Day 1
Scenario:
A traveller is in an airport waiting for the last leg of a flight home when their flight gets abruptly cancelled due to bad weather.
Challenge:
Write a message from the airline app notifying them of the cancellation and what they need to do next.
Headline: 45 characters
Body: 175 characters max
Button(s): 25 characters max
Solution:
The voice of the airline is semi-formal but the tone of this message is serious because something unfortunate just happened. Thus, I made the headline serious and straight to the point. Also, because most users scan text and read in the F mode, I ensured that the heading carried the message, such that at a glance, the user knows the flight has been cancelled. I also made sure the main message was in the first sentence of the body.
My solution is in line with UX writing’s best practices; Clear, Concise, and Useful. The text was clear; the user wasn't confused about the information being passed. It was concise; there was no unnecessary info or word. The copy broke the bad news, gave the reason, and provided a solution, making it useful. The CTA made it even more useful; it gave the user a choice to accept the hotel arrangement or decline. The tone was consistent all through the page.
Day 2
Scenario:
A user is a working parent, and a big sports fan, in the midst of their favourite sports season who can no longer attend games..
Challenge:
Write a promotional screen for an app that lets a user choose teams, sends game reminders, real-time score updates and highlights videos.
Headline: 40 characters
Body: 175 characters max
Button(s): 25 characters max
Solution:
The brand’s voice is casual and fun, and the tone of the page is exciting; there’s a new offer that will help the user fulfill their desire. The headline highlighted the pain point of the user, telling them it’s no longer an issue. This will make the user curious and read on. The body text is clear, concise and useful. The user knew what they would be signing up for. All the necessary information was passed; no more no less. The CTA made the copy useful; users can sign up or decline. The tone was consistent throughout the page.
My solution is in line with UX writing’s best practices; Clear, Concise, and Useful. The text was clear; the user wasn't confused about the information being passed. It was concise; there was no unnecessary info or word. The copy broke the bad news, gave the reason, and provided a solution, making it useful. The CTA made it even more useful; it gave the user a choice to accept the hotel arrangement or decline. The tone was consistent all through the page.
Day 3
Scenario:
The user entered the wrong email address to sign in to their account.
Challenge:
Tell the user to enter the right email.
40 characters max
Solution:
The brand’s voice is formal and the tone is serious. The user just entered the wrong email address and I need them to focus. The content on the page is clear, concise and useful. The message is clear, no fluff, and there is a call to action.
Day 4
Scenario:
A user is in their favourite supermarket. They open the supermarket’s app on their phone to see what’s on sale and are greeted by a promotion.
Challenge:
Write a promotional home screen for a subscription service that delivers groceries to the user once a month for a flat fee.
Headline: 45 characters
Body: 175 characters max
Button(s): 25 characters max
Solution:
The brand’s voice is casual and the tone is exciting, so I let that reflect in the heading with the exclamation mark. Because most users scan information, I made sure the message to be passed was contained in the heading so users can read it at a glance. The body text contained more information in the fewest words. Users know the cost of the service and its frequency. Then there is a call to action, giving the user options of signing up or moving on. Brand voice and tone was consistent throughout the page.
Day 5
Scenario:
The user works in graphic design. While critiquing a design in a mobile app, their phone abruptly turns off. When they restart the phone, they reopen the app.
Challenge:
Write a message that the user will read immediately upon opening the app. What do they need to know? What steps (if any) do they need to take to recover their content? What if they can't recover the content?
Headline: 40 characters
Body: 140 characters max
Button(s): 20 characters max
Solution:
A.
The brand's voice is friendly and engaging but the tone is a little serious. The user is afraid their work is lost, so they’re worried. The welcome-back heading relaxes them a little and the body text brightens up their face. Their work was not lost after all. The CTA tells them what to do to retrieve their work.
B.
The heading is an exclamation that shows that something has gone wrong. Immediately, the user is alert, ready for the not-so-good news. The first line of the body text states the problem while the second line offers the next step. The CTAs let the user choose to start over or go back to the design page to start another project. All content is clear, concise and useful.
Day 6
Scenario:
It’s Monday. A user has just gotten into their car to drive to work. They plug their phone into the car and start driving.
Challenge:
How would you let the user know there’s a fire happening in a nearby town that is causing road closures? The effect on their commute is unknown, but there is a definite danger if the fire gets closer. How do you communicate this to them? When? Write it.
Headline: 30 characters
Body: 45 characters max
Solution:
The brand’s voice is casual and fun but as there is nothing casual and fun about the situation, the brand’s voice takes the back seat and the tone takes over. The tone is serious. Dead serious. And this is reflected in the text. I put the danger sign there to instantly warn the user that something is wrong.
The heading was clear, concise and straightforward. The body text told the consequences of the fire and the call to action tells the user to reroute. Very limited words were used because the user is driving and cannot read too much text while driving.
Day 7
Scenario:
A sports fan is at a wedding while their favourite team is playing against their arch-rivals. Their team scores.
Challenge:
How would you, quickly, let the sports fan know about the latest play, the current score, and the key players? Write it.
Headline: 30 characters
Body: 45 characters max
Solution:
I made the notification short and crisp. At a glance, the user is able to get the most important information about the game without being distracted from the wedding.
Day 8
Scenario:
The user is a casual music fan and (on occasion) goes to live concerts. They have a music player app on their phone.
Challenge:
Tell the user that one of their favorite bands is playing live in their town. How would you compel them to want to go?
Headline: 30 characters
Body: 45 characters max
Button(s): 25 characters max
Solution:
Using the frontloading technique, I ensured the most important information is in the heading. The body text gives more information, with the exciting info that the Booze Band is singing from their new album. This is to make the user interested. The content is rounded off with CTA buttons. All content is clear, concise and useful.
Day 9
Scenario:
The user is trying to rent a car using an application but the credit card on file has expired.
Challenge:
Write them an error message so that they can correct the problem.
Headline: 30 characters
Body: 45 characters max
Solution:
Although the brand’s voice is friendly and engaging, the tone is serious. Therefore, I made the content serious to match the mood of the user. I was careful though not to be harsh, so I didn't use words like invalid or error.
Day 10
Scenario:
The user is trying to view a website to help them buy a car. But, the content can’t load without the user’s location. They need to enter their ZIP code and first name.
Challenge:
Ask them where they live and who they are without sounding like you're unnecessarily mining their data.
Headline: 25 characters
Body: 45 characters max
Button(s): 15 characters max
Solution:
This was a bit tricky but I found a way around it. I made the heading about finding great deals. The user is excited to find the deals near them and does not worry about giving their personal information as it will help the app find deals near them. The brand’s voice is casual and fun, and the tone is exciting.
Day 11
Scenario:
An elderly user is doing a Google search to find an easy way to buy contact lenses online.
Challenge:
Write a title and meta description for a website that sells subscription contact lenses delivered to a user every 30 days—convince them to try it.
Title: 60 characters
Meta Description: 160 characters max
Solution:
Title: Buy contact lenses online easily | Subscribe and get delivery every 30 days.
Meta description: Get convenient and quick service when you order contact lenses online from Dumot Stores. We stock the widest selection of lenses and deliver to you every 30 days. I tried to use the user’s pain point effectively. The user wants an easy way to order their lenses, thus, I made sure I slipped ‘easily’ into the heading. Also, I slot ‘convenient and quick’ into the first line of the meta description to catch the user’s attention.
Day 12
Scenario:
A user is creating an account. When they come to the step where they are asked to enter their name, they get an error message. A fraud detection software thinks their name is fake—but it’s wrong 5% of the time.
Challenge:
Write an error message that prompts them to fix the error without shaming them for having a fake-sounding name.
45 characters max
Solution:
This was quite challenging because I have not experienced such an incident before. To solve the challenge, I made the unfortunate incident look like it was part of the process. So, to the user, it’s just a verification step, not an error. The link will take them to a verification page where identification will be required. I used ‘You’re almost there’ to lighten the mood and not make it look as serious as it is. Whew!
Day 13
Scenario:
A short-haul truck driver has a phone app that monitors his route, schedule, fuel & deliveries. He has 6 more deliveries before stopping for fuel and lunch. Due to unexpected traffic, he’s behind schedule. He can choose to stay on his planned route for a few more stops, but risk running low on fuel and missing lunch, or he can get fuel and lunch now and finish the deliveries later.
Challenge:
Write a push notification alerting him of this dilemma and options.
Headline: 30 characters
Body: 45 characters max
Button(s): 25 characters max
Solution:
The summary of the driver’s situation is that he’s behind schedule, so I made this the headline. Next, the driver needs accurate information about his situation, as well as options. I put all he needs to know in the body text. I also put two CTAs so he can choose.
Day 14
Scenario:
A user is shopping using a price comparison app that boasts “real-time” pricing on items. As they are checking the price of an item, something goes wrong. The problem is unknown.
Challenge:
Write a message that informs the user that they cannot access the app right now. You cannot specify "why" the app doesn't work, you also want them to continue using the app.
Headline: 30 characters
Body: 120 characters max
Button(s): 15 characters max
Solution:
The situation is tense and serious so I have to pass across the information swiftly, and that I did with the concise and straightforward headline. I went ahead to let the user know that there is a problem but we are working on it. The refresh button makes the content useful because the user can refresh and keep refreshing until the feature starts working.
Day 15
Challenge:
Using the browser on your mobile device, please go to Facebook and log in. Tap the menu icon and then tap Create New Page in the Pages section.
Headline: 45 characters
Body: 100 characters
Button(s): 25 characters
Time limit: 1 hour
Solution:
Facebook’s brand’s voice is friendly, straightforward and human so I made sure to keep this in mind all through the exercise.
Page 1
The heading was okay because it personalized the process, so I left it. I, however, made it more personal by changing ‘A’ to ‘Your’ in the first line of the body text. I used Start Now instead of Get Started because I feel ‘Get Started’ is cliche. Also, ‘Start now’ gives a sense of urgency and excitement.
Page 2
‘Do things like’ was redundant and I removed it. I still sustained the human voice of the brand with the ‘you’ factor.
Page 3
I decided to drop the monotonous ‘Create your page’ heading and replaced it with a ‘Enjoy the benefits’. This makes the user even more excited to click the next button.
Page 4
I made the copy more concise by removing redundant words.
Page 5
I feel this page is okay. The content is clear, concise and useful. The tone is also consistent.
Page 6
This page is also okay. I would have removed the question and just asked the user to add their website but it would defeat the friendly conversational tone. It would also imply that the user has a website.
Page 7
At this stage, the user is probably getting tired or bored. In a bid to keep the excitement alive and to make them know that the activity will soon be over, I added, ‘Almost done!’ I also made the body copy more concise. The search engine part was unnecessary.
Page 8
There was no congratulations page, and I decided to add it. The user has gone through so many steps and deserves to be celebrated. I made the copy exciting and added CTAs to make it useful.
