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Human-Centered Copywriting (GIANT Conf)
- 1. Hannah Alvarez Content Marketing Manager at UserTesting @hannahkalvarez #giantconf Human-Centered Copywriting
- 8. [use your imagination here]
- 12. Part 1: Copywriting + UX Part 2: Writing human-centered copy ...and some take-home tips and resources
- 13. Part 1: Copywriting + UX
- 15. Copy can make or break the usability of a product. #giantconf
- 17. 47% Icon usability Add to Favorites
- 19. Copy shapes the user’s perception of your brand. #giantconf
- 20. Going somewhere Special? Dressed Up & Ready to Glow Shop Soiree Stunners » Night Fever Late nights that turn into early mornings are kind of our thing, so dress like a midnight rambler and get your ass on stage. View the Lookbook »
- 22. (no pressure.)
- 24. 5 weird things about humans (and how knowing about them will help you write better copy)
- 25. Weird human thing #1: We’re basically terrified of everything. Is my credit card info secure? Am I doing this wrong? Will I be able to get back to this screen? What if none of these options apply to me? Will I have to talk to a sales person?
- 28. Weird human thing #2: We read almost nothing, and then we forget almost all of it.
- 29. What we see What we read What we remember Average
- 30. What we see What we read What we remember Less copy
- 31. Only one thing to do at a time.
- 33. Weird human thing #3: We need to both fit in and stand out.
- 34. Yes, you ARE awesome!
- 36. NOPE
- 38. Fill in the blank: My users are the kind of people who really _____.
- 39. Weird human thing #4: Our environment affects our ability.
- 42. Plain language is your friend.
- 44. “This is too easy to understand. I hate it.” - No one ever #giantconf
- 45. Weird human thing #5: We don’t want to like you.
- 48. You’re gonna have to win friends and influence people.
- 49. EMPATHY
- 52. Empathy exercises for writing better copy
- 53. 1. Listen to how your users speak.
- 54. 2. Question everything you write. Does this provide value? Does this make sense? Does this make me sound like a jerk? Does this build the relationship we want with our users?
- 55. 3. Test everything you can.
- 56. 4. Create a voice and tone guide.
- 57. 5. Get your team on board.
- 58. What kind of relationship are your words building?
- 60. Human-centered copywriting is not about warm fuzzies.
- 61. It’s about helping users get $#!+ done (so they will pay you money).
Editor's Notes
- i started my career in nonprofits - wanted to help people and make the world a better place learned about ux- just a diff way to help people and make world better place! and a ton of fun UT is the world’s largest ux research platform
- be accepted and belong to a tribe
- stand out and express individuality
- potential for creativity and innovation
- ridiculous amount of effort just so we can be lazy
- hate doing things we know are good for us, but we think we want to do things we actually regret
- on top, huge amt of time interacting with -- and relying on -- prod and tech that most of us don’t actually fully understand PAUSE
- if you’re here, you write words that help humans interact w brand using tech your job to make as painless as possible, build relationship btwn customer and co
- today we’re going to talk about humans. humans are weird, fickle, smart, suspicious, distracted, easily confused, super opinionated. knowing all this how can you use the written word to get them to do what you need them to do?
- ux - interfaces and workflows - can people use product, where do they click, how do they find info UX is the complete exp -- and copy is huge part
- Copy made a huge impact on users’ understanding of icons -- more than you might think
- give users reassurance: yes, you’re in the right place, it’s ok to take that action more tasks faster, more confidence
- friend? mentor? cool kid? authority figure? take a look at copy from two diff companies -- both are introducing a line of women’s evening wear.
- two very different user experiences, two very different audience relationships
- literally the conversation users make judgments the same way you size up a new acquaintance based on how they speak to you
- PAUSE
- anxious and uncertain when interacting with a product they don’t use every day fears and questions and insecurities your job to address fears and make them comfortable enough to take the action they need to take don’t want to overwhelm or make them feel like they should be paranoid
- after you lay out the basic info, answer the #1 question. can even put it in Q&A format. if there are others, link to them.
- Predict that thing they’re already worrying about (I’m shopping for shoes online, how do i know if it’ll fit right?)
- scan more often than we read
- every situation different NNG studies show on avg users read 20% of words on page safe to bet people don’t read much of your copy when they do, they forget unless actively trying to store in short term memory
- fewer words on the page, more likely to read more and remember more cut in half, then cut in half again applies today more than ever
- landing page: action? email: pay attention to? app: how concise? bonus - save real estate on screen lots of things they actually need to do? fine, break up over multiple steps/screens
- giving instructions in the moment - google maps saves users from having to remember stuff - they get to practice right away, and they’ll never need the copy again
- great achievement: make users feel like part of an elite tribe surrounded by like-minded smart people who are all equally better than everyone else both accepted and special
- creating an emotional bond appeal to sense of pride if people feel confident about themselves, they feel confident enough to buy.
- tactic of making people feel ugly, dumb, worthless without your product here’s what I have to say to that
- PAUSE we’re here for human-centered copywriting we’re building a relationship we’re earning the trust of our users.
- your hair rocks. we get you. we don’t want to change you, we want to help you be your best awesome self. could say “manage your frizzy unruly hair so people will accept you.” instead, they say, “you own this. you have found your curly hair people.”
- PAUSE don’t have time to stand in line care about body image love cheese It’s ok if it’s something that applies to everyone, even non-users
- Accessibility - people think it’s for people w/ permanent disability, like blindness Improves UX for everyone Everyone experiences SITUATIONAL LIMITATIONS
- even if fully abled, (20/20 vision, don’t use wheelchair, etc.) times when you aren’t able to complete tasks as if fully abled migraine, hungry, carrying something heavy,
- the sun is in your eyes, stressed, bad mood all affect our ability to use products and interpret copy more prone to confusion, frustration, error
- to avoid confusing users, we want to simplify copy plain language makes copy more accessible shorter words, shorter sentences esp in instructional copy
- NOT dumbing down, YES treating user with respect
- One thing I really want you to remember when language is too complex, they can’t understand your copy right away, they spend too long trying to parse it out Now they’re mad AND you’ve wasted their time if you want to build relationship, engage, trust, make it as easy for them as possible
- hardest thing to overcome
- unless your product is free puppies or free cupcakes
- people suspicious of motives trying to sell something or introduce new tech? don’t want to be told what to do “ give you benefit of the doubt “ especially money
- Demonstrate you’re on their side. You relate to their problems The things they hate? You feel them “ they love? You’ve got ‘em, willing to share “ they’re afraid of? You’ve been there, and you know how to prevent them The more boring and hated the industry, the more of a challenge How do you do that?
- Empathy listening, understanding, acknowledging Let’s look at some examples of empathy in action something everyone hates doing: taxes
- Turbo Tax Could have said: pls complete legal form 10-67-zq8 to proceed
- Litmus: email testing tool after onboarding and trying a test, people often have the same frustration: email looks awful in Lotus Notes
- Ok so how do we practice empathy and build that muscle?
- Before you write anything, listen User tests: remote free exploration. see how they solve their problems without you. if your company sells help desk software, recruit someone who manages a help center and ask them to search online for a new provider, speaking their thoughts aloud. what phrases do they use? follow people in your target market on social media. how are they talking about their problems?
- Never ever go with your first draft. Lots of drafts so you don’t get attached to them. gut check:
- always get feedback from your colleagues user test copy: have users read the copy and see if they understand it. can they repeat it back in their own words? (are their words better?) a/b test your copy anywhere you can! a/b test headlines, ads, email copy, subject lines. you’ll pick up on patterns: people like it when we say __.
- your handbook for effective, on-brand communication As simple as a list of “say this not that” guidelines MailChimp has the best one out there
- share feedback constantly use voice and tone guide as a reference for making decisions w/o “i like/don’t like it” remind team that the ultimate goal of any written word is to build a relationship with the user.
- time to get pragmatic if you don’t care about helping your users, or you don’t believe in empathy, or if you’re a mean person this is the only time I’m ever going to say this: that’s fine.
- write human-centered copy so that people don’t say “meh” and bounce after 2 seconds So that they don’t distrust you Or unsubscribe Or take their business elsewhere it’s just the smart thing to do. it doesn’t have to come from the goodness of your heart. it just makes business sense.
- But maybe it will also inspire some goodness in your heart