Nowadays, the user experience pleasure of a Web or mobile application is no longer dependent on the function of the software itself, interface layout, loading speed, and even interface copywriting design, which all play a crucial role in the user experience of the application. This is why some companies today have A UX writer dedicated to interface copywriting and research.
However, what are the skills and taboos of software interface copywriting (especially micro-copywriting) design? How can designers create UI copywriting that is easy to understand, visually appealing, easy to use, conversions, and user experience pleasure?
Following the footsteps of xiaobian, step by step to learn and understand the skills and taboos needed to master in software UI copywriting design, I hope to help you:
First, what exactly is interface copywriting or microcopywriting design?
Before we can start looking at specific copywriting tips and considerations, we need to understand what UI copywriting or microcopywriting actually is. Interface copywriting, or Microcopy design, generally refers to things as large as security, privacy/instructions and terms of service, and as small as microtext for each button or option, all of the text content and appearance of the interface. It is an indispensable navigation and bridge for users to understand and master a piece of software. Good copywriting or micro-copywriting design can not only solve users’ doubts, but also play an excellent role in increasing product sales, improving user experience and deepening users’ impression on products, companies and brands.
Why is UI copywriting or microcopywriting so important?
Software interface copywriting, especially the micro-copywriting with partial buttons or error messages, serves as an important bridge of communication between software and users, and plays a very important and diverse role in improving software practicality and user experience pleasure:
1. To reassure
The copywriting design in the software, such as instructions for use, security and privacy instructions and terms of service, plays a great role in solving users’ problems and doubts related to products. Therefore, for users, they are an important “troubleshooter” for their mastery and use of software.
2. The guide
Software processes, steps, and other instructional text design play an extremely important role as “guides” in figuring out how users perform an action or task.
As shown, guide the user to complete an operation.
3. Psychoanalysts
Error, prompt, or warning messages are essential in most software today. The copywriting design of this kind of information plays an important role in eliminating users’ doubts, alleviating their negative or negative emotions, and improving user experience. From this point of view, the “enlighten” in software design is not the only one.
4. The pusher
And some CTA button copywriting design that can guide, explain and even entice users to click on the purchase can also play an obvious role in deepening users’ understanding of the product and increasing product sales. Therefore, in this respect, copywriting design also plays the role of product “promoter”.
As shown in the figure, good copywriting design can also stimulate user interest and promote purchase.
In short, no matter what role or effect interface copywriting or micro-copywriting design plays in Web or mobile terminal software design, good copywriting design can always greatly facilitate and simplify various operations of users, increase software click rate and conversion rate, and improve product exposure and sales. Of course, the user experience will not be bad. Therefore, a powerful software application, if can be matched with a series of easy-to-use high-quality interface copywriting design, the result is undoubtedly the icing on the cake, like a tiger with wings.
How to design visual and content interface copywriting, improve user experience?
Since UI copywriting or micro-copywriting is so important to improve the user experience and market competitiveness of a piece of software, how can a user experience designer or UX writer successfully design a UI copywriting or micro-copywriting with excellent user experience?
The following small series combines the latest creative copywriting design cases collected and the prototype cases made by Mockplus, which is faster and simpler, to analyze the skills and taboos that need to be mastered in software UI copywriting design, hoping to be helpful to you:
Tip 1: copy design as simple as possible easy to understand
Software interface text is an important channel to realize man-machine communication. But that doesn’t mean that the more text you add, the richer the content, the more useful it is to the user. In fact, most users don’t read everything. Therefore, try to design and simplify the interface copywriting, increase the user’s chance to read, it can play a greater role. For example, you can try the following methods to simplify the text on the interface:
* The micro copy itself should be as simple and easy to read as possible
One of the most practical ways to make your micro-text itself simple and easy to read is to write down everything you need to include first. Then according to the needs and specific use scenarios, appropriate fusion, deletion and replacement. The result is concise, legible and clear at its best.
As shown in the picture, the simple and intuitive expression expresses the meaning without too much words.
* Use lists or headings to make the text more intuitive
When the text can no longer be trimmed, try adding lists or short headings to make the design more intuitive and understandable.
As shown in the figure, the list and subheading design used in figure 2 and Figure 3 in the middle and upper right corner is more intuitive and understandable compared to the whole paragraph design in Figure 1 on the left.
* Add links to simplify text content
Interface copywriting does not require everything to be displayed in the interface. In fact, in real life cases, you can simplify the text by adding links to the text (using a progressive design technique). Users can click the relevant text links to jump to other pages for details.
As shown in the figure, clickable links can be added to part of the text in the interface text design to achieve the effect of slimming the text.
Note: Simplifying and readability does not mean blindly reducing the word count
Concise and easy to read, does not mean that there is no standard blindly reduce the number of words, but with the least words, express the most abundant, the most complete content. Therefore, while simplifying the copywriting design, we should also pay attention to the expressiveness of the copywriting to avoid ambiguity or even confusion.
Tip 2: Copywriting should incorporate software or product features
Like the design of other interface components, the design of software copywriting or micro-copywriting also needs to combine the characteristics of software or product to enhance its uniqueness and enhance product or brand awareness.
Use software – or product-related services, use software – or product-specific terms, and incorporate interesting text styles, color schemes, and interactions with product – or brand-specific features to increase product, company, and brand exposure and awareness.
As shown in the figure, copy design should be combined with product features as far as possible.
Skill three: copy design should be combined with the specific use of the scene, some emphasis
While interface microcopywriting is important to enhance the user experience of an entire Web or mobile application, this does not mean that all copywriting design standards within an interface should be parallel. Instead, designers should tailor their designs to different scenarios and user needs.
For example, for the copywriting design of CTA buttons, in addition to making it simple and easy to understand, some interaction design should also be added to enhance its allure and increase click rate. (Click for more CTA button design tips)
As shown, add appropriate interaction to the button so that users can’t resist clicking.
For some error reporting interface copywriting design, simple and euphemistic, while adding emotional factors, using humanized expression, alleviate users’ negative emotions, improve user experience. (Click here for more must-see 404 error designs)
As shown in the figure, from the perspective of users, add some emotional factors to achieve emotional resonance with users.
For users to fill in relevant information, such as registration, login page or User Profile page, designers need to add some words that can eliminate users’ doubts or worries from the perspective of users, so as to encourage users to fill in relevant information with confidence.
As shown in the picture, add some explanatory texts to eliminate users’ doubts and worries, and fill in registration information with more confidence.
In short, designers in specific design cases, according to the actual situation, do more analysis, more summary, some emphasis.
Skill four: copy design should show originality, out of the ordinary
The same type of UI copywriting design should not be uniform and unchanged. In fact, software copywriting or micro-copywriting design is also an important platform to highlight the designer’s personality. Therefore, in the specific design, designers can try to make your copywriting design unique and different from the following aspects:
* Use imagination to make copywriting design more attractive
Copywriting content design can also be combined with the designer’s imagination, telling a story, showing a corporate or product culture, and presenting local or national characteristics, etc., to make the copywriting more attractive.
Pictures, using your imagination and telling a story also make the interface more interesting.
* Use humor to make copy design appealing
Humorous words and expressions can not only attract users’ attention, but also enable users to learn, understand and receive information related to software or products in a more natural and pleasant atmosphere, which is highly infectious.
As shown, use a humorous style to make the interface more interesting.
Note: Humor also pays attention to the situation and situation
Humor is not suitable for all interface scenarios. For example, witty copywriting can make a sudden error scene lighthearted. But it can also make software security or privacy claims seem unconvincing. So be careful with your banter and mix it up.
* Combine the picture, let the copy and picture illustrate each other, echo
As the saying goes, “A good picture is worth a thousand words.” Copywriting design with beautiful and appropriate pictures, so that the picture and copywriting to explain echo each other, easier for users to understand.
As shown in figure, the mutual verification and echo of text and picture can be realized.
The combination and echo of Chinese interface design and pictures can be tested and iterated by combining “text” and “picture” components of Mockplus. The import of dynamic images, batch images and Sketch images, batch adding text and image combinations using lattice implementation are not a problem.
* Reflect the style of the designer, so that the copywriting design more unique
Each designer has his own personal design style and charm in his design process. In the copywriting design, this kind of style can also be appropriately displayed, so that the software has more characteristics and leaves a deep impression on users. The diagram below:
In short, the designer’s creativity and careful copywriting design are destined to be unique and charming.
Skill five: copy design should have both visual allure
Copywriting design not only needs to be simple and easy to understand, but also needs to pay attention to the enhancement of its visual allure. For example, designers can enhance the visual effects of interface copywriting in the following ways:
* Set text attributes, create a simple and intuitive visual level, divide the primary and secondary copy
For text font, font size, color, case, spacing, alignment document attributes Settings, such as interface position adjustment and contrast, can easily differentiate the hierarchy of software interface different text, create visual hierarchy at the same time, simpler and more intuitive highlights its primary and secondary, easy to users in the shortest possible time, understand the software information.
As shown in the figure, the content level and importance of the interface can be divided by the difference of simple text font, size, position, color and alignment.
Mockplus’s “single-line text” and “multi-line text” components make it easy to add, set, and adjust these text attributes.
* Add appropriate interactions
Micro-copywriting adding appropriate interaction is also very good for enhancing the attractiveness and interest of copywriting and improving user experience.
Mocplus’s interactive features, for example, allow designers to quickly and easily add mouse click, hover, duration, and load time to some of their copywriting. As shown in figure:
Of course, you can also add more interactive animations: add color changes, move, zoom, rotate, text content changes, show or hide interactive effects, and so on.
In short, the addition of interaction plays a great role in improving the visual effect of copywriting design.
Tip 6: Copy design should be consistent
The interface copywriting or micro-copywriting design of the whole software application should also be consistent to help users understand and use. The consistency of copywriting design, as long as reflected in the following aspects:
* Consistency of title in copywriting design
In order to deepen the natural and barrier-free communication between software and users and shorten the distance with users, the use of “you” or “you” in copywriting design is far better than “them” or “them”, which regard users as a third party. In short, no matter what kind of appellation is used, try to be consistent in the whole software design to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.
* Consistency of text design tenses
In the specific copywriting design, the active voice of the user as the actor is more likely to arouse the resonance of users. So try to be as consistent with active tenses as possible in your software copywriting.
* Consistency of wording in copywriting design
Compared with using new or ambiguous expressions, the reuse of commonly used, idiomatic or already used words on the interface is easier for users to understand, and it also plays a great role in ensuring the consistency of language before and after the software.
* Consistency of copywriting design themes and color schemes
The selection of interface copywriting theme and color matching should also be combined with the theme and main color matching of the whole software to ensure the consistency of the software.
* Consistency of copywriting style
Whether it is humorous, rigorous and prudent, or simple and popular, no matter what kind of style of writing, once chosen, it needs to continue from beginning to end, to ensure the consistency of the whole design style.
Keep the color, theme and style of interface design consistent.
Anyhow, no matter what the consistency of on one hand, designers can try to use a powerful Mockplus component library and style library, simple implementation software prototype text related components, as well as the style (for example, text color, font, font size, style such as alignment) of collection, reuse and sharing, the consistency of software copy design.
Tip # 7: Copy design should be tested and refined in a prototype interface
Like any other interface design, copywriting needs to be tested and refined in a concrete prototype interface to achieve the desired effect.
For example, adjust the length, arrangement, color, size, style and interaction of text in a specific software prototype interface to test its practicality and effectiveness.
In this regard, XIAobian cannot help but recommend 8 demo and sharing methods of Mockplus, which can not only timely test the visual effect of copywriting design in a specific interface, but also timely share it with other designers and users, collecting feedback and improving and optimizing copywriting design at the same time.
In short, high-quality and highly creative interface copywriting or micro-copywriting design can play an important role in enhancing the pleasure of software user experience and enhancing the competitiveness of software products.
Conclusion:
Although Web or mobile software interface copywriting is important to improve user experience, it does not mean that copywriting can exist independently of the software itself. In fact, no matter how simple and eye-catching the copywriting design, it should be based on software. Good software needs high-quality creative copywriting design to be able to get deeper optimization and promotion. On the other hand, the lack of software features, even the best copywriting will become useless. Therefore, copywriting design and software function design need to get the necessary attention, in order to design a really practical, easy to use software.
In conclusion, I hope that the copywriting design techniques analyzed here can inspire your copywriting and software design.