onboarding/rebrand - ux writing

bring Webex voice to life (for first time)

time to read ~ 2 minutes

cast your mind back to late 2019, early 2020… Webex was in the middle of a rebrand crisis-rebirth (depending on who you ask).

let me help you picture it. an agency partner, my creative team—both of us at the metaphorical potter’s wheel, full-on Ghost mode.

what came out wasn’t just a refresh. it was a resurrection. Webex wasn’t going to be “Cisco’s video tool” anymore. it was going to stand on its own.

that meant new colors, illustration, a whole design language. and because it was 2019—yes, we also got dark mode 😎

don’t worry i come into this story in just a moment.

so with a new brand, comes a new voice.

the brand work was a solid start. but it needed to be translated into product, with more detail and clarity (see artifact below).

that’s where I came in, acting as brand-to-writing translator.

so what did this means for our writing style? to cliff-notes it:

1. Cut the fat

2. Be more contextual

3. Add a bit of flair when possible

4. Writing for multiple platforms

step one: get my head around the voice and audit what we had. spoiler, it wasn’t bad—just 🥱

next up: applying it. the first target? our onboarding flow (which was already getting a second look at the time).

now the language had more life. it was warm, a little whimsical when it fit, and always as tight as possible.

and of course, written mobile-first.

all while getting PM onboard (no small feat) and coaching the onboarding team our new voice.

but the real work was next and ongoing for most of my time at Webex

our new content and writing guidance.