Clarify Instructions

Example below is from the ‘Add Resources’ step of the project creation flow.

Challenge

Help the user complete their task.

Solution

Ensure that guidance is clear, contextual, and useful.

How I Helped

  • Collaborated with research team to review user testing and compile results.

  • Worked with a UX designer to modify the design, allowing for more detailed instructions.

  • Added https:// placeholder text for fields that require URLs.

 

Current copy is vague and confused many testers who were unsure what was being requested or how the information would be used.

Despite these fields being optional, users can still trigger an error message if they start to type inside the field and do not add a valid URL. So we felt it was necessary to reassure users that they can skip a field - or an entire section.

While UX writing aims to be concise, this is an example of more text being necessary to help the user complete the task.

 

Example below is from the ‘Add Volunteer Roles’ of the project creation flow.

Challenge

Help the user prioritize volunteer roles added (if there is more than one role).

Solution

Offer concise, clear instructions.

How I Helped

  • Worked with UX designer and design team.

  • Offered copy modifications to scale back text, along with suggestions (adding a tooltip) when information might have been confusing for user.

  • Modified text to reflect a design change to a related element.

 

Original copy read:

'Volunteers will see the roles in the listed order below. Drag the roles to rearrange the order. The first 3 skills indexed will appear onto the listed project card. Volunteers will see your project's roles in the order listed below. You can drag and drop the roles to rearrange their order. The first three roles in the list will appear on your project's card. All roles will appear on your project's profile.'

Modified copy reads:

'Volunteers roles will be listed in the order shown below.
Drag each role to rearrange.'

 

Example below is from the last step of the project creation flow.

Challenge

Help the user complete this process without hesitation or confusion.

Solution

Update copy to reflect what the user could expect when clicking the CTA, as well as the current status of the project.

How I Helped

  • Collaborated with the research team to review user testing and compile results.

  • Worked with another UX writer who started this task before leaving DemocracyLab.

  • Completed the task and reviewed progress with the design and development teams, eventually creating two scenarios: one for creating a project and one for updating an existing project.

 

The current screen instructs users to click 'PUBLISH' but the project status on the next screen is 'Unpublished'.

Copy needed to reflect the actual process: the project is submitted for review and made active on the site after approved.
  • Updated 'PUBLISH' to 'Submit Project' (style guide has been updated to title case for CTA buttons) and changed status of project from 'Unpublished' to 'Under Review'.

Since the same flow is used to edit an existing project, the copy needed to change for that use.
  • For this flow, we modified the header copy to 'Ready to save your edits?' and updated 'PUBLISH' to 'Update Project'.