Remixing (or, fixing) UX writing in the wild
Wherein I try (operative word) to improve my own digital experiences
10 Percent Happier, iOS (meditation/mindfulness)
Problem A: When searching for meditations, users are greeted with a soulless blank white page if they type, say, “I need to focus” instead of “focus.”
Solution: Own the issue with inviting, conciliatory copy, and help users find what they’re looking for. Then fix the algorithm to be more comprehensive and inclusive.
A ~ vast emptiness ~ awaits users who don’t know how to speak the algorithm’s language. This is a bad UX experience regardless of context, but it’s more troubling when you consider that 10PH is a mental health app. Could landing on a blank page with nowhere to turn could actually enhance or trigger a difficult emotion? Probably.
Content only populates if the precise algorithm-friendly word is used
Problem B: The bad user experience actually begins with the Search window on the previous page. The prompt is a Yes/No question, giving users no sense of how to find what they’re looking for.
Solution: Clarify the terms and point users in the right direction.
Yes, I’m looking for something. But how do I tell you what I’m looking for?
How it works: Below is a video showing how users are currently only rewarded if they know precisely how to search 10 Percent Happier’s database. And how they face the abyss if not.
Venmo, iOS (mobile payments)
Problem: The empty state on Incomplete Payments is redundant, unclear, robotic, and doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity to increase engagement
Solution: Give the copy a jolt, compliment users for taking the right action, and let them know about a product that could grow their businesses.
Apple Health, iOS (healthcare/fitness)
Problems: Inconsistent application of time, clunky syntax, and passivity in an active sentence—not just here, but throughout Health.
Solution: Make the first sentence more active by leading with the user. Eliminating the comma makes the sentence less clunky and more quickly highlights calories burned, so users could experience a psychic win too. And sentence structure is now consistent.
I could even argue there’s no need for “in your workouts” given the word Workouts is just above the sentence. Then the sentence fits on one line. As god intended.
Instagram, iOS (photo sharing)
Problem: The email/password error state is cold, and the copy unnecessarily lengthy.
Solution: I don’t have user data to back this up, but “hm” feels neutral to me. It doesn’t suggest shaming the user—”error” goes further in that direction—but that something’s amiss and can likely be easily fixed.
“We don’t know” is also more clear than “doesn’t appear to belong,” as is “please try another” more than “please check your username and try again.” It’s minor, but “okay” feels warmer to me than “OK” too.