{"id":16335,"date":"2018-10-26T12:17:17","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T11:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marvel7077.wpengine.com\/?p=16335"},"modified":"2021-01-27T11:46:59","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T11:46:59","slug":"my-favourite-microcopy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvelapp.com\/blog\/my-favourite-microcopy\/","title":{"rendered":"My Favourite Microcopy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Microcopy is the teeny-weeny text or sentences that you see on the user interface of an app. In terms of user experience, I think it plays a crucial role in differentiating a good product from an insanely great one.<\/p>\n

I recently had the opportunity to work on a product<\/a> which needed to communicate a lot of things to the user, on it\u2019s interface. While I was working on it, I started consciously taking note of how other products use microcopy or copy in general to make their products better at every step.<\/p>\n

So here\u2019s a small repository of insanely great microcopy\/product copy examples that I found on the products I use. I\u2019ve tried to segregate them by their usage to get a better understanding of them.<\/p>\n

The \u201cWhat\u2019s Next?\u201d\u00a0copy<\/h2>\n

Kill anxiety at every step<\/em><\/p>\n

Predictability is a key aspect of any product. Telling the user of what can or can\u2019t happen on pressing a button reduces the anxiety a user might have while using your product. \u201cWill my card get debited if I press the button?\u201d, \u201cHow long before I can complete my booking\/order?\u201d\u2014 The copy which helps users answer these doubts, is the \u201cWhat\u2019s next?\u201d microcopy.<\/p>\n

Products where a user transaction is involved, need to pay special attention to this. It helps ensure a smooth flow through the transaction, especially if the user is trying out a product for the first time.<\/p>\n

Here are some examples of this taken from products which I use frequently:<\/p>\n

Amazon<\/strong> \u2014 while asking users for their payment information, Amazon makes sure users know that their money is not being debited just yet. They can still choose to drop the order at the next step.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Amazon.com\u2019s checkout button while making a\u00a0payment<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Airbnb<\/strong> has a similar note below their reserve button about pressing the reserve button won\u2019t do.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Airbnb\u2019s book\u00a0button<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Booking<\/strong>.com stresses upon the ease of reserving a room in their microcopy under the reserve button on their website.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Booking.com\u2019s reserve\u00a0button<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

The \u201cWhy This?\u201d\u00a0copy<\/h2>\n

Reduces <\/em>shock value<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

There might be instances in our products, where it\u2019s not clear to the user as to why he\u2019s being asked to perform a certain action. These actions can be as small as asking for their pin code to as perturbing as asking for their credit card. The \u201cwhy this\u201d copy helps alleviate any light negative emotions a user might undergo on encountering such actions.<\/p>\n

The most common instances that you are likely to have gone through such copy is on subscription services. Almost all subscription services offer a trial period in return of your credit card details. This is a lot to ask but it\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

Linkedin<\/strong> does a bloody good job at it by telling succinctly as to why they need a credit card & clears any concerns a user might have.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Info copy on Linkedin\u2019s trial\u00a0page<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Evernote<\/strong> too clears the air by clearly mentioning that the card won\u2019t be charged until the end of the trial period.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The copy before evernote\u2019s checkout\u00a0button<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Netflix<\/strong> is another great example of this kind of microcopy. It clearly states that they\u2019ll email the user before charging their card. They also reiterate that the subscription can be cancelled easily before the trial ends.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Netflix\u2019s final step before activating trial<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

The \u201cchoose one\u201d\u00a0copy<\/h2>\n

Ask for it nicely<\/em><\/p>\n

Users need to frequently make a lot of choices while using products they like. These choices can vary from, asking the user to select a default account, to, getting them to choose their next playlist. This is where most product fail. They are bland in asking the user to make a choice, \u201cSelect an account to proceed\u201d, \u201cPick from the following\u201d etc.<\/p>\n

Few products however, have innovated beautifully in this genre:
\nI love the way Netflix<\/strong> asks me to select my profile whenever I fire it up. \u201cWho\u2019s watching\u201d adds a very personal touch to an otherwise tasteless \u201cPlease select an account\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Netflix\u2019s profile selection<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Uber<\/strong> instead of asking you to rate your driver, asks you about your trip. I think this is much more delightful and removes the disgust of rating another person.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Uber asking for rating the\u00a0trip<\/p><\/div>\n

These are a few examples I really like. I will keep collecting such great examples of copy and posting them here. If you have taken note of any such examples in the products you use, feel free to share them. Btw, I have more to write on \u2014 the \u201cwelcome\u201d copy, and \u201cit\u2019s not an error\u201d copy! Coming soon.<\/p>\n

Like I mentioned earlier, microcopy is essential for building insanely great products. So if you are building one, make sure you communicate well with your users throughout their journey. If you\u2019re keen on how copy on products should work, I highly recommend this book<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on Udit's Medium page<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Microcopy is the teeny-weeny text or sentences that you see on the user interface of an app. In terms of user experience, I think it plays a crucial role in differentiating a good product from an insanely great one. I recently had the opportunity to work on a product which needed to communicate a lot of things to the user,… Read More ￫<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":260,"featured_media":21019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design-thoughts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n