November 30, 2017
When thinking about User Experience (UX) what usually comes to our mind is a mix of design strategies and interactions. But the importance of effective writing in the creation of digital products is often forgotten. Using appropriate and concise language makes a great difference in how users understand, use and enjoy a product and that is what UX Writing is all about.
The goal of UX Writing is to guide user actions with clear instructions, supporting a conversation that helps them accomplish their goals without frustration. The material created by UX writers is known as microcopy, all small hints and text components used in buttons, menus, error messages and any kind of instructions within the user interface.
Life is too short to click on things you don’t understand – Jakob Nielsen
Why is UX Writing important?
UX Writing aims to improve and facilitate communication preventing user errors or mistakes. Using words that create a consistent and useful experience have a huge impact on customer retention and brand perception.
When we put attention to creating effective and clear messages we help users to navigate intuitively and make any action easy to follow.
Successful UX Writing
In UX Writing every word counts. That’s why it’s important to follow these five principles to connect better with your users.
1. User-centered
Focus on your users, get to know them and find out what are their goals. The best you know who is using your product the better you will know how to motivate them to take action.
2. Clear
Use plain language, avoid jargon and technical terms. Make scanning and comprehension a priority.
3. Concise
Write in a style that’s efficient and scannable and eliminate filler text.
4. Useful
Be explicit and write in a way that encourages action. This is very important when there’s an error or user gets stuck in a process. Always help the user to fix the problem instead of just saying what’s wrong.
5. On Brand
Every interaction and text component is an opportunity to engage the user and share your brand personality. Make sure the language is aligned with your brand’s unique voice.
Great digital products are created when effective copy and interface work together as a result of a clear strategic direction
A successful user experience cannot be built with visual design alone. A great digital product is created when effective copy and interface work together with a clear strategy behind it. If the user understands what your product is saying and remembers the experience as clear, useful and enjoyable, the job has been done right!
Interested in learning more about UX Writing? Here are some great resources:
Material Design – Writing Style
MailChimp Content Style Guide
Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose
Do you want to create frustration free experiences for your customers? Contact us and let’s chat how we can help you to achieve a better web experience for your product.