UX writing for designers

Transcript

1. @LauraParkerUX
   UX writing for designers
   

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2. @LauraParkerUX
   Bring out your inner UX Writer
   

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3. @LauraParkerUX
   Bring out your inner UX Writer
   

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4. @LauraParkerUX
   

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5. @LauraParkerUX
   https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ui-copy/
   

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6. @LauraParkerUX
   How we read online
   

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7. @LauraParkerUX
   How we read online
   • Our cognitive load (mental effort/thinking time) increases 11% for every 100 words
   
   • Your brain can drop up to 30% of the text and still understand
   
   • Some people bounce around when they read online and anticipate words and fill them in
   
   • People with some learning disabilities read letter for letter, they do not bounce around
   like other users
   • People with moderate learning disabilities can understand sentences of 5 to 8 words without
   difficulty
   
   • Writing for a reading age of 9 years helps general comprehension
   — Jakob Nielsen, How Do Users Read
   — Sarah Richards, Content Design
   

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8. @LauraParkerUX
   Our eyes don’t see every letter in a word or every word in a sentence. Our eyes skip along the text in
   small jumps called saccades.
   
   After each saccade, our brain takes a snapshot and arranges the letters into words. Those pauses are
   called fixations.
   
   Use high frequency (or common) words to help people to scan your text.
   — Jost Hochuli, Detail in Typography
   

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9. @LauraParkerUX
   Crisis points
   User anxiety and empathy
   

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10. @LauraParkerUX
    What is a crisis point?
    • Crisis points happen when people get stuck, usually because of an error
    
    • There are lots of moments of doubt and anxiety to deal with, especially when using a product or service
    for the first time
    
    • “Do I remember my password? Did that web app really save my changes? Was my shared document
    sent? Where did that notification disappear to? How do I get it back?”
    • At crisis points, people want to quickly understand what went wrong and how to fix it
    — Sarah Richards, Content Design
    

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11. @LauraParkerUX
    Hermes chatbot
    Zoom registration
    Netflix countdown timer
    Monzo spending alert
    404 page
    

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12. @LauraParkerUX
    Bring out your inner UX writer
    

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13. @LauraParkerUX
    Writing in plain language
    Benefits everyone
    

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14. @LauraParkerUX
    Who are you talking to?
    • To understand your audience you should know: 

    — how they behave, what they’re interested in or worried about - so your writing will catch their attention and
    answer their questions 

    — their vocabulary - so that you can use the same terms and phrases they’ll use to search for content
    
    • Check Google Trends and forums to see how people are talking about your product or service 

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk
    

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15. @LauraParkerUX
    Using plain language benefits everyone
    • People with poor internet connection
    
    • Busy people
    
    • People with physical injuries
    
    • People with children
    
    • Roughly 11.9 million people are living with a disability (1 in 5 people or 20%)
    
    “Getting to the point quickly has less to do with intelligence and more to do with time and
    respect.”
    — Sarah Richards, Content Design
    

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16. @LauraParkerUX
    github.com/UKHomeOffice/posters
    

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17. @LauraParkerUX
    microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility
    

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18. @LauraParkerUX
    Writing for specialists
    • Use plain English 

    — according to GOV.UK research, people understand complex specialist language, but do not want to read it
    if there’s an alternative
    
    • Technical terms

    — technical terms are not considered jargon but you should explain what they mean
    
    • People with the greatest expertise tend to have the most to read 

    — make sure your content is helpful and easy to scan 

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk
    

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19. @LauraParkerUX
    Tone of voice
    • Not every bit of microcopy is appropriate for brand voice, clarity always takes first priority
    
    • Avoid over branding your copy on

    — navigation and buttons

    — forms and field labels

    — instructions

    — selection text (drop downs, radio buttons)

    — error messages
    
    • Use tone of voice for

    — confirmation messages

    — rewards (badges, points) 

    https://realbigwords.com/bad-ux-writing-mistakes
    

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20. @LauraParkerUX
    — Slack — Trello — MailChimp
    

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21. @LauraParkerUX
    — Audible
    

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22. @LauraParkerUX
    https://clearleft.com/posts/what-is-ux-writing-and-why-does-it-matter
    

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23. @LauraParkerUX
    Balancing empathy and humour
    • Have a moment with the reader 

    — use empathy to find when a user is having a moment, and be a part of it
    
    • Keep a beginner’s mind

    — skip the what and go directly to the why - focus on why your product is useful
    
    • Use simple, everyday language 

    — it helps everyone, especially those with a visual impairment, dyslexia or anxiety
    
    • People don’t find the same things funny

    — humour is risky
    

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24. @LauraParkerUX
    Government Design System
    Aim to be boring
    

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25. @LauraParkerUX
    • Start with a purpose

    — design your service to take account of the fact that lots of people won’t read the content in detail
    
    • Think about tone

    — does your copy sound appropriate to the situation and how your user might be feeling?
    • Consider accessibility needs

    — words to use and avoid when writing about disability
    • Use plain language

    — copy should be clear and unambiguous 

    

    https://clearleft.com/posts/what-is-ux-writing-and-why-does-it-matter
    UX writing tips for designers
    

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26. @LauraParkerUX
    Test, iterate, repeat
    

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27. @LauraParkerUX
    How to improve your work
    • Content crits, content clinics and pair writing

    — an opportunity for everyone to comment on your work (be respectful)

    — two people in front of the same screen or piece of paper
    
    • Point your work with user stories

    — As a [person in a particular role] 

    — I want to [perform an action or find something out]

    — So that [I can achieve my goal of…]
    
    • Demos (or show and tells, or showcases)

    — present your work to the team
    

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28. @LauraParkerUX
    How to test your work
    • Print out the text 

    — ask users to highlight any words or phrases they're not sure about

    — ask users to highlight the parts they find most useful

    — ask users to read out loud and tell you what it means
    
    • Read text on your phone
    • Work closely with policy and legal

    — members of your policy and legal teams should be observing user research
    
    • Readership scores, card sorts, A/B tests

    

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29. @LauraParkerUX
    Useful books
    • Everybody Writes by Anne Handley

    — general writing guidance for first time writers
    
    • Microcopy: the complete guide by Kinneret Yifrah

    — introduction to copywriting, helpful for beginners and advice you can trust
    • Strategic writing for UX by Torrey Podmajersky

    — timeless advice about how to write in plain English, not a novel
    
    • Readability Guidelines and Content Design by Sarah Richards

    — a framework for writing online, backed by evidence
    
    • Defensive design for the web: how to improve error messages… by 37Signals 

    — written by a studio of devs and designers 

    

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30. @LauraParkerUX
    People to follow

    Andrew Schmidt (senior product writer at Slack): https://www.andrewschmidt.net 

    Jared Spool (UX) https://www.uie.com @jmspool

    Erika Hall (designer): https://muledesign.com @mulegirl

    Caio Braga (product designer) https://caioab.com @caioab

    Paul Boag (UX expert) https://boagworld.com @boagworld
    
    Links to click 

    Readability Guidelines https://readabilityguidelines.myxwiki.org

    Web Content Accessibility Guidelines https://www.w3.org

    Rules of Effective UX Writing https://uxplanet.org/16-rules-of-effective-ux-writing-2a20cf85fdbf

    The Unusable podcast https://podcast.theunusable.com

    Content Design London http://contentdesign.london

    Microsoft accessibility kit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/style-guide/welcome/

    UK Home Office accessibility posters https://github.com/UKHomeOffice/posters/blob/master/accessibility/

    UX Collective https://uxdesign.cc

    UK disability facts and figures http://www.craigabbott.co.uk/accessibility-is-not-an-edge-case

    GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk
    

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31. @LauraParkerUX
    Thanks!
    

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32. @LauraParkerUX
    Web

    lauramarieparker.com

    

    Email

    [email protected]

    

    Twitter

    @LauraParkerUX
    
    

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