How Microcopy Design Improves Customer Experience — Aalpha

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Are you working on projects yet you keep losing money every other day? Are your transactions going right or you always experience errors? Well, if you are experiencing the mentioned technical problems, there is always a solution. You can come up with a system that will save you a big deal. You will get to know where the problem lies immediately it happens.

Note: The main reason as to why most transactions fail is because of incorrect information being entered. For example, the address being used differ from the one on the credit card.

So, how do you deal with such an issue? It is simple, just add a catchy statement like “Ensure you key in the billing address similar to the one on the credit card” or simply, “Your billing address should match” Such statements always catch the attention of users, and they help to avoid complications during the entire process.

The importance of microcopy is building the best brand and advancing user experience for customers to make conversations moving on smoothly. However, do you know what exactly microcopy is? Let us first understand it.

From the example above, microcopy is simply a short and catchy sentence that is meant to direct the user on what to do. It comes as a warning or an encouragement to act with immediate effect. Such phrases play a significant role in the user experience. It can bring out positive or negative results. So, be careful about how you use them.

You may wonder, where are such phrases use? Well, there many applicable areas where microcopy can be used including Newsletters, Form instructions, opt-in forms, buttons, form fields, Error (404) Pages, menu navigation, loading screens among many more.

When users visit your software and websites on a daily basis, microcopy plays a significant role to keep a positive conversation moving on. Some users visit your pages for productivity purposes while others have no particular reasons for visiting your sites. So, what is the role of microcopy design to improve the customer user experience? Let us explore.

Importance of Microcopy Design

As a business-minded person, you must think well before designing microcopy. This means that every single detail you put down must have a positive significance on your site. This is because of its primary purpose; to build your product image and brand to improve your site at a minimal cost. Some of the reasons why microcopy is vital include:

  • Encourages Positive Communication
  • Microcopy Boosts Confidence
  • Microcopy Keep the customers Glued on your site
  • Microcopy Direct the Users
  • Microcopy Explains Errors

Encourages Positive Communication

The main agenda of any website or an application is to keep productive communication moving. An activity taking place on the website must be effectively communicated to the targeted audience.

Note: To improve microcopy user experience, it is critical that you analyze and understand the user’s preferences. Know what they prefer and what they don’t prefer. Create a microcopy that will make the user stay on your page without leaving immediately.

Microcopy helps to pass information to the user like following a page, subscribing to a channel, buying a product, or even commenting on their suggestions. In short, microcopy keeps your channel or website active by maintaining active communication.

Microcopy Boosts Confidence

To succeed in any field of business, confidence is a crucial aspect. With total confidence, your brand will always stand out for success. Since we are experiencing a world full of technology, most of the activities take place online, for instance, buying goods and reaching out to online experts for certain services. This means that your site has to prove to online users to be legit and trustable. Otherwise, most of your target audience will automatically leave your web page even before they achieve any transaction the moment they suspect any malicious activity. For this reason, microcopy plays a vital role to boost confidence on your web page. But the question is how?

Well, what microcopy does is to catch the attention of the user and build trust from the very beginning once they join your site. In creates a convenient environment for the user.

Note: When creating a microcopy for your site, be as honest as possible and be transparent enough. Explain to the user why they should stay on your site and be clear on all the requirements.

A perfect example is LinkedIn. What LinkedIn does is creating openness and building trust which make the users have complete trust with the site. They explain and ask for details during the sign-up process to avoid any inconveniences to the users later on. Above all, they regularly explain why specific details are required especially for the premium services they offer and how they will help the user.

Microcopy keep the Customers Glued on your Website

Microcopy has the ability to maintain your audience on your page. When the phrase used is just perfect and appealing, your target audience will never leave the site without engaging in a productive conversation. So, how does an appealing microcopy look like?

It simply does the following

  • It communicates the language of the user
  • It explains all the details required
  • It engages a conversation until the end
  • It gives users the direction to follow. For example, after logging in, click next and so on

With the above tips, it shows that microcopy motivates and keep the users focused on following the guidelines until they are satisfied. In the end, your brand will stand out and attract even more potential customers.

Note: The aim of any business is to fulfill and satisfy the needs of the customers. That is why microcopy speaks the language of the users simply to engage and motivate them. Always analyze the dimension of your business and come up with a great microcopy.

A perfect example is Google. The moment Google realized that most of the targeted user only search for available hotel rooms, yet in the end, they never book or reserve a space, they had to think twice. In such an instance, you can change the phrase, ‘book a room’ to ‘check available rooms’ this way, you will have engaged your users fully, and they will be interested in the next steps.

Microcopy Direct the Users

Assume you are the user here. Imagine visiting a web page for the very first time, and you get confused instantly. You will be tempted to quit there and there because you do not even understand where you are heading to. There are several reasons that can cause confusion. For example, you can successfully download an app, but after there, you wonder where to find it. Now that you can no longer access it, you wonder what you should do next. At this point, most potential customers choose to quit and close the app.

Microcopy becomes significant because it creates an engaging environment for the user. After engaging the user, it means the user won’t leave the app anytime soon. Therefore, microcopy paves the way for directions from the first step to the last one in a straightforward manner.

For example, on Twitter, there is a room for new users to learn as they move. There is always a hashtag used to engage and direct new users as they interact with other users.

Note: When creating microcopy, assume that your audience knows nothing. Create something that will keep them motivated and interested in your app. The steps should be one after the other.

Microcopy Explains Errors

Nobody hopes to build a website full of errors. However, we are all human, and errors will always be there in one way or the other. Have you ever tried to reach a webpage and all you get is something like a 404 page? Or things like page not found? Well, I am sure it is the worst nightmare especially if you are in dire need of something. Such errors create stress and irritation to your user audience.

As a developer, always be on the standby to face such errors to explain to your users what might be the problem and the way forward. The potential users may perceive the site as a scam or simply unavailable.

The solution is microcopy. It can be a platform that connects the customers and let them keep browsing on the same web page using other means.

Note: As a designer, always know what your customers hope to find on your web page. Use the advantage and create a microcopy that will promote your brand.

For instance, TripAdvisor web page used the phrase, ‘This page is on vacation, and you too should be’ such a statement is meant to promote their services at a minimal cost.

Conclusion

We live in a digitalized era where most business transactions take place online. Microcopy is one of the trends used to improve users experience by connecting customers with the best products and services online.

Having discussed the significance of microcopy, it is your duty now as a designer to understand the needs of your target audience and come up with an engaging microcopy to promote your brand and make it outshine the competition.

Originally published at https://www.aalpha.net on December 18, 2019.

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Aalpha Information Systems India Pvt. Ltd.
Aalpha Information Systems India Pvt. Ltd.

Written by Aalpha Information Systems India Pvt. Ltd.

Aalpha is specialist India based Software Solutions company providing solutions for Web and Mobile development, https://www.aalpha.net

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