing course, it offered me valuable insight into how a UX writer works behind the scenes to conduct UX research, develop user-centered content, and create smooth user flows.
This project taught me how to develop content that not only guides users but also reflects the product’s voice and values, ultimately creating a key user flow for a minimum viable product (MVP) in a way that would enhance the overall user experience.