3 Things No One is Telling You About the Users of Your App
When you’re working on a product, it can be easy to fall in love with it. That can be a good thing—it motivates us to create the best product and experience possible for users.
But sometimes you get sucked into full-on “product mode” and forget what it’s like to be a user—even though you, yourself, are a user of lots of products, too! So let’s talk about some of those blindspots we may have regarding our users and how they influence our work as UX writers (and product people, in general).
1. They aren't laser-focused on your product (like you are).
When you’re working on a product, it becomes your whole world. You know its ins-and-outs and all the cool, little hidden features. Your users, on the other hand, are using your product to achieve one goal: to transfer money to friends (Venmo), to communicate with their team (Slack), to store their files in the cloud (Dropbox), to figure out which bus to take (Moovit), and so on.
Even though they know they can also store files in Slack, for example, that’s not their main reason for using it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work on those features (users probably really do want them), but be aware that you may have to work extra hard to “pitch” them to your users.
How this shapes UX writing: We do lots of research and ask questions to understand the messaging hierarchy and make sure we’re not blasting users with mixed messaging that can confuse them or push them away. Every message needs to be in the right place and appear at the right time.
2. They have 1,001 other things on their mind at any given moment.
Here’s a partial list of the things I’m thinking about right now: I need to make an appointment with the allergist. What should I make for dinner? When am I going to get paid for that project? I need to take my daughter for a blood test this week. We’re about to run out of toilet paper.
I bring that scattered mindset to everything I do (that’s just the nature of being an adult, I guess…). As a user of a digital product, I don’t have the bandwidth to think more than I absolutely have to. If the app I’m using doesn’t help me get the task done easily, I’m going to abandon it and look for the next thing. As users, we simply don’t have the brain space to give a product more thought than it seems like it merits.
How this shapes UX writing: Clarity above all! We don’t settle for the first version of our copy. We write and rewrite, stripping off the fluff, until we’ve come up with UX copy that’s clear and concise without compromising the message.
3. They have a lot of concerns
Users are nervous. No, they’re not all paranoid security nerds (though there are some of those, too), but they—rightly—have a lot to be concerned about when it comes to anything that takes place online. When they’re using digital interfaces, here are some of the questions that may run through their head (consciously or not):
Am I going to be able to cancel this service?
Is it a scam or legit?
Who can see this?
When are they going to charge me?
Will they have access to my photos/documents/notes?
Will this be posted on my social media profile?
Their minds are likely jumping to the worst-case scenario, which can cause a lot of friction in how they use and experience the product.
How this shapes UX writing: We UX writers pride ourselves on constantly playing devil’s advocate and asking “What if?” to peel back the layers and uncover the concerns users may have or the points of friction. Then we try to resolve them, either with copy or by working with the team to rethink the flow. We aim to be transparent with our users, which shows them that we respect them and that they can trust us.
Looking for an expert team to craft the best possible copy for your user experience? Drop me a line and let’s talk!
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