10 UX/UI copywriting tips

Anton Stupnev
ByAllMeans Studio
Published in
3 min readJun 17, 2024

This will probably be most helpful if you're either junior or middle designer. My knowledge comes from having lead dozens projects throughout many years.

1. Check necessity

If the block’s presence or absence doesn’t change anything — remove it. There are various reasons for redundancy, but it's always good to check if a piece of text needs to exist on a page.

First sentence of the paragraph in this example is redundant because it repeats the heder

2. Add context

Data should create a proper context for the user to make a decision. If vital information is omitted from a certain step, the user would have to rely on remembering it from the previous steps or going back to double check.

Not exactly a real UI, but a lot of confirmation dialogues would be better with a quick recap

3. Make UI predictable

The user needs to be able to understand what happens next. So make it very clear, what to expect when clicking the button.

CTA button label (what it actually does)

4. Keep consistent terminology

If you're introducing new words in the UI, don't change them from screen to screen. It's confusing when a previously established term is referred by a different word.

Bonus points are referred to later in the text as extra credits.

5. Offer concrete value

Focus on conveying points that help the user to make a decision about something. Don't be abstract and unmeasurable.

Number presence usually indicates concrete value

6. Affinitize and group together

A featureless wall of text is hard to read. Create your sections in a way that each of them is aimed at answering a certain question, relevant to the user at this point.

The example covers single text paragraph, but it also applies to separate blocks of information scattered across the screen.

7. Put important bits on the edges

Start with variables, where possible. Users will learn what to expect from a certain block, so don't waste their time making them read the supplementary text every time instead of the actual information.

Information in the middle vs information on the edges

8. Check your tone of voice

Select what is appropriate and keep it consistent.

Same thing could be conveyed differently as long as the tone of voice is matching the situation

9. Keep capitalization consistent

Select one rule and stick to it. Use Camel Case In The App. Or don't use camel case. But regardless of that, be consistent. Otherwise it looks unprofessional and confusing.

10. Don't try to come up fancy taglines (at first)

Just lay down the text in simple words, no matter how clunky it looks. You'd be surprised how much meaning is lost when a designer pursues a catchy phrase rather than a thoughtful explanation. Imagine you're telling the core idea of a text block to a friend. Then write it down.

Or, better yet, ask your client to describe it to you. If they are passionate about their product they often produce pure gems when speaking about it, rather than when they try to put it in writing.

Simple often beats fancy

After it’s done and approved, you can approach creating something that sounds nicer, but doesn’t lose it’s core meaning.

That's it. Say hello on LinkedIn or check Behance

Or check out some of my older stuff while I'm writing more tips

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ByAllMeans Studio
ByAllMeans Studio

Published in ByAllMeans Studio

Multidisciplinary creative studio working to blend tangible & digital worlds together in seamless & meaningful brand and product experiences of tomorrow

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