Follow the struggle to find the right words for Masterlearn – all the way from research and conversation mining to proto-copy and testing. Welcome to the life of a UX writer!

1. Hi! I’m Mattias.
I’m a trained UX writer
from the UX Writing Hub’s
Microcopy & UX Writing Course 2019.
Mattias Åkerberg / April 2, 2019

2. Hi! I’m Mattias.
I’m a trained UX writer
from the UX Writing Hub’s
Microcopy & UX Writing Course 2019.
Wanna see my exam project?
Mattias Åkerberg / April 2, 2019

3. That’s great. Thank you!
During this course I’ve learnt how to:
✔ Do UX research (before putting pen to paper)
✔ Define voice and tone
✔ Create task flows and wireframes (with the right features and content elements)
✔ Write proto-copy at an early stage
✔ Test the copy on real people (and then optimize make it better)
Let get to it!

4. My exam project …
… is called Masterlearn.
What it is? Well, my content mission statement
(fancy words!) goes like this:
Masterlearn is video-based learning website
where professional forever-students go to
get work-related classes that keeps them
ahead of their game.

5. First, I did some research.
I talked to people (not ”users”!) about what they wanted
to get out of a website like this. I also talked to a true
expert in the online education field.
I took a close look at the competitors, and I read forums,
reviews and social media discussions to find the right
words and expressions (that’s called conversation mining
and vocabulary hunting).
Doing thorough research made the rest sooo much easier.

6. Then, I decided what to say
and how to say it.
I did an easy-to-use style guide for tone and voice.
Wanna see it?

7. Cool. Here it is! (sort of)

8. In words, the Masterlearn
voice is:
From A to B
Guruish You-sir centered

9. In words, the Masterlearn
voice is:
From A to B
Guruish You-sir centered

10. In words, the Masterlearn
voice is:
From A to B
Guruish You-sir centered

11. Again, I decided what to say
and how to say it.
Then I did wireframes with almost real content, aka proto-copy.
For each of the 5 states, I did one A version and one B version.

12. Like this:
A B

13. And I asked 4 people
what they feel, think – and gravitate towards
A!
"#$%
B! B! A!
32-43 years old, working with
education and digital marketing, living
in Stockholm and Gothenburg &

14. I listened, they talked.
Bla
"#$%
And they told me A LOT OF interesting
things. Oh boy, this was an eye-opener.
Bla Bla Bla
' Also, my teacher and mentor Yuval
Keshtcher gave me great feedback.
👁👁

15. Here’s what they told me:
Bla
"#$%
Bla Bla Bla

16. A
B
The homepage
" B! I ride my bike to work, so A does not work for me.
Though B is a bit funnier, I find the tone to be off – I find
strained copy like this quite disturbing. It’s not fresh, and too
mannered! I gravitate towards ”for free” in the sub headline.
# B! I bicycle to work, so I not very appealed by ”on your
way to work”. Also, the B to +A thing … I didn’t get it
immediately; I had to think to get it. I like ”Easy way to
actionable …” – that’s good. But I do not like the ”bro
language” in ”no ’my name is …’”. It does not speak to me, it
takes to much focus. When you want me to pay 500 bucks a
year, I do not want that groovy feeling all over it.
$ B! It’s more urging than A, and it’s easy to read and to
grasp. A require much more energy to read, and I’m not sure
what to do here. Also, ”on your way to work” is a tortuous
expression; I got stuck when I read it.
% A! It feels easy and accessible. ”On my way to work” is
easy to grasp, since I get a sense of the time frame which is
required. B is probably more internationally viable, but to me
it’s a bit mannered.
' Sign up to unlock the first free class = Excellent idea!
)
*

17. A
B
The search results page
" A! This is super clear, and I like the fact that it repeats
”marketing”. I know what I will get here. B is not very clear,
and I don’t know what to expect. Will something just kick off,
since the numbers counts down?
# A! This makes the choice crystal clear, and I want the
best ones to choose from. B gives me the impression that it’s
easy and fast and ”you can change your choice of course at
any time” , but that’s not important to me here. I want the
best ones!
$ A! ”Best classes to start with” is nice, and I get that the
site has a lot of classes, and here’s a filtered, recommended
selection. I’m not in the mood for some jaunty comments in a
search results page. B is too much, and tries a bit too hard.
% A! I feel like: ”This things gets me, I’m at the right place.” I
mean, who doesn’t love a great list with the top pics? I like
”Best classes” – it means that someone has made a good
selection here, so that I don’t have to. B is more stressed, like
”3, 2, now it’s close, go”.
' Count down copy on the search page is a nice idea.
Seems to match the voice and style of the brand.
*
)

18. The class page A
B

19. The class page A
B
*
*
" A! This is the most appealing, and I like that the call to
action is direct. When I click the button I assume that a new
window opens, and I will sign up to get started.
# B! It feels unique, empathetic, and new in a good way. I
like it!
$ A! It’s clear, and contains some important information: it’s
free, and it starts now. The B version gives me the feeling
that I will receive like 14 emails before I can start the course.
% B! This feels more personal, with the ”I” and the ”my”. B is
good with the emphasis on ”free”, but it so generic, like
you’ve seen it many times before.

20. The signup page A
B
*
)
" A! ”Great choice” is enthusiastic in a good way. I am also
assured that this is for free, which what’s me feel safe.
# A! While B is ”yeah I get that, but am I really to step
onboard?”, A is an easy step. It explains the why to me (get a
free course). I also like the word choice ”just”, since it tells
me that this a all I have to do to get started.
$ A! ”Great choice” sounds friendly and happy. It’s clear,
and I know that I just need to sign up to get started. Also, it’s
good to be reminded that it’s free. B is more vague, and I’m
not sure what I am about to commit to.
% A! Everyone seeks confirmation – I like this one. It’s also
good to know that it’s still free. B is a bit off, not according to
the theme.

21. The confirm page A
B
*
)
" A! I know what to do here: ”check your inbox” is clear. But
I wonder: ”Do I have to confirm something on a link in that e-
mail, or can I get started right away?” B does not feel right,
since I want to get better, not entertained.
# A! There’s something here that appeals to me. Not sure
what it is though. I want to be more confirmed here, to know
that I’ve done a great choice. In B I don’t like the ”entertain
me” thing, since entertainment was not what I committed to.
If so, that should have been mentioned beforehand. The call
to action should maybe correspond more to the headline,
such as ”Let’s go”.
$ A! This is nice and ”funny enough”. To get ahead of your
game is something desirable when it comes to digital
marketing. B is trying too hard, and makes me wonder: is it
really entertaining stuff?
% B! It’s funnier and more direct. It doesn’t need the emojis
though. This was a tricky one, since both are good. I think A
is more internationally viable.
' This sentence needs to be reworked. It runs on a bit
too much. Consider how to break it into easily digestible
pieces.

22. The confirm page A
B
*
)
" A! I know what to do here: ”check your inbox” is clear. But
I wonder: ”Do I have to confirm something on a link in that e-
mail, or can I get started right away?” B does not feel right,
since I want to get better, not entertained.
# A! There’s something here that appeals to me. Not sure
what it is though. I want to be more confirmed here, to know
that I’ve done a great choice. In B I don’t like the ”entertain
me” thing, since entertainment was not what I committed to.
If so, that should have been mentioned beforehand. The call
to action should maybe correspond more to the headline,
such as ”Let’s go”.
$ A! This is nice and ”funny enough”. To get ahead of your
game is something desirable when it comes to digital
marketing. B is trying too hard, and makes me wonder: is it
really entertaining stuff?
' The 'let us entertain you' seemed to come out of
nowhere. Seems like the things should be more
connected to building knowledge rather than
entertainment. But if you want to communicate that the
courses are both fun and insightful, try and work that in
earlier in the flow.

23. That’s it!
What I learned from the test:
1) Don’t be a bro
2) Don’t even try to be a smart ass
3) Keep it simple, clear and focused

24. So, I re-decided, did a few
tweaks – and crossed out
the wrong words.
Here’s the true sound of Masterlearn:

25. The true sound of Masterlearn

26. The true sound of Masterlearn

27. The true sound of Masterlearn

28. The true sound of Masterlearn

29. The true sound of Masterlearn

30. for your time.
Mattias Åkerberg / April 2, 2019
Let me know what YOU think.
Send an email to mattias@pleasecopyme.se
+
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