Emotional Intelligence to the UX writing rescue
When you were a child, did you wish for superpowers? Maybe you wanted to fly like Superman or be strong, fast, and agile like Wonder Woman.
But can I tell you something? Us UX writers have a superpower that reigns supreme: emotional intelligence (EI). As UX writers, we harness our EI superpower to help users navigate our products effortlessly.
In this post, I’ll share a definition for EI, why it matters in UX writing at Vanguard, and list some best practices to help you harness this superpower when writing. Plus, I’ll share some examples of how we at Vanguard use EI in our Digital Advisor experience.
What is EI?
There are so many definitions of EI out there, but I think product designer Nick Babich explains it best in his Adobe blog:
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and act on the emotions of ourselves and others. Emotional intelligence is a fundamental skill that allows us to understand each other and navigate our world. Understanding emotions applies to almost everything we do, from ordering a taxi to interacting with people we love.
Why does EI matter in UX writing at Vanguard?
1. Cultivates trust
Concise and easy-to-understand content helps users feel good and confident about our Digital Advisor experience, which leads to them trusting the experience with their assets. They’ll eventually tell others about it, which will help increase user interaction. At Vanguard, we pride ourselves on building and sustaining trust with our investors. Those same investors are our users.
2. Humanizes our products
What’s unique about Vanguard’s brand is that we emphasize writing in simple, clear language. When you read our content, it feels like you’re talking to an actual human. Our experiences are meant to connect with users on a human level. Our content cheers clients on, and offers reassurance when investors are feeling uneasy about their investments or finances.
So, how can you maximize your EI superpower when writing?
1. Practice radical empathy
Empathy is the bedrock to every UX discipline — especially UX writing. You put the users’ feelings first. In the end, they’re the ones who’ll experience the product.
If users can’t understand what they’re reading, they won’t interact with the experience. They’ll likely get frustrated and disengage. Put yourself in your users’ shoes. Try to tap into their feelings. Your understanding of the experience won’t help them feel reassured — only theirs will.
2. Study verbal and nonverbal cues
During user feedback sessions, focus on users’ verbal and nonverbal cues. Pay close attention to how they interact with the content.
For example, maybe users kept reading some sections repeatedly. If that happens, there’s a good chance they don’t understand those portions. Some users will say things like “I think it makes sense” or “I had to read it a few times.” Others may sigh due to frustration. The goal is to help users comprehend immediately.
3. Get feedback from UX peers
No matter if you’re a UX researcher, writer, strategist, designer, or a UX unicorn who does all of the above, our primary motivation is understanding our users’ needs and feelings.
Ask your teammates what they think about the content you’ve crafted; Even though your peers aren’t users, it never hurts to ask them how they think users will interpret content.
4. Craft concise content
Too many long sentences, paragraphs, and subheadings might not be the right approach for everyone. It’s a chore reading through walls of content. You want to keep the user engaged a by keeping content short and sweet. Make sure your subheads and paragraphs are as equal in length as possible.
Here are some examples from Vanguard’s Digital Advisor:
People of all ages are nervous about entering the world of investing. We understand that. In the first example above, we tell users that if they’re new to investing, it’s not a problem. Our “Let’s do this” CTA is comforting to users because they feel like they won’t be going at this alone, which is scary for a new investor.
In the second example, we ask them about their goals. Yes, we have them create a retirement goal — but we also care about other goals they have. A lot of life happens before and during retirement. Maybe they want to save for a vacation, a wedding, or home improvements. Either way, we’re here to help.
And so, my UX friends, remember that Superman and Wonder Woman use their superpowers for good — and so do you. Your words help people make decisions confidently and efficiently. Here at Vanguard, our words help users set and reach financial goals confidently. We’re all heroes.
Interested in learning more about UX opportunities at Vanguard? Check out Vanguard Jobs.
