In todays class had a short lecture on UX writing, what it is and how we can implement it into our designs. We looked specifically at things like buttons, prompts, and messages that might pop up for users. This is a very overlooked part of UX but it is very important to do correctly to enhance user experience.
UX writing or microcopy is primarily concise and minimal. We are only giving the users what they need to see, so we must carefully consider what content we are writing in our designs. We need to think about writing, formatting, and structure. The most important thing about UX writing is that it is simple. This opens our designs to a wider audience, as users are focused on completing their tasks, not the deep comprehension that we are using. Users don’t really care about the specific words we are using, but what they are trying to do. In terms of formatting, we can enhance UX writing by highlighting things, making them look slightly different, or implementing hierarchy to prompt them what to read first. Using bullet points are a great way to make content more digestible and organised, and this can make the user enjoy reading what we are saying a bit more. This article below talked about how there is more to microcopy than CTA buttons, and how we need to have an understanding of our user to know what tone of voice to use, what sort of language to use, and when to use it. It also mentioned how our goals when writing in UX should be to make the users job as easy as possible.
Microcopy in a nutshell: Past, present and future - UX WRITING HUB
Call outs are text that pops up and they are normally the primary attention when they are on the screen. What makes them so unique is that they only pop up at a certain time, and this is thoughtfully timed in a place where the content is appropriate, almost trying to read the users mind and give them their next move.
Interaction design is not just making UIs on Figma, but it is also making every step of the UX experience easy and enjoyable. A mundane task that no-one likes completing is filling out sign up forms, but they are something that we have to design. With sign up forms there is always the risk that the user will make a mistake when filling in information, and this can be bad as this can make it hard to reach the user, especially if they haven’t noticed that they typed in the wrong details. We should also make an effort to explain to the user why they should create an account and register, so that every user can understand why they should sign up and it’s not something that is forced upon them. Even using different words to say the same thing can change how the user perceives what they are doing. ‘Register’ is quite formal, so it must be used in formal situations. ‘Sign up’ is probably used the most, and gives the idea of an agreement being made. ‘Join’ is quite friendly and gives the idea of becoming a part of something. Knowing when to use each one is a good thing to have and will help with UX writing.
Error messages are what pops up to disrupt the users progress because they have gone off track or have done something wrong. These are very important to try and get right as users could be at a fragile point when this happens, and an error message could be the final straw for them. Error messages should firstly, explain simply the problem, informing the user that there is something wrong. Secondly, they should explain how to get around the problem, so that the user has a way out. Thirdly it should be doing this as friendly as possible. We especially don’t want error codes popping up for users as that means nothing to them. Down below is an example of a bad error message, and a good one. The reason why the first one is bad is because it uses technical language that the user may not understand, and doesn’t actually explain the problem. It also uses an error code that is completely useless. The one on the right is good because it actually explains what the error is, and what the user can do with it. It also uses icons to briefly explain what is happening.
The opposite of error messages are success messages, and these inform the user that their action has been completed and had an effect. These are important as they give the user assurance that what they have done was successful and this can give them clarity. Without them the user can be left in the dark as to whether their action was successful or not.
We then done our own UX writing challenge, to put what we've just learnt into practice. We had to come up with a mock up error message telling the user that they have entered the wrong email. The challenge was to do this in under 40 characters or less. Here are some of the ones I came up with.