Nike
Nike By You is a Nike service that provides customers with the opportunity to personalize their merchandise. This was a short-term project conducted as part of a Bitesize UX design sprint led by a senior UX designer. Throughout this project, I rewrote the UX copy for the Nike By You service to make the users feel as if they were collaborating with a personal designer rather than simply using a machine to customize their order.
My role:
UX Writing
UX Research
Tools:
Figma
Timeline:
Two hours
Discovery 🔍
The Problem
Nike has redesigned their Nike by You experience, where users can customize and buy their unique pair of sneakers. The visual design is amazing, but a key part of the overall experience is lacking: it doesn’t feel personal. The copy used throughout the design feels automated as if the user is talking to a computer, rather than a personal designer. This hurts the feel and usability of the experience.
To address this discrepancy, I set out to answer the following problem statement:
How might we use UX Writing to create an experience that feels like working with a personal designer?
Defining Goals
User Goals
As a user, I want to feel support from a human connection as I am creating custom designs for my Nike shoes.
Potential Difficulties
The primary risk is that users will feel intimidated while using the Nike By You service and will abandon their design by completing their purchase.
Possible Solutions
Use terminology that is more colloquial so that the tone is more inviting and empathetic to the user.
Ideation 💡
Voice Principles
I began the UX writing process by determining the brand voice that should be reflected throughout Nike.
I determined the following three voice principles: individuality, trendy, and comfortable
Writing✍🏽
Tone Spectrum
As a UX writer I asked myself, “How does the tone change with different scenarios?” so that I could empathize with the user as they progressed through the Nike By You process.
Scenario #1: The user has a blank sneaker, we want to show them some inspiration to help get them started.
Our User Feels
Excited to start designing, but unsure how to begin.
Our Goal
Provide directions and encourage a flow of creative ideas.
Tone
Encouraging, inspiring, helpful
Scenario #2: The user finishes designing their sneaker, and wants to share the mock-up and link with their friends.
Our User Feels
Excited, energized, anticipating
Our Goal
Congratulate users on their designs and encourage them to share.
Tone
Proud, accomplished, supportive
Scenario #3: The user is about to check out, but has not picked text to go on the tongue of the sneaker.
Our User Feels
Uncertain, eager to place their order.
Our Goal
Encourage users to complete this last step and inform them of how the text will add to the overall design aesthetic.
Tone
Excited, reassuring
Scenario #4: The user selected the same color text as the background material.
Our User Feels
Possibly annoyed or ready to be done with the design process.
Our Goal
Confident in their design work.
Tone
Patient, informative
Delivery 🎁
Nike By You 2.0
After I determined the tone spectrum, I wrote new UX writing copy.
Motivate the Users
Before
The tone of the original writing copy is somewhat dull and treats the users as simply customers rather than creative collaborators.
After
Using terms like “creative mindset” and “designers” reminds the user that they are driving the design process and should embrace their creativity.
Slang terms like “inspo” aligns with the overall trendy Nike brand.
Congratulate Efforts
Before
While the current copy provides instruction, it lacks the personal touch of working with a personal designer.
After
The new copy “You did it” aligns with Nike’s famous slogan which creates more brand cohesion.
Encouraging the users to share images of their customized shoes implies that the users should feel a sense of accomplishment.
Encourage the Finishing Touches
Before
Here the subtitle offers a supportive message, but does not inform the user of what they will be doing on this page (i.e. doing the step of adding text).
After
In addition to using a play on words to stay on theme, I wrote a subtitle that accurately tells the user that there is another step in the process.
I included terminology that makes the user want to fulfill this additional task (i.e. it is a way to further “flex” skills)
Explain that it’s all in the little details
Before
The message does not explain what the issue is, nor does it encourage the user to make a decision.
After
This subtitle tells the user that something should be corrected within their design.
I included a question at the end of the copy to prompt the user to take action on their design decisions.
Reflection 🤔
Here are the key takeaways that I had after this design sprint:
UX writing not only informs the user, but also incites certain emotions as they interact with a product.
Maintaining a consistent tone is important to make the overall user flow coherent.
Understanding the user’s emotions can help UX writers determine terminology and phrasing.
Next Steps 📝
Conduct A/B testing on the “before” and “after” screens of each step of the Nike By You process to gain insights directly from the users.