Why You Shouldn’t Be Using Lorem Ipsum In Your Designs

We’ve all been there; it’s the last day of your current design project – all the UI is beautiful and in place, with everything working how it should.

There’s just one thing you’ve left… the walkthrough copy! The onboarding introductions?! The content details text! There are a few things left to do – and you’re just one moment away from copping out by slapping it all with some classic lorem ipsum in the hopes it becomes someone else’s problem.

Hold up!

Before you make that choice, I’m here to tell you why that’s not the best practice – and why, as product designers, we should be taking more control of what we’re showing and saying. It’s more important than you think. Hear me out…

So, what is lorem ipsum? A quick breakdown from our friend the internet, “Lorem ipsum, in a graphical and textual context, refers to filler text that is placed in a document, design or visual presentation.?Lorem ipsum?is derived from the Latin “doloremipsum”, roughly translated as “pain itself.” Well… if that isn’t a red flag, I don’t know what is.

Disturbing translations aside, let’s get into the whys:

You gain a better understanding of your product

First and foremost, you know the design you have created better than anyone else in your team. You’ve been with this product since day 1, through user journey mapping and wire-framing, so you’re now essentially part of the furniture.

If you’ve avoided writing copy yourself and still don’t know what to write… maybe you’re not so clear on the product spec after all and have been too focussed on the visuals. For example, the walkthrough screens of an app generally detail the core USPs of the said app – you, the creator of said app, are in the most optimal position to write those.?

Clients will appreciate the direction

“The client will most likely want to change the text, so I’ve just put placeholder text there….” Wrong! Well, for the most part. Indeed, clients will more than likely want input on what the text in their product says; however, as the designer, you should be taking charge of those points.

You’re benefiting your client even more by at least trying to write the copy, and then they will have some form of template and starting point to make changes.

Building the language of a product is an organic process, and a bunch of nonsensical placeholder text isn’t helping anyone on either side.

The development will get more context

As designers who have been through each product creation stage, we know the design inside and out.

However, when this gets handed over to the development team, sometimes there are points where perhaps a function is misunderstood, something that could have benefited with just a bit more context on the screen.

Relevant and accurate copy text can help precisely that. This also eliminates any guesswork that must be made, and you know what they say about assumptions…

Encourages you to be in control of your tone of voice

There’s nothing worse than creating a beautiful design, only for it to be plagued by someone else’s hammed-up copy text.

This is your opportunity to take the reins and define the tone of voice of your product, which in turn creates less work and demand from others outside of your creative vision, who might not necessarily get what you’ve wanted to say on screen.?

So there we have it, plenty of reason as to why you should ditch the idea of using lorem ipsum and start taking control over what you’re saying in your design.

Us designers shouldn’t be shortchanging our creations by ignoring the importance of language and its weight. Even if you think you’re not so good with words, we all have to start somewhere – just put your fingertip to the keyboard and give it a shot…