To humour or not to humour (in UX)
To humour or not to humour (in UX)
Let's answer that question
I admire those who could tactfully say the meanest things in the guise of humour. But a similar approach in microcopy? Na-ha!
Laughter isn’t the best medicine in user experience and must be Rx-ed sparingly. Why? Because the purpose of your copy inside a product is to serve the users, help them achieve their goals, and inform them, not ridicule them.
I’m not totally against though.
Humour can improve user experience by lightening the mood, creating a bond, and giving users respite from all the seriousness. But it’s important to get it right. This decision tree can help you:
Humour in UX: Guidelines to not screw it up
If you’re generally not funny (like yours truly!), don’t take a stab at being one while writing UX copy. It’ll be a disaster. (I speak from experience).
Let someone else help you out.
Let’s say your brand is the fun, cool type (and so are you). Feel free to tour the humour garden, but avoid sarcasm and wit. It may make the brand sound pretentious and overzealous. Stick to softer humour which is homey and puts users at ease.
Aim for chuckles, not smirks.
Never lose sight of the context. Even funny people drop their humour in serious or sensitive situations. When a user’s system crashes or payment declines, they’re frustrated and worried.
Your words should empathise and reassure them.
(Also, apologise on behalf of the platform and suggest a way forward). Considering humour in success messages and push notifications? Knock yourself out!
A joke is funny once. Or maybe twice. Tell it 10 times, and it’s annoying. So, insert your witty remarks in as few places as possible. Especially avoid it in flows users will go through over and over again.
Think about the message. If your message is only a witty remark, nothing else, something’s wrong. There are many types of humour — nostalgic, cool, communal, individualistic, techy, cynical, warm, hippie, poetic, and sentimental — but every joke still has a point, a message, a story. Make sure yours has one too.
Since we're talking about your UX jokes having a point, that point must be clear. If a user has to stop for a moment and read again, you've screwed up usability. Stay concise, clear and helpful even when cracking jokes inside a product.
Avoid making the user the butt of your jokes. Some might appreciate it, but most won't. And your product should make the experience enjoyable for as many users as possible. So, it's important to keep the users in mind.
Mind the gap! If you think, as a 30-something, you can make your UX content fun for tweens, you're mistaken. Get "Tween whisperers", aka a group of actual tweens, to review your copy before you send it out in the world. The same goes for writing for languages, dialects, cultures and ethnicities that aren't part of your own lived experience.
Biases are sneaky pests!
Okay… Let's say you followed the decision tree, picked the right shade of humour using the above guidelines and absolutely love your copy. Be prepared that a few users will still get offended by it. Humans are like that. You can't please everyone.
Relax and have fun!
Mansi
Your UX Writing Bud
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⭐ Find of the week
A simple website that generates UX copy at the click of a button. Plus, they sound more human than any average copy on the internet.
I tried it a few times, and although copy starts getting repeated after a point, the options were decent idea generators. Better than starting with a blank canvas!
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