First of all, what is microcopy and where you can find it? Microcopy is short, contextual text that informs or guides users throughout your product. And you can find it all over the place. On buttons, form fields, success messages, 404 pages, even Facebook’s “update status” interface uses microcopy.

Context and Momentum

Good microcopy is all about being contextual and helpful. Throughout the user’s journey, they will stop along the way for a number of reasons. How much is shipping? Is a credit card required to register? Is this password secure enough? Preparing for and responding to scenarios like these will be key to reducing friction and keeping the momentum going.

For example, let’s say you’re signing up for a new account on Tumblr. You try a username to find it’s already been taken. You’ve been stopped.

An error message like this communicates the issue clearly enough. But could they go a step further to keep them moving forward?

…Yep, just like that! These guys really get it. In addition to informing the user of the error, Tumblr provides alternate username options and lets you know that you can always change it later. That really takes the stress out of getting the username just right and encourages users to just get started. See? Momentum.

Now that we’ve covered what microcopy is, let’s go over where you can use it and what it can be used for.

1. Microcopy can explain

“What am I looking at?”

Some things just need an explanation. When you’re working on a product, it’s easy to forget that your users are never as close to the product as you are, so a few words can go a long way in providing the necessary context to get them on the right track.

Let’s say you’ve made a change or added a feature in your app. A popover with some simple copy—like this example from Quora’s iOS app — can briefly explain what has changed, how it will affect the user and what they can do next.

(Bonus points to Quora for letting users know they’ve picked out a few feeds to get them started!)

2. Microcopy can guide

“What do I have to do?”

Hand-holding is often necessary to guide users through a process or help them with new technology. Take Siri for example. Being a voice assistant, Siri’s primary interface is through speech. But with voice assistants being so new, most users don’t know what they can ask or how they’re meant to interact.

Apple acknowledges that the technology is new and does a good job of easing users into it by providing examples of actions you can perform or questions you can ask.

3. Microcopy can be reassuring

“Why should I do it?”

People can get apprehensive when it comes to signing up for new services and rightfully so; they haven’t earned their trust yet. What microcopy can do in these situations is help give customers the peace of mind that they’re making the right choice.

Proto inspires trust by letting users know that well known and credible companies currently use (and trust) the product already. This encourages users to proceed with confidence as they don’t feel like they’re alone in their decision.

4. Microcopy can set expectations

“What’s going to happen?”

This is all about letting customers know what will happen next. Often there are steps in your product’s experience that takes the user out of their current context (making a purchase on eBay will redirect you to PayPal for example). Without warning these experiences could feel jarring but if you just let the user know what is going to happen, even being redirected can feel seamless and expected.

This example comes from UXPin when you download an e-book. You’re required to fill in a short form with your email address and then you’re told very clearly where you can find your download.

5. Microcopy can let you know when something’s gone wrong

“…What now?”

When something has gone wrong, you need to provide feedback clearly and concisely. But where possible, don’t just stop at notifying them; embrace these situations and provide helpful options to move users forward.

This is a perfect example. When you try to sign up on Twitter with an email that’s already used, not only do they let you know what the problem is, they provide sensible options to help you keep moving. In this instance, you could assume a user may have just forgotten they had a Twitter account in which case, giving users the options to either log in or recover their password are logical suggestions.

6. Microcopy can let you know when something’s gone right

“Woo hoo!”

Hopefully everything’s going well with your product and your users are kicking a lot of goals. Providing feedback to microinteractions like sending an email, uploading a file or changing some details is another opportunity for microcopy.

This doesn’t need to be over-the-top either. When you change some details in your profile for Invision, a small message appears just to let you know that the update was successful.

7. Microcopy can provide other options

“…What else can I do?”

As hard as a landing page is working, sometimes people just aren’t ready to buy or sign up to your product. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to help them with something.

Keep the ball in play by encouraging users to take secondary tasks. In Cotton Bureau’s case, they encourage customers to “browse their shop” if they’re not ready for that primary action of “making a t-shirt together” (which is a notable example of good microcopy in itself).

8. Microcopy can set the tone

:-)

Microcopy is the perfect opportunity to express your brand’s personality. It adds a human element to a digital interaction and makes the experience more engaging overall. This example from FontShop shows a much more inviting alternative to something like “Search our Fonts”.

That said, just be wary of the context when you decide to speak on-brand. Because while microcopy can (and should) embody your brand’s character, it should never be at the expense of being distracting, confusing or inappropriate.

Final Thoughts

We’ve covered microcopy across a wide range of scenarios, but this only scratches the surface.

So when implementing microcopy into your work, just remember the first steps you should make are towards acknowledging your users’ context. Show empathy and respond to these scenarios by providing microcopy that can actually help them reach their goal and get them out of stuck situations.

Remember, good microcopy maintains momentum.

Thanks for reading!

If you want to see other examples of microcopy I’ve found from the wild, follow my blog Good Microcopy.