UX Writing: Microcopy and brand voice

My role

Lead UX writer, responsible for end-to-end content design and microcopy

Project type

Writing for a mobile application

Course project as part of Seneca College’s Fundamentals of UX Writing.

Skills and tools

  • Design thinking

  • Microcopy

  • Evaluative research

  • Figma

  • Google Sheets

Challenge

As part of a course project, I was tasked with writing product copy for TrainLinks, a fictional mobile application whose brand is loosely based on Via Rail Canada.

The copy needed to be clear, concise, and tone-appropriate, as well as in accordance with TrainLinks’ established brand voice.

TrainLinks’ voice is…

Inspiring • Clever • Authentic • Friendly

Figure 1. A ‘Cancel your booking’ confirmation modal.

Confirming an action

CHALLENGE

Communicate irreversibility of an action.

SOLUTION

The headline (‘Cancel your booking’) clearly indicates what the action will be before the user even reads the body copy.

The body copy asks the user for confirmation of their intent as well as gives a clear warning that the action is permanent.

Finally, the button copy is action-based, written from the user’s perspective and presented in a visual hierarchy so that the user can be absolutely certain of their choice.

Figure 2. Communicating a change of state to users and providing new information.

Communicating a state

CHALLENGE

Address users’ potential confusion and frustration, maintaining a helpful voice. 

SOLUTION

The headline gives the most pertinent new information. The body copy quickly and concisely answers the following question related to the delay: Why? And what now?

An important touch in keeping with TrainLinks’ brand voice of authenticity and friendliness is the apology at the bottom of the main copy, acknowledging any frustration.

The main action offered allows the user to view their new boarding pass with any other updated information it may contain.

Figure 3. Requesting information from users to personalize their experience on the mobile app.

Requesting information

CHALLENGE

Explain the reasoning behind the data request and assure that the users’ data will not be misused. 

SOLUTION

The headline clearly states the purpose of the overall flow, while the body copy explains why TrainLinks is asking for the information and what the benefit will be to the user.

Because of the sensitivity around data collection, the copy on this screen was deliberately left concise and straightforward, as opposed to casual or friendly.

Validating the UX writing

TESTING GOALS

  1. Evaluate whether TrainLinks’ voice (inspiring, clever, authentic, and friendly) is present in the drafted microcopy.

  2. Determine any areas of opportunity to improve the copy based on the users’ reactions.

METHODOLOGY

  • Reaction survey using a reduced word list from the Microsoft Desirability Toolkit

    • 20 cards total (12 positive/8 negative, a 40/60% split according to best practices)

  • Users were asked to select the top 5 adjectives they would use to describe the written copy of each screen and give a brief written rationale for their choices.

RESULTS

Testing prompt

Testing prompt

Testing prompt

User feedback

While participants primarily chose positive adjectives to describe the written copy, 2 participants did note that the copy could be made more concise.

User feedback

5 participants found the copy to be impersonal, so the copy was updated to be less formal and populate the message with the user’s first name.

User feedback

7 participants felt the copy was confusing, and only 3 participants found it to be trustworthy. The updated copy explains the purpose of the information request in greater detail, enabling users to make an informed decision.

Updated copy

PREVIOUS

If you cancel your booking, we’ll send you a refund within 5 business days.

UPDATED

We’ll send you a refund within 5 business days.

Updated copy

PREVIOUS

We apologize for the inconvenience.

UPDATED

We’re sorry for the inconvenience, [User First Name].

Updated copy

PREVIOUS

This information helps us provide you with a more personalized TrainLinks experience.

UPDATED

We’d like to send you relevant promotional offers and discounts on trips originating in your area.

Next steps

While my testing approach helped me identify areas of opportunity and improvement in the copy, it was less effective in helping me to evaluate the extent to which TrainLinks’ brand voice was present in the copy. As next steps, I would do the following:

  1. Evaluate the presence of brand voice in the interface copy through focusing on the four pillars of the brand voice (inspiring, clever, authentic, friendly) rather than a larger list.

  2. Use Likert scale survey questions that focuse on each quality (e.g., “TrainLinks is inspiring.”). This can help me more precisely identify the extent to which the participants agree or disagree that the particular quality is present in the copy. By contrast, the binary nature of selecting or not selecting an adjective is not as data-rich.