Questions tagged [copywriting]
the art of writing promotional text to make an emotional impression on the reader, usually to encourage a purchase. Don't confuse with the [copyright] tag.
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Appropriate button copy if the user wants sales to contact them
We're integrating our app with another app via an iFrame.
In the "parent" app, the user would already be logged-in before they can download our app. So ie, we would already have their ...
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CTA label for mobile reporting page
I'm putting together a simple website that allows users to view football-related reports. Users are able to select from 4 report types (player, team, league, country). Depending on which report type ...
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A warm label for a feedback button
Hopefully, this is an appropriate question, if not, I'll delete it. I'm working on a new feature and it's been decided that we will include a slideout feedback panel, similar to Hotjar.
Currently, ...
CommunityBot
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Is the word "loading" user-friendly?
Working on a feature for our app that tells the user when the app is loading. We want to include a loading spinner icon, and I think accompanying the icon with just the word "Loading" is ...
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In which ways is bending French grammar for titles acceptable [closed]
I am copywriting for an app that also includes French as a language. According to official writing guidelines, grammar may be wrong for the sake of brevity, e.g. instead of saying "Would you like ...
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Does using bold font for keywords and key points increase readability of user manuals?
I find myself writing quite a lot of articles, user manual-like documents, as well as posting hundreds of questions on stackexchange sites.
Over time, I developed a certain style of writing, which ...
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"Relative date" as opposed to... what?
I'm thinking about a UI that allows users to pick an option between a day relative to "today" (and "today" moves), and an absolute date (E.g. August 20).
What are good short non-...
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Microcopy for conditional options
I am designing a chart where users can select a basket of products, and then view the prices for their selected items in a particular country.
Using a dropdown, users can select which country they ...
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Label placement on filters
Why almost all filters I find have their labels inside, as a placeholder? When the users select a value they lose context since the label is no longer visible.
Isn't it a better option to put the ...
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Example vs prompt question for placeholder copy [duplicate]
I am often torn whenever I have to write a placeholder copy for form fields, especially if it is a long text box where we want to encourage users to elaborate their points (e.g. reviews, feedback, etc....
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"Your" vs "My" in user interfaces
Some user interfaces feature titles such as:
My documents
My photos
My previous orders
While others opt for:
Your documents
Your photos
Your previous orders
Are their any guidelines addressing ...
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Commonly used copy for private and public sections
We're working on a video conferencing platform that allows users to upload private and public files.
What copy is typically used for public and private sections?
Below are some ideas:
Viewable by ...
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What's good copy to indicate addition, deletion and updation of employee data?
We are creating a section in the our software that shows all the addition of new employees, deletion of employees who left the company and updates in the personal details of any employees. I am not ...
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How to communicate that a player has disconnected from the match, but can still return?
I have a multiplayer game with a built-in chat panel and when a player formally exits the game (such that it is permanent), a message in the chat says X has left the game.
I'd like to also show a ...
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What is the better thank you message, after user submits contact request? [closed]
After user submits some question or suggestion on the contact page he is redirected to the "Thank you page".
Which is the better way to say thanks and tell how soon will they get their reply?
(we, ...
CommunityBot
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Help or support?
I'm interested in the difference between using the words help or support when used in the context of customer help/support on a website or application.
Which would you use and why? As always any ...
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Should software refer to itself in the first-person, especially in error messages?
(I've searched this StackExchange site for posts relating to the use of first-person pronouns, but all I found concerned how to address the user and not the software, e.g. Form instructions/guidance - ...
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Using "Sign in" vs using "Log in"
Is there any research in this area, it seems "Sign in" is more common and hence more recommended.
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Appropriate copy that is not offensive to the user
We currently have a marketplace that allows our users to claim job postings. Once the user claims the job, they are automatically assigned to it.
Some users are flagged because of previous bad ...
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Where should we place a "New Item" link
Context:
In the "Returns" details page we have a form where we can add Items, that items represent what we want to send back(return) eg. 1pen and 2 notebook.
So I have a list of "n"...
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More good microcopy for "absolute change" "relative change"
(I'm not native English speaker, sorry for my broken sentence)
We design software for financial trading. The wording of the functions used by traders includes "absolute change" and "...
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Do savings and subtotal need to be displayed on a product page?
We are designing a product page and I think having money you saved and subtotal is redundant as it appears in cart and during checkout. My colleagues think "You saved a total of $XX.XX" is crucial. ...
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Should we use 'Title Case' or 'Sentence case' for headlines and buttons?
I am wondering if we should use Title Case or Sentence case for buttons and headings in websites and web/mobile apps?
Title Case:
Manage my Account
Delete my Account
Sentence case:
Manage my account
...
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Assigning workflows on folders
I'm working on a rewrite of our Workflow feature. Workflows are optional, and you can apply workflows only on folders. Folders start with no workflows assigned to them. A folder can be a part of only ...
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Is there a reason to use this icon with a confirmation message?
This is the message Sharepoint 2010 gives as a confirmation message for requesting access to a particular site you do not have access to.
I am quite confused by the icon - to me this looks like a "...
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Any UX implications: Smart quotes and apostrophes when pasting from Word?
I have a question that I've found very little info on and it's only lately I've begun to become more curious about it.
Our web team normally copies content from Word into a CMS to update the website. ...
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What do you call the element in the orange box?
Wondering what's this part is called in design. Also the string in the orange box is not included in the email content when you open the email. How this string is created? Generated automatically? ...
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Which version gives a clear affordance on what happens when clicked?
I'm designing a drill-down chart that allows users to analyze meter readings at various locations in a factory. They are able to isolate a single location and see trends of the readings over time. The ...
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Revoking an invite - should confirmation banner be red or green?
I'm working on a feature where a user can send/invite other people to their organization:
The user can opt to revoke the invite. Once this action has been done, I'd like to display a confirmation ...
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How do you localize the {verb} + {noun} pattern?
By example, if we take [Resend confirmation email], how would you localize that for Germany?
[Bestätigungsmail erneut senden] (noun + verb)?
Are there design guidelines available online?
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Should I use Yes/No or Ok/Cancel on my message box?
Semantically, the Yes/No buttons are roughly equivalent to the Ok/Cancel buttons, but in general what would you recommend to use? Should I always use Yes/No or always use Ok/Cancel? Or does it depend ...
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Show file size of (inline) linked downloads?
Should we show the file size of downloads linked on a web page?
For download sites (e.g. file hosting services), the answer is obviously yes. But what about websites that offer downloads only ...
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Best practice on Web Chat “not working right now” messaging
We are currently integrating a web chat functionality on a utilities website, where customers can query their bill, or changing plans etc. with their cellular bills.
The web chat will sit top right on ...
CommunityBot
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Cancel Dialog Text - Is the wording here confusing?
I have a dialog that comes up when someone cancels creating a new piece of data.
They click cancel and the dialog says:
I’m worried this is confusing. What do you think?
Incase you can't see the ...
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Should I put "." at the end of messages for mobile users?
Should I write "." at the end of messages displayed to the user in my mobile Android application?
For example:
High bandwidth required, switch to WiFi.
or
High bandwidth required, switch to ...
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Should acronyms be pluralized in navigation menu?
Should sidebar menu navigation links be pluralized if the item is an acronym?
e.g. for a page where the user can manage a list of Local Area Networks / Wide Area Networks:
LANs, WANs
vs
LAN, WAN
I ...
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"Manage Activity" or "Manage Volunteer"?
I stumbled upon a problem for copy writing, whether to display the copy write as "Manage Activities" or "Manage Volunteers". These two choices is supposed to be the replacement text in the pictures ...
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To hyphenate or not to hyphenate: Grammatically correct or aesthetically pleasing text?
Marketing is asking us (Development) to change some UI text to be grammatically incorrect. Specifically, they're basically asking to remove hyphens from compound adjectives (e.g., 'thirty-foot ...
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How to tell a user their login credentials are incorrect?
When a user has entered incorrect details into a login form, is it better to tell them:
The username or password you have entered is invalid.
or
The username you have entered is invalid (for ...
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Academic degrees in forms
What form field labels tend to be used for pre-nominal and post-nominal academic titles in forms? Is e.g. "prenominal academic degree" used or is that too formal?
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No one is clicking my slide box popup - Can it be improved?
Earlier I asked when it the right time to prompt the visitor to opt in for web push notifications (they work on both PC and Android devices).
I was just loading the default prompt and every day maybe ...
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What is the right success message?
What would be the right success message when the the user deletes a record?
I could think of the following:
Record has been successfully deleted
Record has been deleted
Record was successfully ...
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Suitable label to opt-out of beta
My company is testing out a new writing recommendation tool that will help users write better blog posts. The recommendation panel will appear next to the "body" input field, which is one field in a ...
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What's the best way to present a feature as free, but only if requested
There's this feature we have that some customers really want. And we're going to be including it for free. However, from an economics perspective, there are a ton of savings to not having users use ...
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Right-click menu vs. shortcut menu
Which is the industry standard for technical communication when referring to the menu that opens when a user right-clicks an item on a screen? Is it called the right-click menu or the shortcut menu?
I'...
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How can user research fit into a copywriting team?
Our content based website has a team that is responsible for writing and maintaining the content. The team's work is often ad-hoc and small in scope with tight deadlines. The future roadmap is not ...
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How to label resources belonging to users in a two-sided marketplace?
I read great advice on “Your” vs “My” in user interfaces and 'My Account' or 'Your Account'?
But neither deals with the special case of two-sided marketplaces.
Example - airbnb clone
Suppose a user ...
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“Donate a sum but allow me to take money back” - say shorter
The idea that the donor can take his or her funds back (unless he or she dies or like this or a set time in the future passes), to make it more appealing to donate. So, it is kinda bequest to a ...
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how to reduce content scrolling without reducing a story?
This is what I came up with: (summarized version)
After finishing the page I got user feedback (design leaders from the UX community). The feedback that I got was that it lacked storytelling and ...
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"Expiry date" or "Expiration date" label
What is the best form label to use for the credit card expiry date (during a checkout process on an eCommerce website)?
I've done some research and noticed that some sites use 'Expiration date' and ...
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