What to do and what not to do for better UX writing

What to do and what not to do for better UX writing

Published
July 15, 2023
Product design

How does UX writing work?

UX writing means writing about the user's experience. It means writing material that helps the user understand and enjoy the site. UX writing is an important part of making a product that is easy to use because it tells users what they can do, helps them through the process, and makes them feel more confident.

When do we write in UX?

UX writing is used in three different ways:

Before you do something: the writing tells you what will happen if you do that thing.

During the action: It helps you finish the process and gives you tips and news as you go.

After an action: it confirms what happened and tells what to do next.

What makes UX writing good?

Here are some things that make good UX writing:

Clear actions: When writing UX content, it's important to tell users exactly what they need to do, what those actions will require of them, and what they can expect to happen as a result. The key is to use simple, easy-to-understand words to avoid any misunderstanding.

The personal touch: UX writing should make people feel welcome and nice. Use a tone that sounds like you're having a natural chat with the person reading the material. This makes people feel closer to the information and makes them more interested.

Personality of the brand: Putting personality into the writing gives the user a unique taste. It might mean using fun, a unique style, or just keeping a friendly tone throughout the material. It's important to match the tone of the writing to what the viewer wants and what they expect.

Fun and entertainment: Adding fun to UX writing can help, especially in mistake messages or other scenarios that might make users angry. You can help them feel better and keep them interested in the product or service by using smart and funny wording.

Further help: The goal of UX writing should be to give people extra help when they need it. This can be done with short explanations, comments, and tips that help users understand the material or figure out how to move through processes. It's important to give people this help at the right time and not to give them too much information.

Be aware of time: It's important to know the situation and background of your users. By thinking about what they want and need at any given time, you can tailor your writing to give them information that is useful and timely. This makes sure that users get material that is just right for them at the moment.

Get your users to do what you want them to do: UX writing can help users decide what to do. Make it clear what users will get out of using the product or why they should tell others about it. Motivating users can lead to more user interaction and involvement. This can be done by pointing out the benefits, showing social proof, or giving incentives.

Inclusiveness: When you write in an open way, you make sure that your material doesn't leave anyone out or make them feel less important. When writing, it's important to keep in mind gender, age, race, ability, background, and sexual orientation when choosing words and tone. By being open to everyone, you make a place where everyone feels welcome and reflected.

Things not to do when writing UX:

Don't use Lorem Ipsum: Using placeholder text like Lorem Ipsum can lead to a design that doesn't work well with the real material and may not give true results in usability tests.

Use simple, easy-to-understand words instead of gibberish. Complex language and terms can slow people down and make them feel like they don't belong.

Remove words that aren't needed. Keep your writing short and to the point by getting rid of words like "a," "an," and "the."

Don't use too many superlatives. They can be confusing and make people less likely to trust your content.

Don't focus on language. language is important, but it's fine to be chatty and use numbers to emphasize important points.

Not the user's fault: Instead of blaming users for their mistakes, give them helpful answers and ideas for how to fix them.

Don't try to trick the user. Don't use guilt or the fear of missing out (FOMO) to get users to do what you want.

In Conclusion, As a UX writer, you can use user tests and analytics to figure out how well your writing works. Try out different methods to see which ones help you finish tasks more quickly and make you feel good. Analyze how users engage, click-through rates, conversion data, and calls to customer service to see how good UX writing affects users. When microcopy is written well, it can lead to more sales, more customer trust, and better business success

Read more

You may also like

Read more
Read more

You may also like