What is Microcopy and Why Should You Care About It?

You may not know it yet, but you’ve definitely seen and read microcopy.

So what is it? The term microcopy, coined in 2009 by Joshua Porter, refers to the (typically short) copy that you see on digital interfaces, like apps and websites. Think buttons, error messages, labels on forms, success messages… All of those are microcopy (aka UX copy or product copy these days).

How important could those little words and short phrases really be?

Buckle up, ‘cause here’s a story.

A decade or so ago, I was booking a JetBlue flight from Washington, DC, to Boston to visit my parents.

Click, click, click through the usual online booking process. When it was all set, I wanted to send the flight details to my dad, who typically picked me up from the airport. I typed his email address into the little field below the itinerary and clicked Send. Nothing seemed to happen so I clicked it again.

Send.
Send.
Send.

Still nothing, so I gave up, figuring I would just forward him the version in my inbox.

Well, just as I’m closing the window, my dad calls and says, “You can stop sending me your JetBlue flight details now.”

All those clicks? They had worked, and he had gotten about 25 copies of my itinerary.

Why? Because I never got that little message that confirmed that the email had been sent: “Email sent” or “Itinerary sent successfully” or just “Sent!”

Think how many emails you send, forms you fill out, buttons you click every day…

If they didn’t give you the feedback you needed—in the form of a few words, yes—you’d spend most of your day in a state of exasperation, confusion, and lots of mental load.

That’s where microcopy comes in.

How does microcopy benefit you as the user?

Here’s what microcopy contributes to the user experience:

It guides users.

Microcopy tells them what to do next and what will happen when they do it. It makes an interface made up of screens, buttons, notifications, and more actually usable, connecting the different pieces and keeping things moving.

It builds trust.

When microcopy and the actions it communicates are aligned, users can sit back and sigh, feeling confident that what they expected to happen actually did. And once users trust the platform and the process, they’re more likely to sign up, invite friends, purchase, or whatever other action(s) you want them to take.

It enables a good, satisfying experience.

User satisfaction comes from having needs met, getting value out of the interface, and not feeling like you’re clawing your way through cyberspace with a blindfold on. Good microcopy—you guessed it—accomplishes all of that.

It addresses emotions.

Microcopy steps in to answer users’ questions, calm frustrations, help them solve problems independently (or at least understand what went wrong), and celebrate wins alongside users.

It reassures users.

Remember my story up there? I expected something to happen but didn’t get confirmation that it actually did happen. Microcopy does that—it gives them little bits of reassurance that they’re being “heard” by the platform and that they’re doing everything right. In these uncertain times, we could all use a little more reassurance in our lives, amirite?

It generates profit.

The main goal of microcopy isn’t usually to sell, but it sure can help you do so. With each positive interaction, users are more likely to trust you, to continue to use your interface, and to be hooked (or at the very least be clear on the value you offer them). They’ll be more ready to pony up their credit card to get access to the next level, the next “thing” you can offer them, with much less hesitation and convincing needed on your part.

These little bits of text may seem insignificant, but when done right they make all the difference for users and for the success of your product and interface. Successful microcopy often goes unnoticed—it makes the users’ experience so smooth, so hiccup-free, that they don’t even notice it. But when the experience goes wrong, users will turn, first and foremost, to the microcopy to help remedy the situation. And if the copy is off… boy, will they notice. They might even end up sending 24 unwanted emails—or worse.

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