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Working as a UX writer of government services, I have a unique opportunity to apply methods that help create clear, simple and easy content – information and instructions – for our users. \u00a0This has real impact on our users, who MUST deal with bureaucracy, but no longer need to grind their teeth while trying to understand what they need to do.<\/span><\/p>\n Today I am going to share all of those UX writing methods with you. These are<\/span>\u00a0all guidelines, tips and tricks that work for me, and not rules or laws.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll probably recognize a lot and are already doing it, and hopefully you’ll find the article helpful.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A lot of my work is writing for a government agency in Israel that creates mountains of information, that users need to get government services. <\/span><\/p>\n Most of what I write is first written by someone else in Hebrew, and then I translate it to English.<\/span><\/p>\n Therefore, 99 times out of 100 (literally) I improve on the UX content writing, often entirely re-writing a page.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the years, I\u2019ve become an expert in writing content for government service providers. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s crucial that I understand, that my users are a captive audience. They have no choice about the services that they need and they have to act on the information that they are given. <\/span><\/p>\n When someone needs a passport, they have to <\/span>do<\/b> something about it, and there really is only one way to get it.\u00a0<\/span>They must use the information provided to get services from the government.<\/span><\/p>\n The only other option is to call the service provider (no one wants to actually talk to the government), and see if they can get some clear answers \u00a0– Good luck!<\/span><\/p>\n If they have to do that, the content isn\u2019t clear enough and I haven\u2019t done my job well. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n First off, I\u2019ve already defined a basic need. \u201cGetting stuff done\u201d. The user is there for one reason only – to take a specific action – and they’re busy, so they appreciate it if things are simple and clear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Busy users* don\u2019t need or care about:<\/span><\/p>\n Any of this that absolutely must be in there, should be in a chapter or area that is lower down on the importance hierarchy, and gets less focus on the page (UI).<\/span><\/p>\n *Being busy is the default state for users, as far as UX writing is concerned.<\/p>\n This a list I use.<\/span><\/p>\n It works for me.<\/span><\/p>\n You could probably add or take things off the list, but it\u2019s a great place to start (lists are great!). The first list item is for me, not my users.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This sounds trivial, but it\u2019s anything but that. If you don’t understand what you are writing, your user won’t either.<\/span><\/p>\n My job is to take the Hebrew and translate it to English, but most of the Hebrew is written by civil servants who don\u2019t know how to write (Sometimes, I\u2019m working from documents that could have been written 30 years ago!).<\/span><\/p>\n They haven\u2019t a clue about service writing, and may have heard of UX but think its synonymous with graphic design.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not their fault, and some of them do a great job, but mainly, the content isn\u2019t good enough. Hopefully, they\u2019ll all take a UX content writing course, and start to understand how its done.<\/span><\/p>\n Because I have to first translate the content, I have to <\/span>read the content very, very carefully and understand it completely<\/b>. There’s simply no way to translate it otherwise, let alone make it clear for someone else.<\/span><\/p>\n This is something every content writer should be doing anyway, but in my case, I have no choice, which is an added bonus.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n No one really reads online. Well, that’s not completely true – But not if they want to get something done. <\/span><\/p>\n I go through guides on how to do stuff in photoshop or other programs, or on my phone at lightning speed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I am scanning for specific relevant information to get what I want done. So are my users.<\/span><\/p>\n This means I need to write <\/span>short, uncomplicated sentences<\/i><\/b>, and if necessary, short paragraphs. I try to keep them up to 3 sentences at most.<\/span><\/p>\n Having said this, it\u2019s really important to remember:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Recently, someone developing an online form said to me, \u201cUX is about minimalism\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t agree.<\/span><\/p>\n UX is about creating the right experience for your user. Minimalism is a tool. It\u2019s a UX designer\u2019s job to understand (and test) if minimalism is the right approach for the experience they are designing.<\/span><\/p>\n The same goes for being concise.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I could abbreviate that to \u201cDon\u2019t sacrifice clarity\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n Here\u2019s what usually goes into the services I write:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For my users, this is all the specific information they need. Once you have defined your \u201cbits of specific relevant information\u201d, you basically have your sub-titles or headings that you can turn into bite-sized, digestible chunks of information.<\/span><\/p>\n When you plan your guide, instructions service, blog…whatever, creating a list of what needs to go in is helpful. The list might change as you progress. That\u2019s ok. (Lists rock! – I may have said that already). <\/p>\n Of course, you also have to be specific within those categories too. Being specific is both a way to organize information and a way to avoid ambiguity<\/span><\/p>\n I once had to publish a very \u201cun-specific\u201d piece of information, (and I still can\u2019t believe it):<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou must appeal within <\/span>72 work hours<\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This was the legal definition that the ministry insisted on (and we really argued with them over it), even though it is ridiculously unclear.<\/span><\/p>\n Some people work 4 hours a day and some work 12. Civil servants have completely random work hours, and In Israel, a Friday can be a half day or a day off. What happens on holidays? Etc.<\/span><\/p>\n To make things worse, the ministry would not agree to publish their work hours. User experience nightmare!!! How many people do you think managed to appeal?<\/span><\/p>\n It should really be something specific and unambiguous, like:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou must appeal within <\/span>3 work days<\/b>\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another example is \u201cproof of address\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n Telling someone to submit \u201cproof of address\u201d is pretty broad, and should be clarified:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You must bring proof of address, such as:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sometimes, applying for a service (or learning how to do something new on a program, for example) is a long and arduous task, and often includes a lot of information. <\/span><\/p>\n When the information is lumped together, it\u2019s almost impossible to digest, and even so, it\u2019s hard to remember (retention). <\/span><\/p>\n If you need to go back to refer to it later, it\u2019s hard to find. Basically, bad UX.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This should be:<\/p>\n What you need<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve not listed the items randomly. I’ve arranged similar items together. It\u2019s just easier for the user to remember it that way. There\u2019s an internal logic.<\/span><\/p>\n On top of this, I\u2019ve also added more relevant information without creating a big clumpy mess of information, so I\u2019ve <\/span>clarified without sacrificing usability<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n The point is that it is easier to absorb and retain information if you get it a bit at a time and if each bit is simple and clear.<\/span><\/p>\n You can\u2019t eat a feast in a single bite (because you are a human and not a python). It’s quite important to remember that your users are humans too (not pythons).<\/span><\/p>\n Even if there is a lot of information, it is easy to find what you need, if its <\/span>organised and scannable<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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Writing clearly for users who need to get stuff done<\/span><\/h2>\n
Always know your users<\/h4>\n
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What I write affects users in a very real way, and that\u2019s a big responsibility.<\/h4>\n
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How to write clearly for users who need to get stuff done<\/span><\/h2>\n
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What users care about and need<\/span><\/h2>\n
…(to get things done)<\/h4>\n
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Make sure you understand what you are writing.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
Specific relevant information – less is more (to a point)<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
Easy to digest, bite-sized chunks of information<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
Scannable information<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
Clear hierarchy of information<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
Simple, clear language – Kill the Jargon!!!<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
Direct language – Don\u2019t talk about something, talk to someone<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
Links to more information that is beyond the scope of the page<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
Consistency (not uniformity)<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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1.Make sure you understand what you are writing<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Fully understand what you are writing.<\/h4>\n
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2. Specific relevant information<\/span><\/h2>\n
Less is more (to a point)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Keeping things concise is a tool not an ideology.<\/h4>\n
Don\u2019t sacrifice clarity just to make something shorter.<\/h4>\n
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What is specific information<\/span><\/h3>\n
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“Specific” means clear and unambiguous, and focused on what the user needs. Your user shouldn\u2019t be left with questions.<\/h4>\n
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3. Bite-sized, digestible chunks of information<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Bite-sized, digestible chunks of information is kind of like flash cards for a test.<\/h4>\n
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\nExample:
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\nLease contract, utility bills, ID card, high school diploma, driving licence<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\nIn the above example, the user doesn\u2019t need to submit all these in any order. They are all equally important, so I\u2019ve used a bullet list.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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4. Scannability (is that a word? Yes)<\/span><\/h2>\n