How to Write Microcopy in UI

Microcopy is a significant part of UI design: tiny bits of text that guide users through an interface, provide instructions and give feedback. Microcopy in UI greatly impacts the user experience. It can help users navigate an interface more easily, understand the purpose of UI elements, and feel more confident while using an app or website. 

In this article, we’ll explain the importance of microcopy in UI design, share some best practices for writing effective microcopy, and provide examples of microcopy in action.

Microcopy refers to the small snippets of text used throughout a user interface to provide users guidance, feedback, and contextual information. Writing effective microcopy in UI is essential in creating a user-friendly and intuitive interface. It includes the words used in UI elements such as buttons, labels, tooltips, error messages, and other text in the interface.

Microcopy aims to help users understand what actions they can take, what will happen when they take them, and to provide feedback when things go wrong. Effective microcopy in UI can make a big difference in the user experience by reducing confusion, frustration, and errors.

Microcopy and UX writing are closely related, and in many cases, people use the terms interchangeably. Both microcopy and UX writing involve crafting the text that appears throughout a user interface to provide users with clear, coherent, and helpful information.

However, while microcopy refers specifically to the small snippets of text that appear in UI elements such as buttons, tooltips, and error messages, UX writing encompasses a broader range of text throughout the user experience. Such wording might include text in onboarding flows, instructional content, navigation labels, etc.

In other words, UX writing encompasses all the written content in a user interface. At the same time, microcopy in UI refers specifically to the shorter, more contextual pieces of text that appear in specific UI elements. Microcopy and UX writing are significant components of creating a positive user experience.

Famous brands with great microcopy

Writing microcopy isn’t always as easy as it might seem, but with a couple of hefty tips, this struggle will become a thing of the past.

As a designer, you should write microcopy in simple, easy-to-understand language that communicates the intended message quickly. Keep sentences short and to the point.

Writing in an active voice makes the text more engaging and easier to understand. For example, instead of saying, “Your password will be reset,” say, “We’re resetting your password.”

Ensure the microcopy provides enough context so that users can understand what action they are taking and what the result will be. For example, instead of “Submit,” say “Submit your order.”

Frame microcopy in a positive way to make users feel confident and empowered. Instead of saying, “You can’t do that,” say, “Here’s what you can do.”

Use consistent language throughout the UI to avoid confusion and make navigating easier for users. For example, use the same language for buttons and menu options that perform the same action.

Witty microcopy is more engaging and memorable, but use it judiciously and ensure it’s appropriate for the audience and context. One great example our team encountered was “Add to cartwheel” instead of “Add to cart” on a webshop that sells plant seeds and gardening equipment.

Test the microcopy with your users to see if it’s practical, and understandable. Iterate based on user feedback and make changes as required.

A successful microcopy is understandable, concise, and sparks engagement. To achieve that, you must stay consistent with your brand’s pre-defined tone of voice.

For example, Spotify uses great microcopy in its app. They use friendly language that is easy to understand and engaging for their users.

Some examples of their microcopy include:

These examples reveal how Spotify uses microcopy in UI to inject personality into their app and make it more user-friendly.

The Calm app also uses good and compelling microcopy in their app. They use peaceful, reassuring language consistent with their brand’s overall tone and messaging.

Some examples of their microcopy include:

The microcopy in Calm’s UI aims to soothe and calm the user and reinforce the feeling of relaxation and mindfulness in the user. They also use straightforward language to guide users through each step of their meditation or sleep experience.

We’ll stay in the mindfulness sphere to give you an example of a great CTA microcopy. Headspace app stands out by using uncomplicated and actionable language in its CTAs to encourage users to take specific actions within the app.

Some examples of their CTA microcopy include:

The error message is a critical element that requires a well-crafted copy. Users tend to make mistakes; when they do, they need to know what happened and how to undo their actions. 

Slack is a fantastic example of a great error message microcopy. Their error messages help users understand what went wrong and how to fix it.

Some examples of their error message microcopy include:

If you are new in the UI design world, writing microcopy might seem challenging or unattainable. But, the truth is that UI designers can write good microcopy. Many UI designers already write microcopy as part of their job, such as button labels, error messages, tooltips, and other interface copy.

To summarize this article, if UI designers want to write effective microcopy, they should familiarize themselves with the principles of good writing and learn how to communicate clearly and briefly. Most importantly, they must have a concrete understanding of their users and find the tone of voice that resonates with them. 

We hope this article helped you learn more about microcopy in UI. If you wish to cover additional areas of UI design, such as typography, check out our fresh-out-the-oven Ultimate UI Typography Masterclass! This masterclass contains cheat sheets, assignments, quizzes, and numerous tricks that will turn you from a beginner into a pro in almost no time.

You’ll learn to articulate the rationale behind your design decisions easily and adequately approach the typography for any design project.

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