When you write UX content, you want to communicate clearly, engage your users, and reflect your brand identity. But how do you avoid sounding bland, confusing, or inconsistent? Here are some common tone of voice and brand voice pitfalls to avoid when writing UX content.
Your tone of voice is how you express your personality, attitude, and emotions through your words. Your brand voice is the consistent style and tone that you use across all your channels and platforms. If you don't define your tone and voice, you risk sounding generic, boring, or unprofessional. You also miss the opportunity to connect with your users and differentiate yourself from your competitors. To avoid this pitfall, create a tone and voice guide that outlines your goals, values, audience, and best practices for writing UX content.
Without defined TOV guidelines, messaging becomes diluted, generic and confuses users, which weakens your brand equity. Even if we think users don't notice the language we use, they definitely do. Successful products prioritise their own distinct voice to stand out, rather than blending into a sea of sameness.
Neglecting to define your tone and voice is a critical error. Establishing a clear, consistent tone ensures cohesive communication. It's the foundation for building a recognizable brand identity and fostering user engagement through a unified and purposeful language.
Your tone of voice and brand voice should not be rigid or monotonous. They should be flexible and adaptable to the context, purpose, and mood of your UX content. For example, you might use a more casual and friendly tone for a welcome message, but a more serious and respectful tone for an error message. You might also adjust your tone and voice depending on the channel, platform, or device that you are writing for. To avoid this pitfall, consider the user's needs, expectations, and emotions in each situation and write accordingly.
Plain language is clear, concise, and easy to understand. It helps you communicate effectively, reduce confusion, and increase trust. However, many UX writers fall into the trap of using jargon, buzzwords, or vague terms that obscure their message and alienate their users. To avoid this pitfall, use simple and familiar words, avoid unnecessary modifiers, and explain any technical or industry-specific terms. You can also use tools like Hemingway Editor or Readable to check your readability level and improve your UX content.
Neglecting plain language is a significant oversight. Users appreciate simplicity and clarity. Avoiding unnecessary complexity ensures your content is accessible to a broader audience, enhancing user understanding and engagement.
A common misconception is that using plain language means dumbing down content. In reality, simplicity widens the audience's reach and reduces user confusion. The essence of UX writing is to subtly guide users, not impose directives. It's one of the hardest tasks that looks "easy."
Consistency is key for creating a coherent and credible UX content. It helps you maintain your brand voice, reinforce your message, and build user confidence. However, many UX writers make the mistake of using different terms, formats, or styles for the same concept, action, or feature. This can cause confusion, frustration, and errors for your users. To avoid this pitfall, use a content style guide that defines your tone, voice, terminology, grammar, punctuation, and formatting rules. You can also use tools like Grammarly or Acrolinx to check your consistency and quality.
Consistency is paramount. Failing to maintain a uniform tone across touchpoints can lead to confusion and dilute brand identity. A cohesive voice reinforces brand recall and builds trust, ensuring a seamless and positive user experience.
Testing and iterating are essential for creating effective and engaging UX content. They help you validate your assumptions, gather feedback, and measure your impact. However, many UX writers skip this step or rely on their own opinions or preferences. This can lead to UX content that is irrelevant, inaccurate, or inappropriate for your users. To avoid this pitfall, test your UX content with real users, stakeholders, and experts. You can use methods like usability testing, surveys, interviews, or analytics to collect data and insights. You can also use tools like UserTesting or Hotjar to conduct and analyze your tests.
Neglecting testing and iteration is a missed opportunity. Regularly assess user responses and iterate on your tone and voice based on feedback. This dynamic approach ensures continuous improvement, aligning your content with user expectations for optimal engagement and understanding.
Collaborating with others is crucial for creating cohesive and holistic UX content. It helps you align your goals, strategies, and standards with your team and organization. It also helps you leverage the skills, knowledge, and perspectives of other disciplines and roles. However, many UX writers work in silos or isolation, without involving or consulting others. This can result in UX content that is inconsistent, incomplete, or conflicting with other elements of the user experience. To avoid this pitfall, collaborate with other UX writers, designers, developers, product managers, marketers, and more. You can use tools like Figma, Google Docs, or Slack to communicate and share your work.
Common pitfalls in UX content include inconsistency, lack of clarity, and overly formal or technical language. Maintain a cohesive brand voice, ensure clarity in communication, and use a tone that resonates with your audience, avoiding jargon that may hinder user understanding.