📖 CX Toolkit Readings

Required Readings

The readings in this section constitute our final reading assignments for this course (in place of an additional single text).

Laws of UX, Jon Yablonski

Laws of UX is a collection of the maxims and principles that designers can consider when building user interfaces.

Human Interface Guidelines, Apple

Overviews of how to design for each of Apple’s platforms. Spend 15-20 minutes exploring whatever catches your interest.

Nicely Said, Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee

A great primer on writing for the web. For our required readings from this book, check out these two exercises (very quick to read!), and then complete them in the context of your final project for one of your learning journal entries.

This But Not That

How do you want people to feel when they visit our website or use our products?
Are there any associations we should avoid?

Look for emotional responses during interviews. Take notes about people’s gut reactions, moments when their eyes light up, and things that make them smile or laugh. If they seem like they really want to talk about something, let them ramble. Take it all in. Embrace any silences, too, because sometimes the best answers come after a long pause. Those responses are little glimpses of someone’s true personality—and the company’s culture.

Listen carefully to your customers, too. Sit in on user research interviews, or conduct your own. Search Twitter, Facebook, and blog posts to find out how people talk about your brand, and how that compares to the company’s identity. Which words do they use? If you see yourself as playful and eccentric but customers keep calling you boring on Twitter, you’ve got a communication problem. If you like what they’re saying about you, then reflect their words and phrases in your copy. That keeps your writing conversational and relevant.

As you read up on the company and talk to people around the office, soak up everything. Make time for unstructured interviews and spur-of-the-moment conversations. Stop by people’s desks if you work in-house. Listen hard during meetings, and write down memorable words and phrases. Get it all on paper.

Make a This But Not That list

One of our favorite tools for developing a brand voice is what we call a This But Not That list. It’s easy: List some words that describe your brand, and then explain each one by what it doesn’t mean. That second word helps writers better understand each personality trait.

Find Your Voice

For example, here’s MailChimp’s list:

MailChimp is…

Fun but not childish
Clever but not silly
Confident but not cocky
Smart but not stodgy
Cool but not alienating
Informal but not sloppy
Helpful but not overbearing
Expert but not bossy
Weird but not inappropriate

And here’s what our fictional bookstore’s This But Not That list might look like:

Shortstack Books is…

Childlike but not immature
Fanciful but not ridiculous
Educational but not academic
Curious but not confused
Optimistic but not sappy
Encouraging but not gushing

Make a list like this for your company. Add it to your brand guidelines or style guide so everyone who communicates on behalf of the company is on the same page. You could also include it in a new-employee handbook. Keep these attributes handy as you continue to develop your style.

Content Type / Reader’s Emotional State / Appropriate Tone

Content type	Reader’s emotional state	Appropriate tone
Success message	Relief, pride, joy	Positive, friendly, enthusiastic
Legal document	Stress, confusion, annoyance	Clear, serious, straightforward
Email newsletter	Interest, curiosity, distraction	Enthusiastic, helpful, personal
Marketing campaign	Surprise, delight, distraction	Enthusiastic, memorable

TABLE 6.1 — Content mapping (continued)

If you’re writing bad news like an error message or out-of-stock notification, err on the serious side. These types of messages can make people feel stressed or frustrated. Explain the situation clearly and get right to the point. Do your best to avoid causing any added frustration.

On the other hand, if you’re writing good news like an announcement or order confirmation, it’s okay to be more casual. People are likely to be in a positive frame of mind in those places. You can delight your readers and show your personality—as long as you’re clearly communicating the important details too.

Think about how you’d behave in a face-to-face conversation, and put yourself in the reader’s shoes. If you were congratulating someone on a job well done, you might take on a lighthearted and enthusiastic tone. But if you were giving someone a speeding ticket, you’d get right to the point and save the jokes for later.

Let’s look at two examples for Shortstack Books. We’d use an upbeat tone when an order ships, but play it straight if something was out of stock:

Yay! Your book is on the way.

We’re sorry. That book is out of stock. Would you like to be notified when it’s available?

Watch Your Tone

For another example of how tone and context fit together, let’s look at the word “oops” in two different scenarios. First, an error message:

Oops! We can’t seem to find this page.

Here “oops” is a friendly way to soften the message and apologize without being overly apologetic. This message strikes a nice tone. A broken link isn’t a big deal, so this news probably won’t ruin someone’s day. But what if we use the same exclamation in an account suspension notice?

Oops! Your account has been suspended due to a high complaint rate.

That innocent little word reads quite differently in this example. An account suspension notice could ruin someone’s day or even get them fired. This isn’t the place for casual language or cuteness. And that alarming exclamation mark makes the message seem even more tone deaf. Make sure you’re using appropriate words and that your tone fits the situation.

A voice and tone guide can help you teach these concepts to other writers. MailChimp’s guide lists the different content types on the website, so writers know what to say in each part of the interface. Each entry includes a hypothetical quote from the reader, emotions they might be feeling, a sample response, and writing tips. MailChimp uses this voice and tone guide as an extension of the house style guide. People reference it to see how to show empathy in their writing.

Read your work aloud

Learn to love talking to yourself, because reading your work out loud will transform your writing. When you’re not sure if you’re striking the right tone, read your content aloud to see how it sounds. Peter Elbow, professor emeritus of English at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, calls this “speaking onto the page.”

On Icons, Oliver Reichenstein

A fantastic read getting into the kinds of considerations thoughtful designers make.

Library

These readings aren’t required for this course, but they may be helpful to you as you continue your CX learnings and practice.

Just Enough Research, Erika Hall

A great primer on modern research. Good summary slides from previous students.

The Design of Everyday Things, Revised and Expanded, Don Norman

A classic in the field that’s worth reading, but that can be a bit rambling and unclear at times.

Discussing Design, Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry

A wonderful guide to creating a strong culture of design feedback, as well as practical tips.

Creative Selection, Ken Kocienda

An engaging read detailing the creation of the original software keyboard for the iPhone. A great peek into product design in the real world.

The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier

A short, punchy read that offers a great overview of brand building.

UserOnboard.com

A wonderful compilation of annotated user onboarding flows. Highly recommended.

Inclusive Design, Microsoft

A great suite of resources to begin learning about inclusive design.

Design Principles

Collections of design principles from various sources.