Words that tell the story. An example of a weather app screen, the left screen devoid of any copy, the right screen displaying a story line about a hot day in New York City.

My creator’s insights for meaningful app writing practices

How to open up the conversation with your users

The 1st in a series on best writing practices for apps

App writing is very much part of the design. Copy and design are intertwined disciplines when it comes to creating app content.

Words need to flow seamlessly with the UI and design. They enhance and illuminate context and build user relationships seemingly by magic. Users, especially new users, need to feel engaged as if they’ve been accessing the app for a long time.

Words might not even be noticed immediately. Rather, users might see words subconsciously for their shapes and appearances next to design elements first and only read them for their real meaning second.

Let’s look at some examples.

Example 1: The image-focused narrative

Words tie the story together

This screen capture of a page in Pinterest shows how images let the eyes focus on themes and trends. At first glance, we see images that connect to each other in topic and style.

This screen pleases the eyes first. It prioritizes the curation of visual content.

Example 1: A screenshot of a random browsing screen of the image collection and curation app Pinterest.

At second glance, however, when we read the subheads and captions, we get to the deeper story of what we’re looking at. We get more information on what each post is, or what collection it sits in.

Furthermore, when reading the copy, we recognize that there is a promotional post and an ad post.

Words thus help users focus and find the narrative thread. Words weave together the meaning of data, their source, and ultimately, their outcome.

Example 2: The data-driven story

What if there were no words?

As designers, we can look at an inverse scenario. What if there were no words to engage with the design? What would happen if we’d eliminate the story?