Numbers are a helpful tool in the UX content toolbox
I became a writer because I’m bad at math. I still use my fingers when counting. If you were to ask me what 2+2 is, my first response would be, “Here we go with the math question!”
As much as some of us don’t want to admit it, numbers play an important role in UX writing.
Numbers aren’t adversaries to UX content. When used properly, they can help users understand complex topics in a way that’s scannable.
Why are numbers important?
Psychologically, numbers represent facts and logic. They can give investors clarity and, in many cases, a sense of confidence and reassurance about their investments and finances.
In her blog post titled “UX Writing: intentionally a breaking grammar rule,” Vicky Zhang makes a point that I love:
“Numbers present evidence and facts, which are especially useful as references and for people to make decisions.”
Since my job as a UX writer at Vanguard is to craft content that’ll help users feel confident while navigating our digital experiences, why not use numbers to help them feel reassured?
Well, I did just that!
How I used numbers to help explain Tax-Loss Harvesting to clients
I’m not going to dig into the details about tax-loss harvesting (TLH), even though I really want to. TLH is a tax strategy that centers on intentionally selling investments at a loss to help lower an investor’s tax bill.
Late last year, Vanguard launched our TLH experience for Digital Advisor clients. If a client’s investments lose value, Digital Advisor looks for opportunities to automatically sell them, so the loss becomes realized.
At tax time, those clients can claim those realized losses to lower what they owe on their income and any realized taxable gains.
While that explanation helps users understand TLH at a high level, I took it a bit further by showing how it works by using round numbers.
As you may notice in this image, I didn’t write “four thousand dollars” instead of “$4,000” or “sixty-five thousand dollars” instead of “$65,000.” The reason for that is simple. To help reduce cognitive load, I made the content as concise as possible.
Let’s say I rewrote that content above that explains how the tax filer can benefit from TLH by writing out numbers. It would look like this:
One: Take four thousand dollars from the nine thousand dollars in losses to offset their four thousand dollars of gains, resulting in zero dollars of remaining taxable gains.
Two: Use three thousand dollars from the remaining five thousand dollars in losses to reduce their taxable income from sixty-five thousand dollars to sixty-two thousand dollars.
This rewrite still explains how the tax filer can benefit from TLH. However, did you notice the rewrite is harder to digest? That’s because the length of both points increased. The first one has 174 characters, 28 words, and 27 spaces. The second has 177 characters, 26 words, and 25 spaces.
Using numbers like I did in the image helps reduces cognitive load and makes the content scannable. The first point in the image only has 117 characters, 21 words, and 20 spaces. The second has 105 characters, 18 words, and 17 spaces.
Don’t get me wrong, writing out numbers isn’t breaking a content rule. Throughout my writing career, I had to follow quite a few style guides. Some guides required writing out numbers.
However, our primary mission as UX writers is to craft content that helps users navigate experiences, understand complex topics, and feel reassured. Numbers serve as our ally in that mission.
What should you take away from this?
Did you know users don’t read every word on their screens? Nielsen Norman Group’s 1997 study found that most users scan text instead of consuming it all. In 2007, Jakob Nielson said they discovered “numerals often stop the wandering eye and attract fixations, even when they’re embedded within a mass of words that users otherwise ignore.”
Spelling out numbers takes up space and could make the user feel overwhelmed. I kept that in mind while crafting how users can benefit from TLH.
For some people, their anxiety goes up and cognitive ability decreases when focused on their finances. Since TLH can be a difficult concept to grasp, I didn’t want to add more stress by lengthening the text.
Like text, icons, images and videos, numbers convey meaning—so they’re considered content. Don’t be afraid to use them.
Please note: All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
Vanguard Digital Advisor is provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (“VAI”), a federally registered investment advisor. VAI is a subsidiary of VGI and an affiliate of VMC. Neither VAI nor its affiliates guarantee profits or protection from losses.
Tax-loss harvesting involves certain risks, including, among others, the risk that the new investment could have higher costs than the original investment and could introduce portfolio tracking error into your accounts. There may also be unintended tax implications. We recommend that you carefully review the terms of the consent and consult a tax advisor before taking action.
