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The Wall Street Journal iPad App

A friend had mentioned that they had not had a good experience when downloading this App. I looked and found some good things and some things that could use some improvement.

Stakeholders:

The Wall Street Journal has been in publication for over a 100 years, and is in circulation to over 2 million people. Users like the App because they like to stay up to date on news and trust the writing.

Problem:

There is a lack of consistency when it comes to choosing graphics over grammar. Everything is fairly overwhelming and word choice could use some work.

Goal:

Inform users of their options when using the App. Also, explain new functions.

Notes:

Apps meant for reading purposes have a whole set of things they need to look out for.

Just because the content is word heavy does not mean your UX Writing should be.
There needs to be a decision of weather graphics trump grammar.
Will the voice of the publications reflect the UX Writing?

Questions:

Does the Wall Street Journal have a set standard for UX Writing in place?

This helps to keep things consistent. Being consistent helps with any kind of writing or design. It helps instill trust and aids communication. For example, the first pop up has “Try WSJ Free For 4 Weeks” with every word capitalized. Is this to set a president for the rest of their UX Writing or was it chosen because someone thought it would be graphically pleasing? Often capitalization is sporadic in UX Writing, but I think it helps with clarity if there are set rules when to capitalize. Because it is a newspaper, I might ask what their own rules are for capitalization. Do they use AP style, Chicago? Are proper nouns capitalized in titles?

Solutions:

“Try WSJ free for 4 weeks”

Another option might be…

“Try WSJ for free”

The 4 weeks would go under, but I also see the benefits of advertising the 4 weeks. This might require some A/B testing to see which one is more appealing to users.

“After 4 weeks, $32.99/month will be charged so your subscription will continue.”

“Welcome to the enhanced WSJ App. Enjoy a seamless and engaging news experience.”

“Access all the Apps functions with ease by using the new convenient ‘menu’ located in the top left corner.”

Why:

Old — “Navigate through the app more easily, with all of the App’s functionality located in one place. Simply tap the “menu” in the top left corner.”

Here are some words I broke down in my process.

Navigate = action
Navigate vs Access. Navigate sounds like a map access sounds like you just need a key. One implies less work.
More = new feature
“More” was used in the above text as well. Although this helps with the voice of that app “more” might not be the right word. More does not mean new or improved. More can suggest an over abundance which can lead to more complications. So I removed it.
All, Functionality = we can do a lot
It was there to show that this App is more than just for reading. To make it sound like this app is necessary. So, I brought it to the beginning of the sentence.
One place = convenient
This is not a grand feat and I don’t think it should be played up.
Simply = convenient
The word “simply” placing where it is could be seen as being talked down to. We don’t want users to think that.

All of those words are meant to emphasize what the App is doing for you. But do we need them all? From the first two pop ups from the WSJ App, the voice seems to be very word heavy and the tone is almost selfish. Always saying what they have accomplished. UX Writing is not selfish, it’s about the user and only the user.

Unresolved:

“Scrolling Section Fronts”

“You can now see all of your WSJ content on the scrolling screen rather than via a separate index page.”

This is a good example of I have no idea what this is trying to say. There is a possibility that it is just me, but I would go to the Uxers and ask what this new feature was. I would have it explain it in their own words and show it to me. This way I can “translate” and make this new feature clear to the users.

Good Things:

Some of the word choices were spot on for a newspaper App. Words like “engaging,” “experience,” and “explore” all seem very appropriate for an App about what’s going on in the world.

UX Writing Sample: The Wall Street Journal iPad App was originally published in prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

UX Writing Sample: The Wall Street Journal iPad App

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