How can you improve user engagement on your website or app with UX writing?

UX writers play a pivotal role in shaping product experiences for users. They solve complex customer and business problems by deploying clear language, data, and user research to design functional, empathetic, and accessible content experiences. They do this by working collaboratively with product managers, designers, researchers, engineers, analysts, etc. to achieve an outcome that works for users and helps the business achieve set goals.

UX writing matters and plays a crucial role in designing user-friendly digital experiences because it ensures that users can easily understand the content presented to them.

I like to describe UX writing as designing digital experiences with words. It’s not just about putting words on a screen but also making sure that these words are helping your user reach their goals. It involves research, testing, and empathy. Good UX writing goes unnoticed because it feels so intuitive.

When it comes to boosting user engagement on your website or app through UX writing, it's all about putting the user first. You want your content to be crystal clear, so drop the fancy jargon and keep it simple for easy understanding. Tailor your content to what your users actually need, and don't forget to keep your brand's voice consistent. Oh, and those call-to-action buttons? Make them catchy and interactive to grab users' attention. Share some stories and personalize content to create that emotional connection and most inportantly, understand the laungage of the community you are talking to. Basically, it's about making your content user-friendly, engaging, and relatable so that your users feel right at home on your website or app.

When it comes to making your website or app shine, it's all about making it feel like a friendly chat over coffee. First off, make sure when someone lands on your site, they instantly get what's so cool about what you're offering. Think of it as greeting a friend with a fun fact about your day. Now, think about the journey they're on. Nobody likes getting lost or facing a closed door, right? So, keep those action buttons catchy and the messages light-hearted. If someone takes a wrong turn, a gentle nudge with a smile goes a long way. Oh, and double-check how things look on mobile—most of our pals are scrolling on their phones these days.

It's critical to make sure that any UX writing you do aligns well with your brand voice and tone. It can be helpful to start at the beginning — think about the essence of your brand, and which elements you'd like to see reflected in the way you write. I've led many of these projects over the years, and sometimes you really need to take a step back to define these things first. Once you've got a robust tone of voice document, it's time to start thinking about the next step — how to align it with the writing you do. Here it's important that you add your brand's voice and character in a subtle way, as you don't want to overdo it. It's more important that your product copy is clean, easy to understand, and accessible, rather than on-brand.

It all starts with the basics — correct use of grammar, spelling, and interpunction. Once you've got that down, it's critical to think about the simplicity of what you're writing. Prefer simple, easy-to-understand words over complicated terms, and keep sentences short. Don't refer to concepts that people might not know or understand. Make sure you break up long paragraphs. If your audience is global but you're only writing in one language, like English, keep in mind that lots of readers might not be native speakers.

This point is connected to the previous one, that is, if you don't know your brand's voice and tone, parts of your website may look like they were written by different people or, even worse, may look like they belong in one of your competitor's page. Grammar and spelling may be fixed but you are the one who will decide the most appropriate way to write for your audience. For instance, if your company is old school and you use too few words or modern/different terms, some people may find that something doesn't "click".

One way to stay clear and concise in your UX copy is to focus on "the now." What is the user trying to do *right now*? Good UX copy gives users the content they need at the right time. Speak to where they are right now, including their thoughts, emotions, and potential objections. Help them get to the next step with copy that educates, guides or instructs them on things relevant to *this step* and possibly the next step, if it aids in understanding. Focusing on what users need to know in the current step helps reduce their overwhelm, and can keep them on track to continue with the next step in their task.

To write persuasive ux copy, you must a) Know your audience: You can only achieve this by conducting user research. knowing your audience helps you learn their needs and pain points which in turn helps you design content that motivates them to take action. b) Be mindful of your language: Use clear and concise language in your UX copy to ensure that users understand what they are supposed to do, when they should do it and how it can be achieved. It also helps to use action words, especially for CTA copy. c) Use CTAs: Users often need an extra push or nudge to take action during their interaction with a product, your CTA copy guides them to your desired action/result. Make sure that your CTA copy is clear and personalized to suit users.

Asides polite and friendly language and the basic principles of clarity, conciseness and functionality, placement is also equally important. People often miss this aspect. Since one of the goals of UX Writing is to guide users till they complete their tasks, UX copies must be positioned in places/spots where users can easily find them, understand them and remember them. They must also be designed in a way that users will not miss.

Consider your tone and what the user is feeling, and write as if you're right there with them. How do you know what they might be feeling? Sometimes you have to make assumptions, and sometimes you can conduct/review user research testing. For example, how would a user feel if they encounter an error? Then, you'd adapt your tone to their emotional state and the task they're on. Words like "Oops!" and "Uh oh" wouldn't be appropriate for an error message, even for a humourous brand. Explain what happened and help the user get back on track.

for starters, I would try the following: 1. Use Simple Language: Keep it casual! Instead of “Authenticate your credentials,” try “Log in with your username and password.” 2. Be Conversational: Write like you’re talking to a friend. Instead of “Invalid input detected,” say “Looks like something’s not right. Let’s fix it.” 3. Show Empathy: Understand your users' frustrations and offer solutions. For example, instead of “Error 404,” say “Whoops! We can’t find that page. Let’s get you back on track.” 4. Add a bit of Humor: Make the experience enjoyable. Instead of “Loading, please wait,” try “Hang tight, we’re fetching the good stuff!” Remember to ALWAYS stick to your design and verbal guides.

When observing user testing as a UX writer or content designer, take note of the terminology the user is saying. Take direct quotes and reflect their words in your brand messaging. Doing so will show your customers that you're listening to them and meeting them where they are. It does no good to call something in your product "X" if users don't know what "X" really means, and they explain it by calling it "Z."

Testing UX copies by engaging users can save you from wasting resources which could result from pushing unclear, impolite and confusing copies that can potentially damage your brand.

To create compelling and empathetic copy, consider employing message-mining techniques. This method analyzes customer interactions, social media conversations, surveys, polls, and reviews to extract valuable insights. By delving into these communications, you gain a deeper understanding of your target audience's desires and the language they use to express their needs. This approach allows you to craft copy that resonates, ensuring your message is not only persuasive but also genuinely relevant and empathetic to your users.