Writing with empathy: how to make software human and relatable

@lmpcopywriter Hello, NUX Laura Parker, UX Writer

@lmpcopywriter UX writing and copywriting • Similar, but a diﬀerent
purpose   — Copywriting is writing to sell  — UX writing is writing to inform • UX writing helps people interact with a product or service  — UX copy includes buttons and menu labels, error messages, security notes, terms and conditions, instructions. • UX writers are also similar to content designers and technical writers   — We’re all working to solve the same problem… 

@lmpcopywriter Problem: how do you make software human and relatable?

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

@lmpcopywriter Keep a beginner’s mind Don’t assume the user knows
anything

@lmpcopywriter What’s a beginner’s mind? • We create new things
all the time   — But we forget what it's like to be a new user. • A new user might be anxious about using your product   — Give them everything they need and nothing more. • We know too much (curse of knowledge)   — The more you know, the further you are from the beginner’s perspective. • Users have existing expectations and behaviours  — Don’t assume users will ﬁnd your product intuitive if they do the same thing diﬀerently on other apps/websites.  

@lmpcopywriter A note about user anxiety • User anxiety is
when you don’t understand how to use something • Writers can help users feel less anxious by   — being obvious (keep a beginner’s mind)  — using plain language   — avoiding jargon (but if it’s useful, leave it in)  — writing consistently (do we say ‘click’ or ‘tap’) Monzo spending alert

@lmpcopywriter It helps to know how we read • Our
cognitive load (mental eﬀort) increases 11% for every 100 words • We prefer high frequency words over low frequency words (use forums to discover audience vocabulary) • Users read about 20% of text on a page • We guess what words mean by the shape of them, it’s called a saccade rhythm (use words readers can skip using their natural saccade rhythm) • Most people can recognise 15,000 words — Jakob Nielsen, How little do users read — Sarah Richards, Content Design

@lmpcopywriter 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. — Jost Hochuli, Detail in Typography

@lmpcopywriter Empathy v humour Writing with ﬂavour

@lmpcopywriter — Audible — https://uxdesign.cc/writing-clearer-error-messages

@lmpcopywriter — Slack — Trello — MailChimp

@lmpcopywriter Accessibility: writing with empathy • Average UK reading age
is 9-13 years • 1.4 million people have a learning disability in the UK (source: Mencap) • Poor internet connection • Busy people • Physical injuries “Getting to the point quickly has less to do with intelligence and more to do with time and respect.” — Sarah Richards, Content Design

@lmpcopywriter Not all disability is visible

@lmpcopywriter github.com/ UKHomeOﬃce/posters

@lmpcopywriter microsoft.com/en-us/ accessibility

@lmpcopywriter http://actiondeafness.org.uk/product/deaf-awareness-posters/

@lmpcopywriter Brands play it safe with their humour, and not
safe enough with their empathy. If your writing is genuinely funny, go for it. But do it with all users in mind.

@lmpcopywriter 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.

@lmpcopywriter

@lmpcopywriter — Andrew Schmidt, Slack

@lmpcopywriter Clients do this

@lmpcopywriter Working with designers Your most important working relationship

@lmpcopywriter Because… • You share the same problems   —
“I need answers to this, this and this before I can start.” • You ask (roughly) the same questions  — “Who am I writing/designing for? What’s the purpose? Brand guidelines?” • And, you make things together 

@lmpcopywriter Most designers have never   worked with a writer

@lmpcopywriter How to work with designers • Give them your
copy in advance   — Don’t leave it till the last minute to send your copy. Think about the design deadline too. • Send copy in a text ﬁle, Pages, or anything else but MS Word  — Ever watched a designer try to open a Word doc? Most designers don’t use MS Word. • Ask for feedback  — Feedback can only improve your work. • Celebrate their moments of copy greatness   — A designer wrote some of my favourite copy, don’t be jealous.  

@lmpcopywriter Done is better than perfect

@lmpcopywriter Problem: how do you make software human and relatable?

@lmpcopywriter Answer: write honestly using   simple language

@lmpcopywriter • Keep a beginner’s mind  — What’s obvious to
you won’t be the same for your audience.  — Make your audience feel less anxious by using high frequency words. • Be empathetic and cautious with humour  — People with autism might not understand metaphors or idioms.  — Don’t risk simplicity for the sake of a joke. • Work better with designers   — It’s not them and us, we’re in it together.  — work in short stints and communicate.

@lmpcopywriter UX copy tips • Avoid negative contractions (can’t’, ‘won’t’,
‘don’t)   — Some people rely on reading the ‘not’ to understand what is being said. • Be obvious and literal  — Short descriptions are not always better if critical information is missing or there's no context. • Use ‘today,’ ‘yesterday’ or ‘tomorrow’ instead of a date  — People don’t use the date when they refer to the day before the present day. • Avoid long blocks of text  — Look at your work on a mobile to check spacing. • Use high frequency words  — High frequency words are easy to skip using the saccade rhythm.  

@lmpcopywriter People with learning disabilities are experts on accessible information.
They know what works for them and what does not. It is common sense to involve the people you are trying to communicate with in your work process. Involve people with learning disabilities from the very beginning. https://www.changepeople.org/getmedia

@lmpcopywriter Thanks!

@lmpcopywriter People to follow  Andrew Schmidt (senior product writer at
Slack): https://www.andrewschmidt.net   Jared Spool (UX genius): https://www.uie.com @jmspool  Craig Wright (tech writer): https://straygoat.co.uk  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 Cartoons by webcomicname.com

@lmpcopywriter Web  lauramarieparker.com    Email  [email protected]    Twitter  @lmpcopywriter

Writing with empathy: how to make software huma...

Writing with empathy: how to make software human and relatable

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