The document discusses microcopy and how language influences behavior on websites and applications. It explains that as websites become more like applications, the content and words used take on more importance in shaping user behavior and outcomes. The document outlines three types of important microcopy: 1) UI microcopy which provides context for user actions, 2) microcopy for new users that sets the initial tone, and 3) content definitions that shape what content users engage with. It emphasizes that microcopy is an opportunity to inform, guide and delight users through compelling language.

2. Writing & Designing
Microcopy
@destraynor

3. Some key ideas
Websites are become web applications
The web is being rebuilt around people.
Most web-apps are a gamble on content.
This content is created by the people.
The people use the interface to do this.
Interfaces are the language of software.
Language influences behaviour

4. Web sites are
quickly becoming
web apps

5. A
bombshell...

6. “Five years from
now, there’ll be
A
no such thing
bombshell...
as a webpage.”
- Jim Boulton

7. I’m not talking
about the junky
‘website as an
iPhone app’ things

8. Applications

9. Forums
Location apps Social
Networks
Applications
Social
shopping
Facebook
Photo apps apps

10. > 700,000

11. > 700,000
apps in the app store

12. What was once a travel
blog, is now a social
network of travellers,
connecting, liking,
subscribing to each
others material.

13. “The web is being
rebuilt around
people”
Paul Adams
@padday

15. This is a travel
website. But all
the content is
from my
friends.
Always.
See what I
mean?

19. Building social
web apps
==
Gambling on
content

26. The people come to
read the content

27. The content is
created
by the people

28. This age old problem

29. It’s not a case of luck.
The content & microcopy
you write controls it.

30. 3 types of micro
copy
1. The
UI
2. The blank
slate
3.The Content
Definition

31. 1. UI Microcopy

32. Does Language
Influence Behaviour?

33. The Sapir-Whorf

34. A much debated idea

35. Here UI = Language =

36. The words in an
interface give context
to...
1) the actions
performed,
2) relationships that
form.

37. INSERT INTO tweets NEW
TWEET VALUES (11012314",
"destraynor", "Just landed in
Oslo. God Dag", "Rygge,
Norway");
This is all a ‘tweet’ is

39. Share

40. Share
Post

41. Shareish
bl t
Pu s
Po

42. Sharet
Pups
Po ishe
bdt
la
U

43. Sharet
ishe
bdt
la
Pups
Po et
US

45. Tweet

46. Appreciate. Love.
Agree.

47. No one “Likes” a missing
cat

48. You shouldn’t like a singers
death

49. But you can +1 these
things.

50. What a button says has
massive implications for
a product...
...regardless of what it
does.

51. Secondly, you get the
content that you ask
for...

56. Instagram
surfaces
‘likes’,
so people
chase them

57. Twitter promotes followers &
retweets

58. Twitter promotes followers &
retweets

59. The words in an
interface give context
to...
1) the actions
performed,
2) relationships that
form.

60. Labels Influence
Relationships

61. “Look we don’t need to put a label on it, do
we?”

62. “Look we don’t need to put a label on it, do
we?”

63. ‘Friend’ became meaningless on Facebook

64. I’m okay with
“following” 459
people

65. 54 friends is much closer

66. LinkedIn asks the difficult
question,
Thus, friend isn’t meaningless

67. Bad labels gets
bad data

68. 2. The “Blank Slate”
for new users

69. I’ve zero
friends,
What sort of
things do
people write on

70. Elderly Parents on
Facebook...

71. Elderly Parents on
Facebook...

72. Why should I
say anything?
No one else is.

73. Like Talk
radio,
you set the
tone.

74. How did YouTube comments
get so bad so quickly?

75. How did YouTube comments
get so bad so quickly?

76. Yahoo! Answers. Where idiocy &
irony collide

77. The “hug” hack.

78. Why is Quora get so formal?

79. Why is Quora get so formal?

80. Look how GetSatisfaction keeps
discussion civil

81. Look how GetSatisfaction keeps
discussion civil

82. Look how GetSatisfaction keeps
discussion civil

85. If you don’t set
the tone right
from the start,
you can’t easily
change it later

86. 3. The Content
Definition

87. Defining a review is a content decision

88. Defining a review is a content decision

89. One Apple got wrong

90. One Apple got wrong

91. 3 types of micro
copy
1. The
UI
2. The blank
slate
3.The Content
Definition

92. 2 Bad
Examples
When labelling gets nasty

93. Give your friend 3 listens over

94. Squirt !
Yes, I’m serious...

96. “I want to squirt you a
picture of my kids. You
can squirt me back a
video of your vacation.
That's a software
experience.”

97. What went wrong here?

98. 1. Bad seeds, bad sample

99. 2. Labels: “New Wave”, “Done”
2. Vague concepts: “New wave”, “Done”

100. When the content doesn’t show

101. Or when people don’t understand

102. So what...

103. You get the content
you designed for.
The behaviour you see,
is exactly what that
content encourages

104. How does
it go
wrong?

105. The swiss cheese model of
defects
Release
Q.A.
Build
Visual Design
“Submit”
Wireframe
“Submit”
Content that’s “okay” survives

106. The swiss cheese model of
defects
Release
Q.A.
Build
Visual Design
Share
Wireframe
OMG_REPLACE_ME
Content that’s obviously wrong, is usually caught.

107. Not
always :)

108. How to ensure content
gets suitable attention?
W

110. A typical request
What do we say on the screen where the user
has clicked archive, but the message was
already archived by someone on their team so
they can’t double archive, but it’s not an error,
but at the same time it didn’t happen, oh yeah
and this happens with cancelling emails as well,
now that I think about it...Hmm. Your call. ”
Ticket #1374 in Sifter, assigned to
Des

111. Break it
Down

112. Who?

113. Premium vs free
New vs returning
Who?
Admin vs regular user
“every user”

114. What?

115. Change your
Upgrade your plan
setting
What?
This can’t be
done You don’t have
permission

116. Tone

117. Casual &
Business english
friendly
Tone
Abundantly
clear
Cute & funny

118. Time

119. “By email
immediately”
“On next login”
Time
On screen
straight away During working
hours in their
time zone

120. How?

121. By on screen flash
message
By email?
How?
Text in app In their records
(space?)
Audio effect By SMS

122. A typical request
What do we say on the screen where the user
has clicked archive, but the message was
already archived by someone on their team so
they can’t double archive, but it’s not an error,
but at the same time it didn’t happen, oh yeah
and this happens with cancelling emails as well,
now that I think about it...Hmm. Your call. ”
Ticket #1374 in Sifter, assigned to
Des

123. Microcopy framework
Message for: Any user
To tell them: They don’t need to archive,
it’s already been done
So they: Stop trying, and move on
Displayed via: Flash box on app (60 char max)
When: After user tries to archive
already archived message
Tone: Clear, personal, like a work
colleague.

124. Bad content

125. “Error: Message
ERROR: Duplicate is already
Archive archived”
Bump
Bad content
You can’t archive a
Duplicate Archive
message in All
Error
messages
This message has been
archived by you or one of
your colleagues

127. Brevity vs
Clarity

128. Brevity vs
Clarity
VS
Oh My God, you can’t archve
a message that has already
been archived. In fact only
“Error” moments ago one of your
colleagues archived this very
message.
Sorry about it.

130. David already
archived this two
minutes ago.

132. The web is littered
with examples of
compelling copy that
makes things
interesting, engaging,
clear, funny,
inspiring...

133. Microcopy
framework
Message for: Purchasing users
To tell them: Their order is enroute
So they: Know what’s up, and feel happy
Displayed via: Email
When: Immediately upon order
Tone: Fun. Make this user laugh at
their damn keyboard.

134. “Thanks for your order with CD Baby!
Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with
sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make
sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.
Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over
the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that
money can buy.
We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party
marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of
Portland waved 'Bon Voyage!' to your package, on its way to you,
in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Wednesday, September
19th.
I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure
did. Your picture is on our wall as 'Customer of the Year'. We're all
exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to
CDBABY.COM!!”

138. The “real world” is
littered with examples
of compelling copy

140. “Come in and try
the worst meatball
sandwich that one
guy on Yelp ever
had.
IN HIS LIFE”

142. Unaccompanie
d Children will
be given
espresso and a
free kitten

143. “Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning
down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance
of your flight attendants. Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some
broken clouds, but they'll try to have them fixed before we arrive.”

145. Remember your content
is...

146. Remember your content
is...
not always canonical
always an opportunity to delight your
user
usually the lowest hanging fruit in your
app

149. We obsess over pixels,
shadows, shades,
typefaces, borders,
gradients, opacities,
blurs and more.
Why not words?

150. Wordddle My info | Sign out | HELP
Sentences Emails Messages
Purpose: Tell users to upgrade as free plan expired destraynor
“We're sorry, but you can't create any more projects on
your current plan. You current plan (Free) is invalid“
1 3 rebounds
Dude, that's lame. The message is "Your plan has 31
Steve. P expired. Upgrade here".
What Steve said. Maybe explain the cost here, save them 4
John. S the click?
You:
Send message
Where is the Dribbble for Words?

152. “Good words cost little and are worth lots”
– George Herbert

154. @destraynor

155. Thank you!
@destraynor