MARISA CHEATUM
UX WRITER & CONTENT STRATEGIST
Hey there! 
I’m Marisa. I’m a UX writer and content strategist with a strong background in creative writing and education. I design with words to help users get things done.
HOW I HELP
- Use creative writing background to find the right words for the right audience
- Collaborate with the UX team to develop user flows and wireframes
- Use competitive research, user studies, and data to drive content strategy
- Craft thoughtful and purposeful microcopy
- Solve problems efficiently and effectively
- Evangelize the importance of content and empower teams to be better UX writers
- Translate complex ideas into easy-to-understand writing
- Take an empathetic approach to analyze and understand the overall user experience
- Use humor where appropriate to create a positive and engaging user experience
MY WORK
Role: Product Content Strategist
Description: Created and launched the first in-app self-service help center for users
Skills showcased: Information architecture, microcopy, instructional copy, user research, problem solving, content strategy
Main collaborators: Lead Product Designer, Product Designer, Senior Product Manager, Senior Product Marketing Manager, customer support team, content team, legal
Role: Product Content Strategist
Description: Completely refreshed the content and design of the welcome email and notification email
Skills showcased: Transactional writing, information architecture, marketing copywriting
Main collaborators: Senior Visual Designer, support team, product managers
Role: Product Content Strategist
Description: Deployed an onboarding experience in the product for new users
Skills showcased: Microcopy, instructional copy, user research
Main collaborators: Product Designer, support team, product managers
Role: UX Copywriter & Content Strategist
Description: Partnered with cross-functional teams to create a life insurance needs calculator from scratch
Skills showcased: User research, competitive research, conversational writing, microcopy, wireframing, information architecture, marketing copywriting
Main collaborators: UX Product Designer, Web Designer/Developer, Sales Operations Manager, marketing, compliance
LIFE INSURANCE E-APP
Role: UX Copywriter & Content Strategist
Description: Created a completely online final expense life insurance application
Skills showcased: User behavior data, competitive research, user testing, conversational writing, microcopy, wireframing, information architecture
Main collaborators: UX Product Designer, UX Researcher, internal and external compliance departments, Behavioral Scientist, client stakeholders
ABOUT ME
I’ve been a UX writer and content strategist for the past 2 years, but I have about 8 years of experience shaping user experiences.
For 6 years, I was the Program Leader of a university writing center that was founded on a federal grant. Because the center was new, I played a leading role in helping establish the center on campus. It was exciting to build the program from scratch, and I was able to define the student and tutor experiences (online and in person). Similar to UX, it was a lot of testing, learning, and iterating — all to help students achieve their goals of becoming better writers.
While freelancing in 2018, I landed my first UX writing position. That’s when I fell in love with UX, and I hit the ground running. I was determined to learn as much as I could. I reached out and talked to those who were successful in the field. I read countless articles and books. And to this day, I never stop learning.
I leverage my creative writing degree and higher education background to advocate for users and for effective content within UX teams.
- I love to learn. And I grasp concepts quickly.
- I'm adaptive to change, flexible, and self-motivated.
- Colleagues have told me that I have "eagle eyes" and a high attention to detail.
- I worked in higher education for about 6 years, so I have experience working with people of all backgrounds and experience levels.
- Constructive criticism is kind of my thing. With extensive background in creative writing and tutoring, I know how to give and receive feedback effectively.
- I'm not afraid to ask questions, and I know when to rely on teammates for support.
- I love to make people laugh.
- Self-proclaimed "/giphy" pro on Slack.
CERTIFICATIONS
- Copyright 2020 | www.marisacheatum.com