In the last blog about UX writing, I explained what UX writing and microcopy are, why optimised microcopy is essential for the UX and can lead to higher conversions and satisfied users.
But what should you pay attention to when writing microcopy? What are the most important guidelines and how is good microcopy created in conjunction with concept, design and development? I explain this in this blog.
UX writing is still a relatively young discipline. As a result, too little attention is often paid to microcopy in the design and development process of digital products and its importance is underestimated. This may also be due to the fact that most people take text for granted, whereas designing and building a user interface is something that obviously requires special expertise and tools. This can lead to the complexity and experience and knowledge required to define the optimal microcopy being underestimated and the purely visual design being (over)emphasised in comparison.
It is therefore not surprising that it is often not (yet) clear how UX writing can be meaningfully integrated into the development process. There is a lack of tried-and-tested workflows and, in some cases, suitable tools.
Real content is often only incorporated into the existing design late in the process and is only then - if at all - checked more closely and "made to fit". This is often not the best option for the overall UX. Lorem ipsum is practical in drafts to get an impression of what a screen could look like. However, if the final content is only added at the end, it may well be that you suddenly realise that it doesn't fit in with the rest of the concept and that adjustments to the design would be helpful.
It is therefore important that UX writers are involved in the development process of a digital product at an early stage. By focussing on required or unnecessary texts in the context of the UI at an early stage, the UX becomes more consistent and you can save yourself the effort of making any adjustments afterwards.
The positive effects of UX writing need to be made more visible in order to strengthen the understanding of the importance of this discipline - much like user testing and user research a few years ago.
Three words that you come across again and again in connection with UX writing in books, blogs and talks on the subject are clear, concise, useful - clear, concise, helpful. These can be seen as guidelines that you should always keep in mind when writing microcopy. I would like to illustrate this with an example from the Google I/O keynote from 2017.
Use words that users can understand. If you are involved in the development process of a digital product yourself, you probably have a vocabulary of technical terms that not all users are likely to be familiar with. A clear choice of words does not necessarily mean using the most technically precise word, but rather providing just enough context so that it makes sense to the average user. Of course, it depends on the target group and the use case whether or not technical jargon is appropriate.
In order to achieve clear formulations, it also helps to focus on the user's action. As a rule, active sentences are better than passive ones and direct forms of address are better than impersonal formulations with "man".
Every word on the screen should have a specific task. There are often a lot of superfluous headings, subtitles or similar elements, partly because the design shows an existing text field that needs to be filled with text. If a "content first" approach is followed, this happens less. Visual elements are then tailored to what you want to say and not the other way round.
Since people often scan text on screens and skip parts, it helps to put the most important things first (frontloading).
In addition, there is often limited space for text. Use short sentences, short paragraphs and bullet points for better scannability. A rule of thumb is that people find it easier to read a text if it is 40 or fewer characters wide and three or fewer lines long. The process of making a text more concise therefore often consists of shortening it. This also includes the use of numbers instead of number words (4 instead of four).
Good UX writing leads people to the next step and is helpful. A text that is clear and concise is not necessarily helpful. In the example shown, users are not really offered a way out of their "unfortunate situation". For this reason, the microcopy is supplemented with two options that help users and guide them through the registration process.
The three principles are not always easy to reconcile and to a certain extent compete with each other. It is important to find the right balance between the principles. Brand voice and conversational writing can help with this.
If you are not sure whether you have found the right balance between a clear, concise and helpful choice of words, the brand voice (ideally defined in advance) should help.
Brand voice expresses the personality, values and positioning of a brand or company and defines how it communicates with customers or users. The brand voice creates recognition value and trust among the target group and helps to strengthen customer loyalty. Brand voice should be used consistently across all communication channels and thus ensure a uniform appearance. A well-defined brand voice therefore also serves as a "signpost" in UX writing when formulating microcopy.
To illustrate this, I will return to the Google example mentioned above. "Wrong password" with the options "Try again" and "Recover password" is clear, concise and helpful - but it doesn't really correspond to Google's brand voice. Google's brand voice - at least at the time of this keynote - is based on Google Search. This is an everyday tool and therefore uses everyday, friendly and optimistic language. The search is also clever, but not too clever, so that it remains accessible to everyone. This is reflected accordingly in the brand voice and therefore also in the UX writing.
"Wrong password" would be adapted accordingly into something like "That password doesn't look right" - friendly, optimistic (it doesn't start with the word "wrong") and clever, but still everyday.
It becomes clear that the introduction of brand voice can make texts longer and possibly a little less concise, but it gives a product recognition value and friendliness.
In order to make a digital product easier and more efficient to use, it can help to be aware of the principles of conversational writing. After all, dealing with machines - in our case, computers, smartphones and the like - is fundamentally unnatural. In order to convey a sense of security and comprehensibility - which is essential for a good UX - the human-machine interface (HMI) must be designed in such a way that it feels natural to interact with "the machine". Information such as words in buttons, links, etc. should therefore be conveyed as if in an appropriate, natural conversation.
To this end, it can help to read text on an interface out loud to see whether it feels like a conversation.
In the following, I will show you a few examples that illustrate how UX writing can make a user interface easier to understand and clearer and thus offer users a better UX.
UX writing is not an exact science and it is not always possible to say unequivocally which will work better. Ideally, different versions can be tested with A/B tests. User testing can also provide important insights into microcopy and its comprehensibility. Nonetheless, the guidelines outlined above help when optimising texts.
Focus on the user or target group
Microcopy should be clear, unambiguous and helpful
Brand voice serves as a guide. If there is no brand voice yet, it should be defined before the UX writing process
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Although microcopy is short, it is often not written quickly. It requires several correction loops and a close dialogue between UX writers and the design team to arrive at a suitable solution. As microcopy has a significant influence on the overall UX, it is important to edit it in the context of the design, as texts are read and understood differently depending on where they are placed on the screen.
Good microcopy guides users through a digital product, gives them assistance, removes obstacles and leads them to their goal. It is clear, concise and helpful - while at the same time taking into account the brand voice of the respective brand. It leads to a better UX, less frustration among users, higher conversions and better retention. It is therefore important not to neglect UX writing throughout the entire conception and design process.
However, it is not necessarily possible to predict which texts will work best in digital products, even if these basic principles are "followed". It is best to involve the target group in the development process by means of user research and testing, and to test different (text) variants.
Would you like to learn more about the topic or can you use support in the field of UX writing?
Torrey Podmajersky: Strategic Writing for UX (z.B. erhältlich bei Orell Füssli)
Kinneret Yifrah: UX Writing & Microcopy (z.B. erhältlich bei Orell Füssli)
Claudia Sinnig: UX-Writing . 8 Guidelines für gute UX-Texte (Blog Beitrag)
Thomas Kemp: UX Writing: Wie du mit smarten Texten dein Produkt bereicherst (Blog Beitrag)
Google I/O 2017: How words can make your product stand out (Keynote Speech)
Readymag Blog: Writing is designing: Content designers on how to drive user experience with every word (Blog Beitrag)
WiX UX Blog: Designing the perfect button
Wix UX Blog: When life gives you lemons, write better error messages
Apple WWDC2022: Writing for Interfaces
