5 surprising UX tips for copywriters (and anyone else, for that matter)
Last Friday I attended the 2015 Copywriters Conference in London. One of the keynotes was by Tim Fidgeon, a digital marketing trainer and consultant whose impressive list of clients includes Google. Now, if he’s teaching Google about digital, then I’m all ears! Here are five things he said that made me think.
Always test with over 65s
Imagine you’re working on a really cool digital product aimed at hipsters in their early 20s. Naturally, that’s who you think you should be testing it on. BUT WAIT! Why not go against the grain? Statistically, users over 65-years-old fail or abandon tasks much more (55% versus 75% for 21 to 55-years-olds). So, if you want to make sure the logic of your UX is watertight and the microcopy makes sense, then check someone 65 plus can understand it too.
Always go with research conclusions
You’ve done your analysis and something unexpected pops out in the conclusion. The killer link you dreamed up fails miserably and no-one could find the mailing-list sign up. Do you go with your research and change your digital product? Or do you quietly ignore it and stick to ‘what you know’? Um... GO WITH WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS - if only because if you got it wrong at least you can say: ‘I made that decision based on the research’. How very sensible.
Scrolling isn’t quite there yet
‘Scrolling is so now, man. Everyone scrolls, so just pile it on the page and get with it.’ Erm, actually no. Statistically it’s still only 20% of readers that give their attention below the fold (this surprised me). So make sure the good stuff is at the top. (And while we on it, the last paragraph is important too because readers tend to skim to the end of the page then look out for a summary or ‘next steps’ to read.)
In UX terms centre-aligned text design SUCKS
I’ve actually known this for ages, but it was still rather nice to hear sometimes else agree. Designers love centre-aligned text, but it has a significant impact on speed, comprehension and memory. So stick with left aligned and ragged right. (If you don’t believe me, make a brew and read this.)
Visible search boxes make a difference
Yes - despite the trend for getting rid of them, showing an open search box in your digital product or website actively encourages people to search. (I didn’t get a source for this, so you’ll have to take my word for it.)
Thanks for this Tim. It’s worth pointing out, as a major disclaimer, that your audience will always be different and unique. So really, the safest thing is to test, test, test...
One final point. Has anyone seen Manchester City Council’s website? It’s a pretty impressive for a government/public-service website.