Copy that: Helping your users succeed with effective product copy


In this talk, I’ll discuss my adventures learning to write effective product copy for web and mobile apps. I’m a passionate believer that app copy is a magical panacea for bad user experience. When presented effectively, good copy decreases nearly every problem your users face, including frustration, ignorance, and workflow obstruction.

I’ll cover the following points in more detail:

  • How unified naming conventions can decrease user stress and make engineers’ jobs easier.
  • How effective in-app help guides users through complex workflows.
  • How to present context-based education, rather than comprehensive education. * One tricky field needs a sensible name, or even one good tooltip, not a link to a help center article that only has two lines about that one tricky field.
  • How effective app copy is a free way to introduce and reaffirm your product’s brand and voice.
  • How effective app copy increases user retention in your app, and decreases frustration and fear.

App copy is documentation for people who don’t know your knowledge base exists.

  • Conference: Write the Docs NA
  • Year: 2016

About the speaker

Sarah Day