Improving UI Design Quality Through Web Writing

UI stands for User Interface.
An interface refers to a “point of contact,” and a user interface is what enables users and a website to communicate effectively with one another.

For smooth communication between the sender of information and the viewer on a website, users should be able to quickly and accurately understand information and navigate through the site comfortably without confusion.
Compared to visual web design, UI design focuses more on usability and the overall interaction experience.

On a website, text elements such as words, phrases, taglines, and sentences are fundamental tools for communicating information to users.
For that reason, concise and easy-to-understand language is essential for increasing the value of a website.

At the beginning of this article, I mentioned that recent trends tend to place greater emphasis on GUI design, while the details of web writing are sometimes overlooked.
To illustrate the importance of writing and word choice, let’s compare the following two images.

When comparing them, you may notice that without words, it can be difficult to accurately understand the meaning of the graphics. In some cases, text communicates meaning more clearly than visuals alone.
Words help facilitate fast and accurate communication with users.

Do you now have a better understanding of the importance of web writing?

Even if you determine who the target audience is and what kind of website you want to create during the design process, it is still difficult to design writing and word choice as part of the UI itself.

Words are “symbols” used to convey meaning.
Even if users are able to read a sentence, that does not necessarily mean they fully understand its content.
For example, if a website filled with technical jargon is visited by users without specialized knowledge, they will likely struggle to understand the information being presented.
Choosing appropriate words that effectively reach the intended audience is one of the most important things we must consider when writing text.

When thinking about the user’s level of literacy, it is extremely important to choose language based on concepts such as personas, which are now commonly used in modern marketing to define ideal customer profiles.

There is a skill known as “wording.” Wording refers to deciding on consistent language usage and phrasing.
By unifying text with wording that matches the previously defined persona, you can create a consistent atmosphere and brand identity throughout the website.
Standardizing written expressions also helps prevent errors and misunderstandings.

However, Japanese grammar has one weakness when it comes to communication: the conclusion often comes at the end of the sentence.
A small difference at the end — such as whether a sentence ends with “will” or “will not” — can completely reverse the meaning of the entire statement.
By keeping messages as short and concise as possible, communication errors caused by wording can be reduced.
Let’s look at the following examples of prompts requiring a Yes or No response.

Example 1
“We were unable to process this page. The system will restart. Is that okay?”
Example 2
“A problem has occurred. The system will restart.”

Shorter sentences allow users to understand information more quickly, which also helps prevent mistakes.
To improve the value of a website, it may be worthwhile to pay closer attention to writing and study how language is used on well-designed websites.

Research has shown that users often skim content or read only headings rather than carefully reading every sentence. However, I hope this article has helped demonstrate just how important written language is in effectively communicating information.
By carefully considering every element placed on a website, we should aim to create experiences that are easy to use, stress-free, and capable of providing users with positive experiences and satisfaction.