10 Microcopy Tips to Make Every Word Count

UX microcopy includes all the little texts accompanying UI elements that help users navigate apps and websites. Some examples are button labels that tell users what will happen when they press it or error messages that explain what's gone wrong and how users can solve it. Writing great microcopy is trickier than it seems. It should be concise and straight to the point, explain what is needed and why, and, of course, respect users. Big companies like Google and Spotify have specific UX writing positions. In smaller teams, this job usually falls on designers or developers. This can sometimes lead to confusing writing, like in the case of the infamous "Task failed successfully" Windows XP error message. Whether you're a UX writer, a designer, or a developer struggling to find the right words, here are 10 tips to help you improve your microcopy and, in turn, your user experience.

Use simple language

As of July 2024, almost 67.1% of the world's population has internet access.[1] These people have different levels of tech savviness, degrees of education, intellectual ability, sense of humor, and other characteristics. So, how do we write copy that caters to everybody? By using simple language.

Avoid technical terms, sophisticated vocabulary, and niche slang. Complex sentences might be great for essays but not for microcopy, so split your sentences into smaller ones. Remember that some users might not be native speakers of the language. Even if your product gets localized, microcopy that uses simple language will be much easier to translate. Aim for no higher than a 9th-grade level of readability, which you can check with apps like Hemingway Editor.

Keep your microcopy consistent

Consistency in microcopy refers to maintaining uniform language and phrasing throughout a user interface. It aims to create a harmonious user experience by using the same terms for similar actions or concepts.

When inconsistencies arise in UX microcopy, it can generate confusion and uncertainty. Imagine you see a button marked "Register" in one section and "Join for free" in another; are these directing to the same action or not? Such discrepancies can bewilder users and may even drive them to abandon their tasks. The remedy to this is straightforward — maintain uniform labels for identical actions. If a button leads to registration, ensure all similar buttons carry the same label. Creating a UX copy style guide can be an invaluable tool, aiding in consistent language application just as a design system ensures visual uniformity.

🧠 Pro Tip: For more tips on ensuring consistency in your microcopy, take our Consistency lesson.

Emphasize the benefit in the CTA

While a good CTA tells users what will happen when they click the button, a great CTA also tells them why they should do it. People who create apps usually think of them as functions to develop. What does this button do? It lets you register. But to understand the benefit for users, ask yourself why users should tap this particular button. If it's a fitness app, they want to start training. Flight aggregator users wish to find, compare, and buy tickets. Recipe website users want to explore recipes. Whatever the benefit is, emphasizing it in the CTA improves conversion rates.

Use numbers and social proof in your microcopy

Abstract notions are hard to grasp. How many people are "many" people? How strong is the "strong" wine? These are abstract words. Concrete numbers like "60% of Americans" and "15% ABV" are much easier to understand. You can also take advantage of the phenomenon of social proof, which makes people let the opinions of others guide their behavior. It doesn't have to be like the infamous "4 out of 5 dentists recommend" statement. You can use actual figures of downloads, testimonials, and references to other brands to drive your point across.

Use informative CTAs

Informative CTAs encourage users to take a specific action and clarify where that action will take them. Imagine creating a dialog screen with a yes/no question in the headline — for example, "Want to skip the typing?" The answer to the question we expect could be "yes" or "no," which appears in many CTAs. Unfortunately, button labels like this aren't all that helpful to users.

Microcopy like this gets written when the writer forgets to factor in one important caveat — users hate reading microcopy. They want to quickly understand what they need to do to get access to the content. Most users will glance at the heading and skip the body text only to find two very uninformative buttons. This will force them to go back and read everything they wanted to skip, causing frustration.

The solution to this problem is to write informative CTAs that explain what the button does. A helpful trick is to try to give a more detailed answer to the question in the heading.

Use gender-neutral pronouns

Society and language norms are constantly evolving. What was considered appropriate some 20 years ago may be unacceptable now. Inclusive design includes using gender-neutral pronouns. Generic masculine pronouns or awkward abbreviations like (s)he or s/he are steadily disappearing. To make users of all genders feel welcome, use gender-neutral pronouns like they/them and gender-neutral terms like "humankind" instead of "mankind."

However, addressing users as he/him and she/her is perfectly fine if you let them specify their pronouns in the app.

🧠 Pro Tip: Discover the captivating journey of inclusive design and its recent surge in popularity in our lesson on Inclusive Design Basics.

Make your numbers user-friendly

Sometimes numbers are easier to process than words; sometimes, it's the other way around. The phrase "a quarter to nine" is more difficult to process than 8:45 AM. On the upside, if your dentist appointment is on September 3, and today is September 2, the simplest way to put it is, "My dentist appointment is tomorrow." Microcopy isn't the text users want to see — it's the text that guides them to the content they actually want to see. User-friendly microcopy should have high readability so users can quickly scan the interface. The job of UX writers is, ideally, to decrease the general cognitive load. That means writing numbers in digits (5 instead of five).

Divide long strains of numbers into chunks. For example, use spacing or hyphens when writing phone or credit card numbers to make them easier to read.

Use words for the nearest dates

Sometimes UX writers joke that developers often aren't good at writing microcopy because they are used to communicating with computers. While the system stores dates as numeric values, humans have special words for days close to our present. In a conversation, we rarely refer to the day after today as a date. For example, it's not "April 1" but "tomorrow." You can reduce users' cognitive load by using the words of natural language: today, tomorrow, and yesterday.

Make sure the label corresponds to each user's time zone and that the system's today is also the user's today.

Respect users' time

In UI, uncertainty creates friction points. Users get frustrated when they don't know where they are, what will happen next, and how long a task will take. One way to avoid this friction is to empower users to manage their time by adding information about the estimated time a task can take. This can be in the form of an approximation of how much time it will take overall for a task or a label for a progress indicator. Knowing how much time something takes allows users to manage their time better, providing a better user experience.

Be reasonable with humor

A pinch of wit and humor in UX copy is fantastic when done right. Humor in microcopy can help win the emotional attachment of users and improve the general impression of the product. More and more products today are starting to include easter eggs — hidden jokes, messages, features, and references. If you choose to use them, ensure your target audience enjoys them. And, of course, avoid offensive jokes or jokes on controversial topics.

How much humor is enough? Unfortunately, there's no one formula. Follow your instincts. Remember that people don't come to your product for your wit — unless that's what you're selling. Keep in mind that users will likely see the same piece of microcopy many times. What might seem funny at first can become irritating over time — especially if you choose to use humor in error messages. Making the copy funny at the expense of clarity irritates people and results in a negative experience.

🧠 Pro Tip: To delve deeper into the science of writing for UX, explore our UX Writing course.

Remember, great microcopy is often invisible — it does its job so well that users hardly notice it. As you continue to refine your skills, always keep the user's perspective in mind, and don't be afraid to iterate and improve based on feedback and user behavior. With practice and attention to detail, you'll soon be crafting microcopy that truly elevates your product's user experience.