1. This work is created by Jane Ruffino. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
The Microcopy Canvas
Target user
Add a few details about them Define the user need, use-case or value Create 1-3 versions of the copy
This should align with user emotions
and concerns
How you’ll know this copy is working
List 2-4 emotions they might be feeling
(e.g., anxiety, anticipation, frustration)
What does the user need to do as a
result of this message?
What else might they be doing right now?
Do you have their full attention?
Where and how the user will receive this
Purpose of copy Copy experiments
Action or expected outcome
Style and tone notes
Channel and platform Success criteria
User concerns and emotions
User context

2. This work is created by Jane Ruffino. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
Target user
Add a few details about them Define the user need, use-case or value Create 1-3 versions of the copy
This should align with user emotions
and concerns
How you’ll know this copy is working
List 2-4 emotions they might be feeling
(e.g., anxiety, anticipation, frustration)
What does the user need to do as a
result of this message?
What else might they be doing right now?
Do you have their full attention?
Where and how the user will receive this
Purpose of copy Copy experiments
Action or expected outcome
Style and tone notes
Channel and platform Success criteria
User concerns and emotions
User context
The Microcopy Canvas

3. This work is created by Jane Ruffino.
It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
Scenario
Card
Instructions
Notes
Read the scenario. It will tell you about your user, their problem,
and the service they’re using (5 mins).
Fill in the canvas while you discuss as a group.
Start with the left-hand column and work your way across it. (30 mins)
Write up to 3 versions of the copy you could write for your target user. Use the
paper provided if you want to sketch your content as part of an interface. (15 mins)
If you want, you can present your work to the large group.
Focus on the thinking behind the copy, rather than the copy itself (2 mins).
This is a sample user. Your user base will include a wide range of people with diverse needs,
emotions, contexts and identities. Make sure you don’t write only for this one person, but do use
this person as a guide for the type of message you need to deliver.
Write in whatever language your team is most comfortable with. But please present to the large
group in English.
Don’t worry if you’re not a perfect writer! The thinking behind the writing is most important here.
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4. This work is created by Jane Ruffino.
It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
Maria +
Hairdoo
Assignment
Maria has a hair appointment tomorrow at 3pm with Gustav, who is going to do a cut and color. If she
doesn’t cancel her appointment within 24 hours, she’ll be charged 50% of her 2000 SEK fee. She really
loves her hairdresser, and so does everyone else, meaning he’s pretty tough to get an appointment with.
Maria is busy with a super-tough deadline at work, and her phone is blowing up with Slack notifications
and emails.
Hairdoo is a booking service for beauty appointments. They send reminders before each appointment
because it helps people remember to show up, and it also reduces late cancellations. The feedback is that
customers like it because it saves them from missing appointments and paying late fees. Salons like it
because they have fewer missed appointments and can accept more last-minute bookings.
Help Maria remember her hair appointment.

5. This work is created by Jane Ruffino.
It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
Sarah +
citizenship
application
Assignment
Sarah is applying for citizenship, at long last! It’s been a tough path, and she had some frustrating
moments when applying for her last visa. The whole experience has left her anxious about anything to
do with immigration. She knows she meets all the criteria and she’s done nothing wrong, but she’s
terrified of making a mistake. She’s set aside a few hours on Saturday to fill out the application, and
she’s going to reward herself with a curry-banana-pizza (Editor’s note: a monstrosity!) when she’s done.
The citizenship application can be done completely online, and since applicants sometimes don’t have
all the information in front of them, it’s important that they be able to save their details if they need to
take a break or go offline to find another document. Secure account setup is really important, both for
user convenience and for privacy and security. Users need to sign up with their legal name and their
email address. A temporary password is sent to their email account.
Let Sarah know she’s entered an invalid email address.

6. This work is created by Jane Ruffino.
It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
Fredrik +
Wigbozo
Assignment
Fredrik has decided to take a big step and pursue his dream of becoming a professional clown. He’s
been working on his character, he’s got some shoes, put together a good outfit, and he’s been
watching makeup tutorials – he can even work the makeup into his beard (Editor’s note: ugh, stop,
stop, clowns are terrible). Now all he needs is a wig. He hasn’t told anyone at work yet, so he’s
completed his order on his mobile while in the bathroom.
Wigbozo is the internet’s biggest all-clown-wig superstore. These are professional, sturdy, artisan
wigs made by master craftspeople. They cost more than you’d expect, and the wigs take almost 3
weeks to go from order to shipment, but they pride themselves on their quality and excellent service.
Customers almost always buy at least a second wig, but it’s not uncommon for first-time buyers to
feel a nervous about how much they’re spending and how long they’ll be waiting.
Write a confirmation message for Fredrik’s
successful purchase of a new clown wig.

7. This work is created by Jane Ruffino.
It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
Dalia +
Flutter
Assignment
Dalia hasn’t dated since long before the dating app boom, so she’s equal parts excited and nervous to
set up her first online dating account. She’s trying to pick a good username, something not too boring,
but one that doesn’t scream ‘manic pixie dream girl’. She doesn’t want to use a variation of her name
because it would be too easy to connect with her social media accounts, and she doesn’t want to be
found without her consent. She’s sitting at home in her new apartment with a big bowl of ice cream
and is ready to binge the new seasons of The Good Place.
Flutter is a women-only dating service that aims to help women of all genders find lasting love. The
service allows pseudonyms but uses novel ways to make sure people can verify each other in some
way before they meet. It’s extremely popular, so a lot of the simplest and catchiest usernames are
taken. Users are sometimes frustrated that it takes 4 or 5 tries before they find one that works (and
users don’t want usernames with numbers in them). The Flutter team is committed to the privacy and
safety of users, but they know the unique username issue is costing them customers, and standing in
the way of their users’ lasting love.
Write a helpful error message to let Dalia
know the username she’s chosen is taken.

8. This work is created by Jane Ruffino.
It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
James +
Acme
Assignment
James worries about money. It’s not that his bills don’t get paid – they do – but he doesn’t know where
the rest of it goes. He’s nearly out of cash by the end of every month. He grew up poor and he can
sometimes feel ashamed about money issues. Most of the banking and savings apps are way too
chirpy and cutesy for his taste. He doesn’t want a service that talks to him like he’s incompetent, or that
tells him how to live his life, he’s just trying to feel a bit more control. He wants to stick with his bank; it’s
the bank his parents and grandparents used. But he also wants something useful, modern, and digital.
Acme Bank is a 75-year-old financial institution that recently rebranded. They’d been bought by a
larger bank, but that company has decided to devolve power back to its subsidiaries. Now Acme can
start to reconnect with its original values: helping working-class communities take care of their own
money, without pushing unnecessary products. They’re proud of their caring, nonjudgmental customer
service, and they’re working on building that into their digital service, but they know they need to win
their customers over again.
Communicate to James that his safe-to-spend balance
is lower than usual for this time of the month.

9. This work is created by Jane Ruffino.
It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
Ruth +
Doggobooko
Assignment
Ruth recently got a dog. She’s found that being out and about with her dog is really helpful for the
social connection she feels she’s been missing since she moved to Stockholm. She’s decided to sign
up to a social network for dog people. She’s a bit nervous because she really wants to meet dog
people she can make friends with, who share her values and interests. Because it’s one thing to have
a short chat about your dogs, another to actually forge a friendship.
Doggobooko (Editor’s note: Really? You can’t do better than Doggobooko?) is a social network that
helps dog people find friends. They set up a profile, set their search location, and the app shows them
a list of other Doggobooko users in the area they’ve selected. It’s been slow to take off because dog
people aren’t quite as ready to be human-social as the founders had hoped, and most of the users
don’t live that close to each other. Because of this, they really need to keep users engaged so they
feel they get something out of the service while the growth team works on signing up more users.
Write a message that is shown when Ruth has chosen
an area that has no other Doggobooko users in it.

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It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
Annie +
residency
visa
Assignment
Annie is applying for a residency visa. This can all be done online, which should be convenient, but it’s
not. It’s her third try filling out the application. The first time she didn’t have all her information (and she
can’t get anyone on the phone), and the second time her internet cut out (and the dang thing didn’t
save!). This time she has it all ready. She’s sitting in the corner of her kitchen where for some reason the
internet connection feels more stable. But she’s really nervous because so much of her future is riding
on getting this approved.
The web service for visa applications has been problematic. The UX team wants to redesign the form.
The technical team is frustrated because there are so many site performance issues, and the back
office is trying to handle a lot of phone calls with very few staff. The whole unit is irritated because as
much as they want to help people get their applications in, nobody really owns the problem, and they
aren’t really empowered to create a solution. Still, they do their best with what they’ve got.
Write a confirmation message to let Annie
know her application was submitted.

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It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0
Mattias +
travel
compensation
Assignment
Mattias has done his third(!) internship and he’s finally got an interview for a full-time job in the secret
service. And just his luck, there’s a huge unexpected snowfall, and it’s badly affected public transport.
The sign on the train platform keeps changing, “10 minutes.... 12 minutes...and then...38 minut—oh no!”
He left home early but now he’s afraid he’ll be late, and his only chance is a 750kr taxi ride. That’s more
than his weekly food budget, so while he’s in the cab, he wants to make absolutely sure he’ll be
compensated.
The train company is happy that customers can get compensation for delays and cancellations. It helps
them act on complaints in a way that actually helps the people it affects most (who can afford it the least).
The problem is that around extreme weather events, they’re flooded with claims. The customer care team
isn’t worried about the cost (that’s not their problem) but they do worry about how long it can take to get
through the backlog, especially if people are applying for compensation but won’t be entitled to it.
Write a message that is shown when Ruth has chosen
an area that has no other Doggobooko users in it.