User Experience magazine welcomes contributions on a wide range of topics of interest to UX practitioners. Above all, they must be interesting and engaging, inviting readers to think about our work in a new way.

User Experience Style

User Experience is an online professional magazine, not a technical or academic journal. There are no literature surveys or footnotes. Articles are written for a multidisciplinary audience, with an informal and energetic style, and an emphasis on “real people, real problems, real solutions.”

• Our readers are professionals, with an understanding of the field. However, avoid technical jargon so that the story makes sense to a multidisciplinary audience.
• Write from your experience. Stories from your work are entirely appropriate. They provide a human context to your research and make a connection for the audience.
• Above all, be engaging and make a clear, interesting point. Show readers how they can use your experience to improve their practice.

Preparing Your Manuscript

Articles are typically between 1,500 and 2,500 words, but we are open to longer articles when the topic requires it. We have created a template that includes places for information such as author bios and contact information. Please use this template to send us a draft of your article. It is a Microsoft Word file, but should work in a variety of word processors and editing apps.

• Download the UX Magazine article template (Word file, updated August 2015)

The Magazine Style

Your editor will work with you to be sure that the manuscript matches the magazine style. In particular, we may change titles and headings to fit the magazine style, and differentiate articles in an issue.

• Our titles are in two parts, separated by a colon.
• Use headings to separate major sections of your article and help readers navigate the text. All headings must have at least a sentence of text before the next heading.
• List and tables are great. They can make information easier to read quickly.
• Do not use footnotes. Instead, work the reference into the text of the article. For example, instead of “recently Jones (1) suggested that…” use “in her book, Usability is Fun, Sara Jones suggested that…”

Illustrations

We love to have good illustrations for articles that help show examples, place the article in context, and show the ideas in the article in action. Please provide the appropriate credit, which goes in the caption. We do not encourage “decorative” clip art. In the manuscript:

• We will insert illustrations and tables as close as possible to the point at which they are referenced.
• All illustrations need a reference in the text.
• You can include charts, diagrams, figures, and photographs in the manuscript, but we also need separate files.
• Images can be JPG, PNG, or GIF files, large enough to read easily on the screen.

Author Credits

We will need:

• A brief biography (50 words or less) for each author
• A photograph (“head shot”) to go with your bio. This image will be small, so “web-resolution” is fine.

Your bio and picture are displayed on the article page, next to the article (on a large enough screen) or following it (on small screens).

Copyright And Permissions

We ask that authors assign copyright to the UXPA so that we can publish your article. The UXPA will permit you to make copies whenever you request. Each author should complete the online  author’s publication release form.  The full text is available to download for your records, and a copy will be sent to you by email.

Book Reviews

If you are writing a book review, please see:

• Book review guidelines for authors
• Join the book review team