6 practical tips for better UX writing
Putting the ‘human’ in human-computer interaction.
Every so often, product teams will decouple the relationship between the visual design, experience and content. However, in the greater scheme of things, interface, UX, and content are part of the same battle, neither one can be looked at as a singular key for success.
In the case of interface, because it is at its core, a visual format, it becomes the prime focus for change. UX is heavily focused on from the get-go primarily because the customer experience will be key for the business teams to help on mastering.
However, in the crucial link between interface and experience, content is ignored. In many senses, content is just an extension of the UI and UX to make the visuals brighter, experiences more delightful, and adds to the overall success of the product.
So, what is UX Writing?
UX writing is essentially writing and crafting copies for products, with a primary goal to help and guide the user to navigate through. It shows that the user’s hand is metamorphically is always held on throughout the journey.
It bridges the communication gap between the user and the product.
UX writing can make or break your product.
Do not confuse with its similar terms: UX Copywriting, Content Strategy, and Content Design.
Here, we share some practical tips to make better content.
Let’s get down to it.
1. Keep it simple, silly:
Users are always skimming through a product, and want to complete their task with least friction and time.
This isn’t your college essay, where you need fillers to fluff up to the word limit, here each word counts.
Good microcopy is clear, concise and useful.
2. Reflect the tone of your brand:
It’s the way your brand communicates and speaks to its audience. Define your brand values/voice with UX writing. You need to identify those brand values, what your brand stands for, what market does your product represent, the tonality of your brand and more. The microcopy should align with these questions throughout the user journey.
3. Showing the human side of the product:
The crucial factor missing from the digital-only relationship is that invaluable human touch. It’s always assuring to know there’s a human on the other side of the screen. Of course, a real-life conversation can’t be replaced by words on a screen, but you can always add a human touch on the microcopies, to make it seem real and comforting.
4. Make sure the text formatting works for the occasion:
UX Writing puts the human in human-computer interaction.
It’s okay to break the typography rules if it complements the mood of the design. Sticking to traditional formatting rules is not a mandatory feature of content in products. Text weight, language structure and voicing can be played around with to make the reading experience more tactile.
For instance, combining 2 typefaces can be interesting for the design.
5. Add life to it:
Dynamic content (animated, do not confuse with CMS linked content) can make a product feel more lively.
For instance, using animated typing (typed.js to provide a simple example) or a little animation for the content could potentially be a good tool that can make a product feel like it has a life to it.
6. Be Creative:
Sprinkling a little bit of sense of humour into the copy (if your product/brand tone allows it) can work great with adding lightness of the experience.
The brilliance of UX writing can be seen right here, it perfectly takes Stranger things references and puts it into the copy and the CTA!
This is crucial for ‘Error 404’ pages, but not limited to it.
Creativity can be packed into every aspect of UX writing. It can be incorporated into loading pages, welcome screens, an approval messages and much more.
Whenever you’re downloading an image from Canva, it displays “Preparing your design…” along with a quote by an artist. This gives a sense of personalization and a labour Illusion.
The core idea is to look at content as a tool which makes experiences more meaningful and even gives an upper hand to make the visuals look the best that they can. Easily understandable and highly stylised content truly helps push products into the upper tiers.
Key Takeaway
- It bridges the communication gap between the user and the product.
- Good content is short, crisp and fits well within its designated space.
- It should represent your brand values and the tonality towards its audience.
- It’s important to show the human side of the product to gain users’ trust.
- Typography should blend in with the mood of the design.
- Adding animation to the copy can make it feel more lively.
- There are no barriers to creativity when it comes to crafting a UX copy, just make sure it only assists the user.
Happy UX Writing! :)
The Canvs Editorial team comprises of: Editorial Writer and Researcher- Paridhi Agrawal, the Editor’s Desk- Aalhad Joshi and Debprotim Roy, and Content Operations- Abin Rajan
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