5 principles of writing interface

For many technology companies, design is mystical. I believe that this is not the magic thing that designers are obliged to do.

People often wonder when I say that writing is a design skill. I once worked with a visual designer who hated the names of his profession. He said: “Is the whole design really visual?” Actually, no. Most designer work involves the visual part, but this is not the only component.

Let's look at 5 rules for writing texts for the site.
')

1. Clarity is the queen of the text.

Someone says that brevity is the sister of talent, others believe that a good text should be long, and still others are not limited to ideas about the size of the text.

My principle: the main thing that the text was clear. We must always add clarity, clarity and elegance of our words.

• Be specific. Do not write “search” when you mean “filter”. “Save” is also not an analogue of “send”.
• Watch for jargon and abbreviations. We can unleash these words and let them penetrate our text. This is not worth doing. “Website” is better than “website.” “Invitation” is preferable to use for “inviting friends.” “Repository” is always clearer than “repo”.
• Download keywords earlier (i.e., write about the main thing at the top of the page). The buttons should say “continue”, not “Click to continue”.
• Do not be lazy. Instead of the standard "OK" and "Cancel" explain in more detail the purpose of each button.

This is just a little of what should be present on the site. When these items are executed, there is a feeling of a serious and "correct" interface.

2. Personality does not matter as you think

Everyone wants to stand out. Every startup is trying to create a brand. Writing texts is part of such a brand, and this is important.

When we are obsessed with personality, we write something like “OK, let's get started!” And create buttons like “It sounds good!” The latest news and buttons should match the product brand and be aimed at the community. I always strive to ensure that the interface is clear. Buttons like “Tell me about your business” and “Save and continue” would look, in my opinion, much better than “OK”.

After assimilating this material, we can proceed to the use of subtitles. Do not try to show your personality in your site, let it be neutral.

3. Just tell me

A good way to create interfaces is to write simple texts. Try telling your user only what you want to tell them. I have seen some marketing sites that contain the phrases “the best way”, “it would be better”, but never communicating the main idea.

A simple interface can really win the understanding and love of people. I

This technique is useful for sites with multiple pages (when users need to switch between pages). Instead of saying “Next,” try saying what happens, for example: “[Save and continue”]. Next, we will ask you for some personal information. ”

4. By the way, people read

Over the past 10 years, I have seen a lot of people using apps and websites for learning. The idea is clear: people read the text (long and short) in programs.

Breaking news is always more visible. That is why they are likely to read before. The same can be said about interactive elements such as buttons, links and form fields. These are the most important words on the screen. They attract the most attention. On devices with small screens (smartphones and tablets), you need to create a special version of the site, which will also give basic things ahead.

Do not be afraid to repeat. If you are talking about the important, then perhaps this is for the better, since then your text will be clearly understood.

5. Texts are part of the design.

How interconnected text design? For me, text is the basis of design, whatever it may be.

The text, like other important elements, is not a step of a waterfall . It is not even part of it at the beginning, nor in the middle, nor at the end.

My first sites contained a wealth of information on the main page. Work consisted in the correct placement of the text. The mistake is to write a lot of information that is difficult to learn. The second mistake is creating too “empty” pages. It is advisable to find a balance in the amount of information and distribute the rest of the site.



These principles allow me to create lightweight sites for users. No need to add anything extra. Try to follow these principles in your projects. Perhaps this will be useful!