It’s fair to say I am a master of negotiation.
That’s a lie.
My twins are masters of negotiation. They’re relentless. And as my energy dwindles towards bedtime, their persuasive powers seem to grow.
“OK, 1 more Paw Patrol and then we turn it off—deal?” I say.
“Deal, Mummy.”
As the episode draws to the end one of them shimmies on my lap while the other one grabs the remote with a pincer-like grip.
Their dedication to that black piece of plastic reminds me of how much clients often like to hang onto jargon.
In the UX world, that means referring to the people who engage with their app or website as “users”.
People who use a digital product = “users”. Makes sense right?
I get it, jargon exists because it’s a highly convenient way of getting a point across amongst people who work in the same industry.
For this reason, if you’re planning to work in—or do already work in—UX you should get across as much jargon as you can, as quickly as possible. Here’s a handy little glossary I made to help.
Leave the jargon at the office
To be super clear, it’s FIIIIIIINE to call them ‘users’ amongst the team, just please don’t refer to people as users in the app/website itself.
Should be easy right?
If only. Finding clearer alternatives invariably requires more brain power than watching yet another episode of 8 puppies saving Adventure Bay from a stinking flower.
“OK, let’s think of a new way to refer to the people using our app”, is a sentence I find myself saying a lot.
Only to be met with groans or confused expressions from Product Owners and designers in the virtual hangout.
But hey, you didn’t get into UX writing because it was easy.
Where to be mindful of rogue “users”
Previously, it used to be a lot more common to see labels for “User name”.
Luckily with the rise of UX writing, this is on the decline. However, it can be tricky when one account has multiple users people accessing it. Then you might see little commands sneak in like:
“Make another user host”
“Add another user”
The other place where it can be frequently used is in Support documentation—the how-to guides most SaaS companies have on their website. And I have even spotted the odd occurrence of it on a sales page.
The case against the use of “user”
Just in case you need a little extra help getting some stakeholders across the line, here are a couple of points you can use.
1. It has a very negative connotation of drug users, something most people won’t want to be associated with.
2. Your whole mission is to sound as friendly and helpful as possible. And calling someone a “user” makes the dystopian future feel a little too close for comfort. We’ve already had to live through 2020, let’s be kind.
Friendly alternatives
There are so many options out to choose from. Like all good UX writing, the context should determine what words you choose. While “Add another guest” works perfectly for accommodation websites, it would sound weird in your banking app.
All you have to do is take your pick…
- You
- Someone
- Participant
- Person
- Human
- Individual
- Attendee
- Others
- Collaborator
- Party
- Account holder
- Host
- Admin
- Customer
- Client
- Shopper
- Reader
- Visitor
- Member
- Enthusiast
- Owner, Pet-owner
- Lover, Fashion lover
- {insert profession} — accountant, musician, business owner, boss, employee
- Team member
- Colleague
- Couple
- Parent
- Child
- Partner
- Supporter
- Fan
- Applicant
- Investor
- Guest
- Passenger
- Jetsetter
- Forward-thinker
- Legend
- Follower
- Companion
- Carer
- Icon
- Superstar
- Fashion addict
- Fashion lover
- Stylist
- Style icon
- Friend
- Donor
Feeling the warm fuzzies already?
Like all most UX writing tips, often the solution is simple once you catch the right wave of thinking.
Next time you’re stuck, use these 7 simple strategies to transform your microcopy and find the right balance between short and snappy copy.
