The more scannable the UI text, the easier it is for the user to make progress.
UX writing is different from other forms of writing because people read differently when using a product online. They just want to get a task completed in the quickest time. Users do not read long blocks of text – they scan. Therefore, sentences should be kept short so that they will be read and understood.
Sometimes it might be helpful to provide additional information or supplemental instruction for users. However, too much information can quickly overwhelm users so provide more details as needed by using progressive disclosure. In the most basic form, this mechanism can be implemented as a ‘Read more’ link to the full content. This is especially relevant to mobile users where screen space is an issue.
There are a number of techniques you can use to structure your text for maximum readability.
Front-load your Information
Front-loading is important for notifications, headings and email subject lines that are often cut short. Another way of phrasing this is to say lead with the benefit. Because we generally write one notification to display on many devices and operating systems, we cannot be sure where the text will be cut off. For this reason, it’s important to stack the most important words at the beginning of a message. Here are some other things you can do:
- Writing one sentence paragraphs makes it easier for people to skim them.
- Front-load your sentences with the most important information.
- Start each sentence with a meaningful word.
Look at the following examples:
- Rather than ‘Sign up now to get a free trial of Chemical Manager’, use ‘Get your free trial of Chemical Manager by signing up now’.
- Rather than 'Enter your credit card number to make a payment,' rephrase it as 'To make a payment, enter your credit card number.'
By putting what’s in it for the user first, it increases the chances they will follow through.
Use Short Paragraphs
If the user experience requires more copy than just a sentence or two, consider breaking up the text into manageable, bite-sized paragraphs. This makes the information easier to process, thereby reducing the cognitive burden. However, if the content isn’t necessary to move the user forward, then take it out.
Use Bullet Lists
If you are listing out a series of items (options to choose from, procedural steps to follow, and so on), break them out into a list instead of using a running paragraph of text.
Use Sub-headings and Visual Emphasis
If the content of the page naturally falls into distinct, intuitive groupings, break up the structure of the content into those groupings. By then placing a subhead (subtitle) above each section, you make it easier for the user to scan the page.
As you can see from the example above, there are a number of stages in the process. Visual emphasis is achieved through the use of bold text and drop-down menus, which makes it easy to identify them. We also use bold text if we give an instruction to click or select an area on screen, for example, ‘Click Next to continue to the next stage of the process.’
Another useful strategy is the use of different font sizes and again you can see from the example above there are several different font sizes used. However, ideally it is best to limit the number of different font sizes to about 3 and keep it consistent throughout. This can become an issue for pages that contain a lot of content so you may have to increase this more.