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Microcopy: The Complete Guide
"This book is so relevant to our UX work. From voice and tone to error messages, to creating conversational UI and CTAs, this book covers it all. I've ordered copies for my full team." (DeAnn Wright, Head of Global Content Strategy, eBay)
This is the only guide you'll need to write smart, effective microcopy. When you finish this book, you'll know how to use every word in your website or app to: Make users fall in love and come back Help them perform tasks easily Turn every boring message into a valuable conversation Increase conversions Microcopy (sometimes called UX writing or UX copy) is the words on digital products that accompany the user's actions: text on buttons, assistive text, sign up page, error messages (and preventing them), control labels, instructions, empty states, success messages, and more.
Microcopy: The Complete Guide is a handbook for UX writers, designers and friends. It will give you the knowledge and tools needed to write smart, effective and helpful microcopy for all kinds of digital products, with practical guides and dozens of screenshots from actual sites, apps and complex systems.
Who will find this book useful? UX writers; UX designers; copywriters; content strategists; product managers; UI designers; digital marketing managers; app and website owners; marketers and sales personnel; small business owners; bloggers; advertisers. Fascinated by the words that light up interfaces? You'll love this book.
This is the only guide you'll need to write smart, effective microcopy. When you finish this book, you'll know how to use every word in your website or app to: Make users fall in love and come back Help them perform tasks easily Turn every boring message into a valuable conversation Increase conversions Microcopy (sometimes called UX writing or UX copy) is the words on digital products that accompany the user's actions: text on buttons, assistive text, sign up page, error messages (and preventing them), control labels, instructions, empty states, success messages, and more.
Microcopy: The Complete Guide is a handbook for UX writers, designers and friends. It will give you the knowledge and tools needed to write smart, effective and helpful microcopy for all kinds of digital products, with practical guides and dozens of screenshots from actual sites, apps and complex systems.
Who will find this book useful? UX writers; UX designers; copywriters; content strategists; product managers; UI designers; digital marketing managers; app and website owners; marketers and sales personnel; small business owners; bloggers; advertisers. Fascinated by the words that light up interfaces? You'll love this book.
272 pages, Paperback
Published January 23, 2019
84 people are currently reading
1425 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
November 2, 2018
One of my favorite book of 2018. Although it's a microcopy guide, I've read as a regular book, because for me it was entertaining. As a UX designer, I read quite a lot of books, but most of them are too theoretical, not usable on the daily job. Not this book, it's pretty practical, a book that is essential to be on any UX practitioner's table. It contains really instructive real-life examples, so I think you can find answers - or least inspirations - any microcopy related questions, or challenges that appear on your UX writing projects.
September 3, 2021
One of the first books on product UI/UX I've read. While it's more of a manual of sorts, it's still interesting to see patterns and psychological implications concerning the microcopy (or the small text wee see in websites) we engage with on a daily basis.
This book also saved me when I was applying to my internship HAHA
This book also saved me when I was applying to my internship HAHA
August 18, 2023
J’ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture remplie d’exemples et de réflexions sur des cas concrets. Un essentiel à toute personne qui fait de la rédaction UX!
February 28, 2022
Great content specially for ux designers. The chapter about accessibility (18) is one that must be discussed in digital companies.
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April 24, 2020It's a must-read book for anyone working in Design, User experience, copywriting, or Product Management roles.
This book is divided into 3 parts
1) Talks about how to define brand personality, voice & tone of the brand and motivations and mental barriers of the target audience.
2)Talks about how to write microcopy which motivates action and what users will gain rather than they need to do to benefit.
3) Talks about how to increase usability and help users to avoid friction
This book is divided into 3 parts
1) Talks about how to define brand personality, voice & tone of the brand and motivations and mental barriers of the target audience.
2)Talks about how to write microcopy which motivates action and what users will gain rather than they need to do to benefit.
3) Talks about how to increase usability and help users to avoid friction
August 10, 2021
Well-supplemented with examples, Yifrah's book is a good introduction to UX writing and reinforces what UX design should be about -- creating an empathetic and efficient experience for users.
February 15, 2021
This book explains all the do's and don'ts for writing microcopy. This is especially very helpful for me who is still learning and exploring more about content strategy and UX writing. I will definitely read it back in the near future for reference!
February 11, 2021
Very good basic reading as an intro into microcopy - nothing revolutionary, but a great starting point to dive deeper. A lot of important terms and concepts, like usability, user tests etc., are introduced.
October 23, 2018
This is more of a showcase of screens and short explanations than a comprehensive guide as the book title implies. I missed the in-depth scientific explanations of user psychology and their relationship with words.
April 24, 2023
Incredibly useful, informative and easy to read. I'll be recommending this to marketing friends! In future editions, I would love to see some in-depth Q&As with UX designers and marketers about how they approached brand and voice design; the examples provided here are helpful but short.
January 5, 2021
Súper útil si están en el campo de UX o merca y escriben los mensajes para los usuarios.
Tiene muchísimos ejemplos y argumentos de por qué sí o por qué no hacer las cosas.
Tiene muchísimos ejemplos y argumentos de por qué sí o por qué no hacer las cosas.
June 12, 2021
Excellent book! Lots of practical tips and advice in creating communication on the interface that sounds human and relates to people. The way we convey the message to people must be crystal clear and less technical.
Through the introduction the author elaborates the advantages of microcopy to the user interface:
1. Create a positive experience and engage the user
Microcopy reduces the alienation between man and machine, and changes the relationship from a robotic functional encounter to a human personal experience.
2. Increase usability
Microcopy greases the wheels of the interface and reduces friction with its users.
3. Enhance branding and differentiation
Microcopy written with a full understanding of your brand and target audience highlights the brand's character and differentiates it from other brands.
Throughout the years my work as a UX Designer also includes UX Writing on the interface.
This is also an enjoyable activity for me! :)
In chapter 18, the author emphasizes microcopy for complex system which is interesting!
In most cases, we are talking about tasks performed as part of a work day, in other words - with some level of pressure. So the microcopy needs to be practical - short, direct, clear, understandable in a split second, and enabling the quick and smooth performance of tasks.
Your technologically complex system is in daily use in the 21st century, and if it sounds like an ancient dictionary, it will be harder for your contemporary users to understand. Complex systems require complicated explanations, so you need to avoid using academic, outdated, or irrelevant language that complicates things even more. This "high" language isn't evidence of professionalism but of fixated thinking. It is really worthwhile to be super clear and write simply, precisely, in a practical and accessible language.
Through the introduction the author elaborates the advantages of microcopy to the user interface:
1. Create a positive experience and engage the user
Microcopy reduces the alienation between man and machine, and changes the relationship from a robotic functional encounter to a human personal experience.
2. Increase usability
Microcopy greases the wheels of the interface and reduces friction with its users.
3. Enhance branding and differentiation
Microcopy written with a full understanding of your brand and target audience highlights the brand's character and differentiates it from other brands.
Throughout the years my work as a UX Designer also includes UX Writing on the interface.
This is also an enjoyable activity for me! :)
In chapter 18, the author emphasizes microcopy for complex system which is interesting!
In most cases, we are talking about tasks performed as part of a work day, in other words - with some level of pressure. So the microcopy needs to be practical - short, direct, clear, understandable in a split second, and enabling the quick and smooth performance of tasks.
Your technologically complex system is in daily use in the 21st century, and if it sounds like an ancient dictionary, it will be harder for your contemporary users to understand. Complex systems require complicated explanations, so you need to avoid using academic, outdated, or irrelevant language that complicates things even more. This "high" language isn't evidence of professionalism but of fixated thinking. It is really worthwhile to be super clear and write simply, precisely, in a practical and accessible language.
August 25, 2021
straight to the point and provides tangible approaches
Although the book is about UX copywriting, I found the lessons to be very relevant and useful when thinking about branding - what tone and voice means in detail, and how you can take your brand's vision and philosophy, and imagine an actual person out of it - because that's how you would write your copy. That's where the personality of your brand can actually show.
A point that hit me the most in the book was something along the lines of "If you can't speak your copy out loud (and not cringe or feel like a robot), don't write it".
This book was almost like a therapy session, but for business - it gets you thinking on what you stand for, and your whys - all which eventually leads you to finding out who you are. And right there, you got yourself (branding) figured out.
Although the book is about UX copywriting, I found the lessons to be very relevant and useful when thinking about branding - what tone and voice means in detail, and how you can take your brand's vision and philosophy, and imagine an actual person out of it - because that's how you would write your copy. That's where the personality of your brand can actually show.
A point that hit me the most in the book was something along the lines of "If you can't speak your copy out loud (and not cringe or feel like a robot), don't write it".
This book was almost like a therapy session, but for business - it gets you thinking on what you stand for, and your whys - all which eventually leads you to finding out who you are. And right there, you got yourself (branding) figured out.
June 2, 2020
Really appreciated the fact that this book started off with a voice and tone section. When it comes to the second part of the book, about all of the different UI components, I sometimes felt that the screenshots were either not the best example or a repetition of the same products/apps over and over again. Would have been great to see more diversity in this sense, especially more focused toward marketplaces. The most interesting part of the book was the very last one. I would have loved to read more about usability and complex systems. Maybe it's an interesting topic for a future book? As a last note—not sure if this was addressed in the second edition, but this first edition could have gone with better editing and proofreading.
November 18, 2020
This book will be a game changer for the way UI text is written at your company, even if you’re not a UX specialist. Whether you work on a small website or on a complex system, it will provide you with a good perspective on the way UI text can have a huge impact on user experience and conversions. The author, Kinneret Yifrah, gives plenty of useful real-life examples and practical advices that can actually be implemented. What a brightly written, well structured guide. And it is fun and easy to read too! It will stand next to my desk for a while and hopefully I’m going to try a lot of what she suggests.
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September 12, 2025Hiring a how to hire a ui/ux designer can be daunting, but this guide made it so much easier. The tips on what to look for in a portfolio and how to assess a designer’s process were incredibly helpful. I especially liked the advice on understanding the designer’s approach to user research and testing. It’s reassuring to know what to expect during the hiring process. I’ll definitely be using this as a checklist for my next hire.
June 16, 2023
As a professional copywriter since the beginning of my career (starting when the internet was barely even required for the office), this information has changed everything. Now as the manager of a global brand, I am inspired to completely revamp our website with helpful microcopy to improve our UX and convert more actions on our site. In particular, I’m fascinated to look at our site from an accessibility point of view to make significant improvements there. Pardon me while I get to work!
July 5, 2023
A useful introduction to UX writing: clear-cut instructions, engaging tone-of-voice, and telling examples. The only two things I lack are a chapter on how to organise the process of writing microcopies and a chapter on how to work alongside with UX designers (please let me know if you have any books recs on these topics).
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January 30, 2024Good pdf to have on your phone while on the job!
A little dull to read straight through, but that's ok. When you have a specific writing topic you need some inspiration for, this book is perfect for a quick inspiring skim.
Sadly, it's very out of print. Try this: Google "name of book" + "online" + "PDF" and see what happens. Then, promise to throw down $20 later when they press it again.
A little dull to read straight through, but that's ok. When you have a specific writing topic you need some inspiration for, this book is perfect for a quick inspiring skim.
Sadly, it's very out of print. Try this: Google "name of book" + "online" + "PDF" and see what happens. Then, promise to throw down $20 later when they press it again.
February 16, 2021
The true mastery is taking such a complex project and subject and making it both seem simple and more importantly achievable. Work on voice and tone is particularly brilliant given how fluffy it fundamentally is and how perfectly concrete she makes it.
March 23, 2021
Un libro bastante fácil de digerir para aquellos principiantes como yo en el tema, con muy buenos consejos en general de UX y no solamente de Writing.
Como aprendizaje general me quedo con que para todo lo que diseñemos, siempre hay que decirle al usuario por qué él se va a ver beneficiado.
Como aprendizaje general me quedo con que para todo lo que diseñemos, siempre hay que decirle al usuario por qué él se va a ver beneficiado.
July 24, 2018
Solid book with useful tips and insights and real life examples. Yay!
September 27, 2018
It is a reliable guide you can turn to whenever you need advice on error messages, empty states, a tone of voice or corporate values.
This book reads like a collection of blog posts with examples.
This book reads like a collection of blog posts with examples.
April 19, 2020
This book gives you inspiration to handle copy with more care.
August 15, 2020
A very interesting book about microcopy, so needed nowadays. Its full of clear examples to help you to understand how to improve the microcopy in your designs
November 5, 2020
Absolute must-have for all copywriters, webdesigners and marketing people :)
January 14, 2021
Woow! That's a book! Lots of useful tips, examples, thoughts.
I liked it soooo much!
I liked it soooo much!
January 31, 2021
if you wanna be UX Writer. This book is importance for your career
February 3, 2021
It's a very handy book for anyone who writes for digital surfaces. Definitely leaning more towards the practical tips, realistic examples, and straightforward solutions.
March 5, 2021
I love it. It's a really good guide to UX Writing. I have it on my desk to check it when I have doubts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews