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Apr 19, 2022
While visuals and interactive elements are the first things that come to mind when most people consider UX design, words are also important.
Compelling UX copy needs to be incorporated into your Miami web design and app design, if you want to ensure a positive user experience.
UX writing is a vital skill for developing digital products.
It involves stringing words together to guide users intuitively within a product and help them communicate with it, bridging the gap between humans and machines. You can see UX copy in the form of instructions, buttons, menu labels, and error messages.
Well-written UX copy can make users feel more comfortable interacting with your digital product and more invested in using it.
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Good UX writing leads users through your digital product's most important interactions. It:
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Just like UX designers, UX writers should always look for the shortest path from point A to point B.
According to Torrey Podmajersky, the author of Strategic Writing for UX, users are more likely to click on calls to action (CTAs) that are concise compared to those that contain two words or more.
If the goal of your user interface is conversion, it’s best to keep your CTA short and sweet.
You need to determine what your target users want to know about your products or services. Then, using a customer persona, try to speak the same language as them in your copy.
This allows you to use words that resonate with your target audience, and get rid of unnecessary text to make your UX copy helpful.
Straightforward UX copy provides users with sufficient information, allowing them to make stronger purchasing decisions. Without the right words, users will feel frustrated, the user experience will decline, and your digital product will fade into ambiguity.
Positive language improves UX and provides users with decision-making clarity.
You want your web visitors or app users to have a positive feeling when they engage with your digital product. To achieve this, your writing needs to emanate positivity.
When users feel good about using your app or navigating through your site, they’re more likely to be engaged while using it. As a result, they’ll come back to your site or keep using your app, and develop trust in the process.
As much as possible, avoid using negative statements to describe your products or services.
You want to create a sense of continuity with your web design in Miami and other digital products so that you can continue to create meaningful connections with target users across all touchpoints.
This helps strengthen your brand’s appeal to consumers.
Make sure that your UX copy is consistent with your brand’s style and tone. A consistent tone of voice and style in your copy keeps your communications on brand and on message.
To be consistent with your UX text, go back to your branding guidelines so you know what you want to say and how it sounds when you say it.
Your brand’s voice shapes the impressions that users form.
It's important to write in active voice to create compelling UX copy that will move your visitors or app users to take action.
Writing in an active voice makes your message clear and keeps your sentences simple and more digestible – this makes it more effective in engaging users.
Take a look at this landing page as an example:
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Notice how Forestry.io’s landing page presents two clear and actionable CTA buttons right away? It offers users an option and drives them to engage with the platform.
When working on your web design in Miami, use strong verbs to motivate user action. As much as possible, write in the present tense to avoid making your UX copy wordy and complicated.
Good UX copy is simple. This allows it to communicate with users clearly and effectively.
Using jargon risks confusing your intended audience with wordiness or the use of technical terms that are completely foreign to them.
It’s best to avoid using jargon in your UX copy, especially in your error messages, unless you define these terms first for readers who may not understand them.
For example, don’t use “System error (code #1234): An authentication error has occurred.” Instead, use “Sign-in error: You entered the wrong password.”
You might think that showing as much information about your digital product to users upfront is good because it helps people make informed decisions. However, too many details can quickly overwhelm them.
What you should do instead is to use a progressive disclosure technique in your website design in Miami. This interaction design technique arranges information and actions across several screens to prevent your visitors from getting overwhelmed or confused.
Only reveal additional information as needed. This is the purpose of all the 'Read more' links you see on websites.
Additional tips:
Nobody likes surprises, especially when they’re expecting one thing from your app or site, and end up with another.
When labeling buttons and other interactive elements, users should be able to tell at a glance what an element does.
Avoid using vague labeling, such as 'Ok’ or ‘Cancel’. Instead, use action verbs like ‘Connect’, ‘Subscribe’, ‘Delete’, ‘Send’.
It’s important to use terms that are consistent with the platform a user is interacting with. For example, if a user is using your app on mobile, your UX copy shouldn’t say ‘click’ when referring to an action, it should be ‘tap’.
Nothing is more compelling than the word “you.” It speaks directly to your intended audience and not at them. This makes your message more powerful by allowing them to be the lead character on your UX journey map.
Believe it or not, people don’t need to see an exclamation point or other articles to understand what you’re trying to tell them. They might get misinterpreted as shouting.
Only use exclamation points when necessary, like for emphasis or the most exciting parts of your web design or app.
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Never tell users that it’s their fault. This is one of the UX mistakes you want to avoid.
When writing your UX copy, make sure that users don’t feel blamed for the error even if it was their mistake.
Focus on providing a solution for the problem in your copy. For example, instead of saying "You've provided an incorrect password", you can say "Invalid password. Please check the spelling."
In today’s crowded and consumer-centric digital landscape, it’s no longer enough to just settle for functionality.
For your web design in Miami to be effective, your UX copy should be able to entice and delight users in making a decision.
Use the tips we shared above to guide you in creating compelling UX copy that communicates effectively with its users.
At Digital Resource, our award-winning team of web designers and developers will work together to create a website that’s functional, beautiful, and compels users to take action.
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