Don’t Confuse Them: A Guide to Writing UX Copy That Users Will Understand

As a website or app designer, you know that creating a seamless user experience is crucial for the success of your product. But what about the text that accompanies that design? User experience (UX) copy is often an overlooked aspect of the design process, but it plays a crucial role in how users interact with and understand your product.

Good UX copy is clear, concise, and tailored to the specific needs of your users. It helps guide them through the various pages and features of your website or app and provides them with the information they need to complete their desired task. On the other hand, bad UX copy can be confusing, misleading, or downright frustrating for users. It can lead to lost conversions, high bounce rates, and negative reviews.

So, how do you write UX copy that strikes the perfect balance between user-friendly and on-brand? In this article, we’ll explore some tips and tricks for crafting great UX copy that solves user problems, fits your brand’s image, and doesn’t leave your users scratching their heads.

Sign-Up, Login, and Password Recovery

When it comes to sign-up, login, and password recovery pages, the goal of your UX copy is to make the process as smooth and simple as possible. Users should be able to quickly and easily understand what they need to do, without feeling overwhelmed or confused.

Good Copy:

• “Create an account” (for sign-up pages)
• “Log in to your account” (for login pages)
• “Forgot your password? Click here to reset it.” (for password recovery pages)

Bad Copy:

• “Sign up now to join our exclusive club!” (overly salesy and not clear about the action the user needs to take)
• “Enter your login information” (vague and doesn’t specify what type of information is needed)
• “Can’t remember your password? No problem, just call our customer support line.” (not user-friendly and requires additional steps for the user)

Contact Us Page

The contact us page is an important part of any website or app, as it allows users to reach out with any questions or concerns they may have. Your UX copy should make it clear how users can contact you, and what type of information or assistance they can expect to receive.

Good Copy:

• “Got a question? Contact us here.” (clear and to the point)
• “We’re here to help. Send us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.” (reassuring and sets expectations for response time)

Bad Copy:

• “Need help? Too bad, we don’t care.” (rude and dismissive)
• “Contact us at 555–555–5555, or send an email to info@company.com. Or don’t, it’s up to you.” (non-committal and doesn’t make it clear which method of contact is preferred)

Error Messages

Error messages are an unfortunate but necessary part of the user experience. They let users know when something has gone wrong and provide instructions on how to fix it. Your UX copy for error messages should be clear, specific, and helpful.

Good Copy:

• “Invalid email address. Please enter a valid email address.” (clear and specific)
• “Password must be at least 8 characters. Please try again.” (helpful and provides a solution)

Bad Copy:

• “Something went wrong. Try again later.” (vague and unhelpful)
• “Invalid input. You’re doing it wrong.” (rude and unprofessional)

Confirmation Messages

Confirmation messages are the opposite of error messages — they let users know when something has been successful. Your UX copy for confirmation messages should be positive, clear, and specific.

Good Copy:

• “Your account has been created successfully. Check your email for a confirmation message.” (positive and specific)
• “Your password has been reset. Please log in with your new password.” (clear and helpful)

Bad Copy:

• “Yay, you did it!” (not specific and doesn’t provide any useful information)
• “Success! Whatever you did, it worked.” (vague and not helpful)

Empty States

Empty states refer to the default text or image that appears when a user first visits a page or feature that doesn’t have any content yet. Your UX copy for empty states should be clear, concise, and helpful.

Good Copy:

• “You haven’t added any items to your cart yet. Browse our products to get started.” (clear and helpful)
• “Welcome to your new profile. Add some information and start connecting with others.” (concise and encouraging)

Bad Copy:

• “Nothing to see here, move along.” (rude and unhelpful)
• “This page is empty. Maybe you should try adding some stuff?” (vague and not clear on the next steps for the user)

Placeholders

Placeholders are the default text that appears inside a text input field before the user starts typing. Your UX copy for placeholders should be clear and specific.

Good Copy:

• “Enter your email address” (clear and specific)
• “Search for a product or category” (helpful and specific)

Bad Copy:

• “Type something here” (vague and unhelpful)
• “What do you want to say?” (not specific to the text input field)

Buttons

Buttons are an important part of the user interface, as they provide users with the means to take action. Your UX copy for buttons should be clear, concise, and action-oriented.

Good Copy:

• “Sign up” (clear and action-oriented)
• “Add to cart” (concise and specific)

Bad Copy:

• “Do it” (vague and unhelpful)
• “Submit your information” (not action-oriented and not clear on the next steps for the user)

404 Pages

404 pages are the error pages that appear when a user tries to access a page that doesn’t exist. Your UX copy for 404 pages should be clear, and helpful, and provide options for the user to continue browsing your website or app.

Good Copy:

• “Oops, we couldn’t find that page. Return to the homepage or try searching for what you’re looking for.” (clear, helpful, and provides options)
• “404 Error: The page you’re looking for doesn’t exist. But don’t worry, you can still find what you need on our website. Try browsing our categories or using the search bar.” (clear, helpful, and provides options)

Bad Copy:

• “404 Error: You’re lost. Go home.” (rude and unhelpful)
• “Page not found. Good luck with that.” (not helpful and not providing any options for the user)

Waiting States

Waiting states refer to the text or image that appears when a user is waiting for a page or feature to load. Your UX copy for waiting states should be clear, concise, and reassuring.

Good Copy:

• “Loading your account information. Please wait.” (clear and reassuring)
• “Searching for products. This may take a moment.” (concise and reassuring)

Bad Copy:

• “Hang on, we’re thinking.” (not clear and not reassuring)
• “Still loading. Are you sure you have internet?” (not reassuring and placing blame on the user)

In conclusion, writing UX copy that fits your brand, is easy to understand, and solves users’ problems is crucial for creating a seamless and enjoyable user experience. By following the tips and examples provided in this article, you can ensure that your website or app’s UX copy is clear, specific, and helpful.

Remember, don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun with your UX copy, as long as it serves the purpose of helping the user. And have a great time writing your UX copy and making your website more user-friendly!