Archive for year: 2024

Original Source: https://smashingmagazine.com/2024/06/how-improve-microcopy-ux-writing-tips-non-ux-writers/

Throughout my UX writing career, I’ve held many different roles: a UX writer in a team of UX writers, a solo UX writer replacing someone who left, the first and only UX writer at a company, and even a teacher at a UX writing course, where I reviewed more than 100 home assignments. And oh gosh, what I’ve seen.

Crafting microcopy is not everyone’s strong suit, and it doesn’t have to be. Still, if you’re a UX designer, product manager, analyst, or marketing content writer working in a small company, on an MVP, or on a new product, you might have to get by without a UX writer. So you have the extra workload of creating microcopy. Here are some basic rules that will help you create clear and concise copy and run a quick health check on your designs.

Ensure Your Interface Copy Is Role-playable
Why it’s important:
To create a friendly, conversational experience;To work out a consistent interaction pattern.

When crafting microcopy, think of the interface as a dialog between your product and your user, where:

Titles, body text, tooltips, and so on are your “phrases.”
Button labels, input fields, toggles, menu items, and other elements that can be tapped or selected are the user’s “phrases.”

Ideally, you should be able to role-play your interface copy: a product asks the user to do something — the user does it; a product asks for information — the user types it in or selects an item from the menu; a product informs or warns the user about something — the user takes action.

For example, if your screen is devoted to an event and the CTA is for the user to register, you should opt for a button label like “Save my spot” rather than “Save your spot.” This way, when a user clicks the button, it’s as if they are pronouncing the phrase themselves, which resonates with their thoughts and intentions.

Be Especially Transparent And Clear When It Comes To Sensitive Topics
Why it’s important: To build trust and loyalty towards your product.

Some topics, such as personal data, health, or money, are extremely sensitive for people. If your product involves any limitations, peculiarities, or possible negative outcomes related to these sensitive topics, you should convey this information clearly and unequivocally. You will also need to collaborate with your UX/UI Designer closely to ensure you deliver this information in a timely manner and always make it visible without requiring the user to take additional actions (e.g., don’t hide it in tooltips that are only shown by tapping).

Here’s a case from my work experience. For quite some time, I’ve been checking homework assignments for a UX writing course. In this course, all the tasks have revolved around an imaginary app for dog owners. One of the tasks students worked on was creating a flow for booking a consultation with a dog trainer. The consultation had to be paid in advance. In fact, the money was blocked on the user’s bank card and charged three hours before the consultation. That way, a user could cancel the meeting for free no later than three hours before the start time. A majority of the students added this information as a tooltip on the checkout screen; if a user didn’t tap on it, they wouldn’t be warned about the possibility of losing money.

In a real-life situation, this would cause immense negativity from users: they may post about it on social media, and it will show the company in a bad light. Even if you occasionally resort to dark patterns, make sure you can afford any reputational risks.

So, when creating microcopy on sensitive topics:

Be transparent and honest about all the processes and conditions. For example, you’re a fintech service working with other service providers. Because of that, you have fees built into transactions but don’t know the exact amount. Explain to users how the fees are calculated, their approximate range (if possible), and where users can see more precise info.
Reassure users that you’ll be extremely careful with their data. Explain why you need their data, how you will use it, store and protect it from breaches, and so on.
If some restrictions or limitations are implied, provide options to remove them (if possible).

Ensure That The Button Label Accurately Reflects What Happens Next
Why it’s important:
To make your interface predictable, trustworthy, and reliable;To prevent user frustration.

The button label should reflect the specific action that occurs when the user clicks or taps it.

It might seem valid to use a button label that reflects the user’s goal or target action, even if it actually happens a bit later. For example, if your product allows users to book accommodations for vacations or business trips, you might consider using a “Book now” button in the booking flow. However, if tapping it leads the user to an order screen where they need to select a room, fill out personal details, and so on, the accommodation is not booked immediately. So you might want to opt for “Show rooms,” “Select a rate,” or another button label that better reflects what happens next.

Moreover, labels like “Buy now” or “Book now” might seem too pushy and even off-putting (especially when it comes to pricey products involving a long decision-making process), causing users to abandon your website or app in favor of ones with buttons that create the impression they can browse peacefully for as long as they need. You might want to let your users “Explore,” “Learn more,” “Book a call,” or “Start a free trial” first.

As a product manager or someone with a marketing background, you might want to create catchy and fancy button labels to boost conversion rates. For instance, when working on an investment app, you might label a button for opening a brokerage account as “Become an investor.” While this might appeal to users’ egos, it can also come across as pretentious and cheap. Additionally, after opening an account, users may still need to do many things to actually become investors, which can be frustrating. Opt for a straightforward “Open an account” button instead.

In this regard, it’s better not to promise users things that we can’t guarantee or that aren’t entirely up to us. For example, in a flow that includes an OTP password, it’s better to opt for the “Send a code” button rather than “Get a code” since we can’t guarantee there won’t be any network outages or other issues preventing the user from receiving an SMS or a push notification.

Finally, avoid using generic “Yes” or “No” buttons as they do not clearly reflect what happens next. Users might misread the text above or fail to notice a negation, leading to unexpected outcomes. For example, when asking for a confirmation, such as “Are you sure you want to quit?” you might want to go with button labels like “Quit” and “Stay” rather than just “Yes” and “No.”

Tip: If you have difficulty coming up with a button label, this may be a sign that the screen is poorly organized or the flow lacks logic and coherence. For example, a user has to deal with too many different entities and types of tasks on one screen, so the action can’t be summarized with just one verb. Or perhaps a subsequent flow has a lot of variations, making it hard to describe the action a user should take. In such cases, you might want to make changes to the screen (say, break it down into several screens) or the flow (say, add a qualifying question or attribute earlier so that the flow would be less branching).

Make It Clear To The User Why They Need To Perform The Action
Why it’s important:
To create transparency and build trust;To boost conversion rates.

An ideal interface is self-explanatory and needs no microcopy. However, sometimes, we need to convince users to do something for us, especially when it involves providing personal information or interacting with third-party products.

You can use the following formula: “To [get this], do [this] + UI element to make it happen.” For example, “To get your results, provide your email,” followed by an input field.

It’s better to provide the reasoning (“to get your results”) first and then the instructions (“provide your email” ): this way, the guidance is more likely to stick in the user’s memory, smoothly leading to the action. If you reverse the order — giving the instructions first and then the reasoning — the user might forget what they need to do and will have to reread the beginning of the sentence, leading to a less smooth and slightly hectic experience.

Ensure The UI Element Copy Doesn’t Explain How To Interact With This Very Element
Why it’s important:
If you need to explain how to interact with a UI element, it may be a sign that the interface is not intuitive;Risk omitting or not including more important, useful text.

Every now and then, I come across meaningless placeholders or excessive toggle copy that explains how to interact with the field or toggle. The most frequent example is the “Search” placeholder for a search field. Occasionally, I see button labels like “Press to continue.”

Mobile and web interfaces have been around for quite a while, and users understand how to interact with buttons, toggles, and fields. Therefore, explanations such as “click,” “tap,” “enter,” and so on seem excessive in most cases. Perhaps it’s only with a group of checkboxes that you might add something like “Select up to 5.”

You might want to add something more useful. For example, instead of a generic “Search” placeholder for a search field, use specific instances a user might type in. If you’re a fashion marketplace, try placeholders like “oversized hoodies,” “women’s shorts,” and so on. Keep in mind the specifics of your website or app: ensure the placeholder is neither too broad nor too specific, and if a user types something like you’ve provided, their search will be successful.

Stick To The Rule “1 Microcopy Item = 1 Idea”
Why it’s important:
Not to create extra cognitive load, confusion, or friction;To ensure a smooth and simple experience.

Users have short attention spans, scan text instead of reading it thoroughly, and can’t process multiple ideas simultaneously. That’s why it’s crucial to break information down into easily digestible chunks instead of, for example, trying to squeeze all the restrictions into one tooltip.

The golden rule is to provide users only with the information they need at this particular stage to take a specific action or make a decision.

You’ll need to collaborate closely with your designer to ensure the information is distributed over the screen evenly and you don’t overload one design element with a lot of text.

Be Careful With Titles Like “Done,” “Almost There,” “Attention,” And So On
Why it’s important:
Not to annoy a user;To be more straightforward and economical with users’ time;Not to overuse their attention;Not to provoke anxiety.

Titles, written in bold and larger font sizes, grab users’ attention. Sometimes, titles are the only text users actually read. Titles stick better in their memory, so they must be understandable as a standalone text.

Titles like “One more thing” or “Almost there” might work well if they align with a product’s tone of voice and the flows where they appear are cohesive and can hardly be interrupted. But keep in mind that users might get distracted.

Use this quick check: set your design aside for about 20 minutes, do something else, and then open only the screen for which you’re writing a title. Is what happens on this screen still understandable from the title? Do you easily recall what has or hasn’t happened, what you were doing, and what should be done next?

Don’t Fall Back On Abstract Examples
Why it’s important:
To make the interface more precise and useful;To ease the navigation through the product for a user;To reduce cognitive load.

Some products (e.g., any B2B or financial ones) involve many rules and restrictions that must be explained to the user. To make this more understandable, use real-life examples (with specific numbers, dates, and so on) rather than distilling abstract information into a hint, tooltip, or bottom sheet.

It’s better to provide explanations using real-life examples that users can relate to. Check with engineers if it’s possible to get specific data for each user and add variables and conditions to show every user the most relevant microcopy. For example, instead of saying, “Your deposit limit is $1,000 per calendar month,” you could say, “Until Jan 31, you can deposit $400 more.” This relieves the user of unnecessary work, such as figuring out the start date of the calendar month in their case and calculating the remaining amount.

Try To Avoid Negatives
Why it’s important:
Not to increase cognitive load;To prevent friction.

As a rule of thumb, it’s recommended to avoid double negatives, such as “Do not unfollow.” However, I’d go further and advise avoiding single negatives as well. The issue is that to decipher such a message, a user has to perform an excessive logical operation: first eliminating the negation, then trying to understand the gist.

For example, when listing requirements for a username, saying “Don’t use special characters, spaces, or symbols” forces a user to speculate (“If this is not allowed, then the opposite is allowed, which must be…”). It can take additional time to figure out what falls under “special characters.” To simplify the task for the user, opt for something like “Use only numbers and letters.”

Moreover, a user can easily overlook the “not” part and misread the message.

Another aspect worth noting is that negation often seems like a restriction or prohibition, which nobody likes. In some cases, especially in finance, all those don’ts might be perceived with suspicion rather than as precaution.

Express Action With Verbs, Not Nouns
Why it’s important:
To avoid wordiness;To make text easily digestible.

When describing an action, use a verb, not a noun. Nouns that convey the meaning of verbs make texts harder to read and give off a legalistic vibe.

Here are some sure signs you need to paraphrase your text for brevity and simplicity:

Forms of “be” as the main verbs;
Noun phrases with “make” (e.g., “make a payment/purchase/deposit”);
Nouns ending in -tion, -sion, -ment, -ance, -ency (e.g., cancellation);
Phrases with “of” (e.g., provision of services);
Phrases with “process” (e.g., withdrawal process).

Make Sure You Use Only One Term For Each Entity
Why it’s important: Not to create extra cognitive load, confusion, and anxiety.

Ensure you use the same term for the same object or action throughout the entire app. For example, instead of using “account” and “profile” interchangeably, choose one and stick to it to avoid confusing your users.

The more complicated and/or regulated your product is, the more vital it is to choose precise wording and ensure it aligns with legal terms, the wording users see in the help center, and communication with support agents.

Less “Oopsies” In Error Messages
Why it’s important:
Not to annoy a user;To save space for more important information.

At first glance, “Oops” may seem sweet and informal (yet with an apologetic touch) and might be expected to decrease tension. However, in the case of repetitive or serious errors, the effect will be quite the opposite.

Use “Oops” and similar words only if you’re sure it suits your brand’s tone of voice and you can finesse it.

As a rule of thumb, good error messages explain what has happened or is happening, why (if we know the reason), and what the user should do. Additionally, include any sensitive information related to the process or flow where the error appears. For example, if an error occurs during the payment process, provide users with information concerning their money.

No Excessive Politeness
Why it’s important: Not to waste precious space on less critical information.

I’m not suggesting we remove every single “please” from the microcopy. However, when it comes to interfaces, our priority is to convey meaning clearly and concisely and explain to users what to do next and why. Often, if you start your microcopy with “please,” you won’t have enough space to convey the essence of your message. Users will appreciate clear guidelines to perform the desired action more than a polite message they struggle to follow.

Remove Tech Jargon
Why it’s important:
To make the interface understandable for a broad audience;To avoid confusion and ensure a frictionless experience.

As tech specialists, we’re often subject to the curse of knowledge, and despite our efforts to prioritize users, tech jargon can sneak into our interface copy. Especially if our product targets a wider audience, users may not be tech-savvy enough to understand terms like “icon.”

To ensure your interface doesn’t overwhelm users with professional jargon, a quick and effective method is to show the interface to individuals outside your product group. If that’s not feasible, here’s how to identify jargon: it’s the terminology you use in daily meetings among yourselves or in Jira task titles (e.g., authorization, authentication, and so on), or abbreviations (e.g., OTP code, KYC process, AML rules, and so on).

Ensure That Empty State Messages Don’t Leave Users Frustrated
Why it’s important:
For onboarding and navigation;To increase discoverability of particular features;To promote or boost the use of the product;To reduce cognitive load and anxiety about the next steps.

Quite often, a good empty state message is a self-destructing one, i.e. one that helps a user to get rid of this emptiness. An empty state message shouldn’t just state “there’s nothing here” — that’s obvious and therefore unnecessary. Instead, it should provide users with a way out, smoothly guiding them into using the product or a specific feature. A well-crafted empty message can even boost conversions.

Of course, there are exceptions, for example, in a reactive interface like a CRM system for a restaurant displaying the status of orders to workers. If there are no orders in progress and, therefore, no corresponding empty state message, you can’t nudge or motivate restaurant workers to create new orders themselves.

Place All Important Information At The Beginning
Why it’s important:
To keep the user focused;Not to overload a user with info;Avoid information loss due to fading or cropping.

As mentioned earlier, users have short attention spans and often don’t want to focus on the texts they read, especially microcopy. Therefore, ensure you place all necessary information at the beginning of your text. Omit lead-ins, introductory words, and so on. Save less vital details for later in the text.

Ensure Title And Buttons Are Understandable Without Body Text
Why it’s important:
For clarity;To overcome the serial position effect;To make sure the interface, the flow, and the next steps are understandable for a user even if they scan the text instead of reading.

There’s a phenomenon called the serial position effect: people tend to remember information better if it’s at the beginning or end of a text or sentence, often overlooking the middle part. When it comes to UX/UI design, this effect is reinforced by the visual hierarchy, which includes the bigger font size of the title and the accentuated buttons. What’s more, the body text is often longer, which puts it at risk of being missed. Since users tend to scan rather than read, ensure your title and buttons make sense even without the body text.

Wrapping up

Trying to find the balance between providing a user with all the necessary explanations, warnings, and reasonings on one hand and keeping the UI intuitive and frictionless on the other hand is a tricky task.

You can facilitate the process of creating microcopy with the help of ChatGPT and AI-based Figma plugins such as Writer or Grammarly. But beware of the limitations these tools have as of now.

For instance, creating a prompt that includes all the necessary details and contexts can take longer than actually writing a title or a label on your own. Grammarly is a nice tool to check the text for typos and mistakes, but when it comes to microcopy, its suggestions might be a bit inaccurate or confusing: you might want to, say, omit articles for brevity or use elliptical sentences, and Grammarly will identify it as a mistake.

You’ll still need a human eye to evaluate the microcopy &mdahs; and I hope this checklist will come in handy.

Microcopy Checklist

General

✅ Microcopy is role-playable (titles, body text, tooltips, etc., are your “phrases”; button labels, input fields, toggles, menu items, etc. are the user’s “phrases”).

Information presentation & structure

✅ The user has the exact amount of information they need right now to perform an action — not less, not more.
✅ Important information is placed at the beginning of the text.
✅ It’s clear to the user why they need to perform the action.
✅ Everything related to sensitive topics is always visible and static and doesn’t require actions from a user (e.g., not hidden in tooltips).
✅ You provide a user with specific information rather than generic examples.
✅ 1 microcopy item = 1 idea.
✅ 1 entity = 1 term.
✅ Empty state messages provide users with guidelines on what to do (when possible and appropriate).

Style

✅ No tech jargon.
✅ No excessive politeness, esp. at the expense of meaning.
✅ Avoid or reduce the use of “not,” “un-,” and other negatives.
✅ Actions are expressed with verbs, not nouns.

Syntax

✅ UI element copy doesn’t explain how to interact with this very element.
✅ Button label accurately reflects what happens next.
✅ Fewer titles like “done,” “almost there,” and “attention.”
✅ “Oopsies” in error messages are not frequent and align well with the brand’s tone of voice.
✅ Title and buttons are understandable without body text.

Headings

✅ The main article heading is an h1 — a level 1 heading. Use level 2 and level 3 headings to break up your text.

Images

✅ Standard images need to be at least 800px wide. We also have the option of full-width images for very detailed views. If using Dropbox Paper or Google Docs, add your images inline, but please also add them to the list at the end of this template so we can be sure we have them all in high-resolution format.

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/top-wordpress-developer-plugins/?utm_source=rss

A review of top WordPress developer plugins in 2024 for crafting perfect websites, booking pages, and more.

Continue reading
Essential Plugins for WordPress Developers: Top Picks for 2024
on SitePoint.

Original Source: https://abduzeedo.com/rocrea-furnitures-sustainable-and-elegant-branding-visual-identity

Rocrea Furniture’s Sustainable and Elegant Branding & Visual Identity

abduzeedo0701—24

Discover how Hosam.Brands redefined Rocrea Furniture’s branding and visual identity with sustainability and elegance.

Rocrea Furniture, a UK-based brand, merges sustainability and elegance in its designs. Known for its commitment to eco-friendly materials and methods, Rocrea creates handcrafted pieces that resonate with environmentally conscious consumers. This article delves into how Hosam.Brands revamped Rocrea’s branding and visual identity, aligning with the brand’s core values and market position.

Rocrea Furniture stands out for its dedication to sustainability and elegance. The brand’s philosophy is to create furniture that not only serves contemporary living needs but also preserves the natural beauty of materials. Each piece is handcrafted, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern aesthetics, ensuring versatility and eco-friendliness.

Understanding the vital connection between brand perception and success, Rocrea enlisted Hosam.Brands to overhaul their brand and visual identity. The objective was clear: to ensure the brand resonated deeply with its ethos and stood out in a competitive market.

The comprehensive approach aimed to create a cohesive and powerful visual identity that reflected Rocrea’s commitment to sustainability and elegance.

The Challenge

Rocrea’s primary challenge was to design a unique and sustainable dining table that appeals to eco-conscious consumers in the UK. The table needed to incorporate a blend of modern and traditional elements, be space-efficient for urban living, and utilize environmentally friendly materials and production methods.

The Solution: Eco-Blend Dining Table

To meet this challenge, Rocrea developed the “Eco-Blend Dining Table.” This innovative product exemplifies Rocrea’s values:

• Sustainable Materials: Made from reclaimed wood sourced sustainably within the UK.

• Space-Efficient Design: Features a modular design perfect for urban living spaces.

• Blend of Aesthetics: Merges traditional craftsmanship with modern design elements.

• Eco-Friendly Finishes: Uses environmentally friendly finishes for durability and aesthetics.

• Local Production: Produced locally to reduce carbon footprint, packaged with eco-friendly materials, and offered at a competitive price point.

Visual Identity Elements

1. Logo Design: The logo created by Hosam.Brands is both modern and timeless, reflecting the brand’s blend of contemporary and traditional styles. It is simple yet elegant, embodying Rocrea’s sustainable ethos.

2. Color Palette: Earthy tones dominate the color scheme, emphasizing Rocrea’s commitment to natural materials and eco-friendly practices. These colors create a warm and inviting feel, aligning with the brand’s aesthetic.

3. Typography: The chosen fonts are clean and sophisticated, enhancing the brand’s modern yet classic appeal. This typography supports Rocrea’s identity as a provider of elegant and sustainable furniture.

4. Print Design: Hosam.Brands ensured that all print materials, from business cards to brochures, reflected the brand’s core values and aesthetic. Eco-friendly printing techniques and materials were used to stay true to Rocrea’s sustainability mission.

Rocrea Furniture’s redefined branding and visual identity by Hosam.Brands successfully encapsulates the brand’s dedication to sustainability and elegance. The Eco-Blend Dining Table serves as a testament to Rocrea’s innovative approach to eco-friendly design. For a closer look at the project, visit Behance.

Branding and visual identity artifacts

For more information make sure to check out  hosam.brands

Original Source: https://ecommerce-platforms.com/articles/shopify-editions-winter-2024

As someone who works regularly with the Shopify platform, exploring features, reviewing apps, and even helping to build and optimize websites, I always look forward to the company’s bi-annual “Editions” event. Twice a year, Shopify’s “Editions” announcements give me an insight into the new innovations the brand is investing in, and its evolving strategy for enhancing ecommerce.

The last Shopify Editions’ event from Summer 2023 introduced us to the rise of Shopify Magic (and Sidekick), Shopify’s AI-powered tools for site development and growth. Plus, it highlighted the new Shop app for mobile shoppers, an enhanced admin interface and online store editor, as well as dozens of new tools and APIs for developers.

The Winter 2024 Editions event, taking place on January 31st, 2024, was just as exciting. Whether you’re a Shopify developer, store owner, or you’re simply interested in all of the unique new features Shopify has to offer, here’s your complete guide to the latest updates, for the start of 2024.

Key Takeaways:

Shopify’s conversion feature updates will give companies more freedom to sell and promote multiple variants of their products. They’ll also improve user experiences, through enhanced semantic search, and empower companies to sell more through bundles and subscriptions.

Shopify’s upgraded and extendible checkout experience will give companies more freedom to enhance the final point of the sales journey for customers. Organizations will also have access to new Shop Pay features, and checkout-focused apps.

Omnichannel updates on Shopify will enhance the in-store selling experience, with new Shopify POS features, and the powerful all-in-one Shopify Terminal. Plus, companies will be able to access more B2B sales tools, and advanced international sales features.

In the marketing space, Shopify is giving companies more tools for creating cross-channels campaigns, deeper insights into customer segments and audiences, and powerful solutions for tracking down collaborators and influencers.

New AI features in Shopify will simplify everything from photo editing, to page development, store creation, and sales optimization. Plus, companies will now have more advanced tools for automating workflows, and improving data privacy

What’s New in Shopify: Winter ‘24

Most Shopify Editions combine basic quality of life upgrades (like improvements to your Shopify dashboard and admin experience, with new features and capabilities). As we head into 2024, it seems like Shopify is investing heavily in positioning itself as the ultimate platform for scalable, omnichannel sales, with and flexible development.

To make it easier to understand the value of all the latest updates, I’m going to break them down into key sections. Feel free to skip to the segment that’s most relevant to you.

Shopify’s Conversion Feature Updates

To help boost retailer conversions in the increasingly competitive ecommerce world, Shopify has introduced various updates focusing on product merchandising, semantic search, store performance, and the already world-class Shopify checkout experience.

The Updates to Product Merchandising Tools

One of the most exciting “product merchandising” updates to emerge this year, was the new capability to create up to 2,000 variants of all your different products. In the past, you were limited to only 99 variants on Shopify. Now, there are new product APIs that give you complete control over offering your customers a range of options, with out creating endless separate listings.  

Currently, the GraphQL API is only available to select businesses, but it will be more accessible in the months and years ahead, giving you plenty of scope to scale your business.

On top of this, Shopify also introduced a “combined listings” app, which allows merchants to create product listings that combine all of the various variations of a products into a centralized product listing. Each variation can still have its own URL, image carousel, publishing controls, product description and title, to ensure every product stands out.

Plus, the updated taxonomy on Shopify means companies can now map each product category they offer to a range of associated attributes, making it easier to classify and organize products, and even generate variants automatically. Other updates include:

The ability to manage multiple variants at once with an updated variants card.

Flexible color and pattern swatches for every product listing.

A unified single file picker for videos, images, and 3D models on your product and variant pages.

The option to add new meta objects, or edit existing definitions for your metaobject-powered pages within the Shopify store editor.

Semantic Search and New Sales Experiences

Semantic Search is one of the most exciting new AI-powered storefront features on Shopify. The solution goes beyond basic “keyword matching” search tools, using intelligence to understand the intent behind each customer search. For instance, customers could simply search for “something warm for winter” to get a list of suggested products.

Companies can also add visual filters to swatches to filter the options customers see in search result pages and collection pages. Plus, you can customize your filter logic, to help customers find products that match various values. For instance, customers can search for jackets that are “short”, “insulated”, and “waterproof” at the same time.

Alongside the new search experience, Shopify is giving companies new ways to unlock additional revenue, with new sales strategies. For instance, the native Shopify Subscriptions app, which I reviewed here, is now generally available. It allows companies to increase customer lifetime value and unlock recurring revenue with customizable subscriptions. Plus, it’s available for free.

Companies can also access:

Shopify Bundles: While Shopify bundles were already a feature on the platform, the number of products you can offer in a bundle has now been increased from 10 to 30.

New discounts: Companies can now access a wide variety of new discounts to entice buyers, such as “automatic free shipping” for customers who spend a certain amount, or “buy X, get Y” promotions. Customers will also see exactly how much they’re saving in the cart.

An enhanced web performance dashboard: The new web performance dashboard integrated into Shopify helps companies to enhance customer experience with insights into three of the most important “Core Website Vitals” recognized by Google.

The Upgraded Shopify Checkout Experience

Shopify has boasted one of the most powerful and intuitive checkout experiences for years. However, many clients and companies I’ve worked with have lamented the fact that the checkout hasn’t been particularly customizable. Now, that could be starting to change.

Shopify has introduced 14 new APIs and UI components, to help Shopify Plus users create unique checkout experiences. The new checkout extensibility offerings may only be available to Shopify Plus vendors, but there are various other upgrades to the checkout to explore too, such as:

Shopify’s one-page checkout design is now the standard for the platform, reducing buyer completion times by up to 4 seconds, and accelerating loading speeds.

90+ new apps on the Shopify app store, specifically designed to enhance checkout interactions with upsells, loyalty programs, conversion tracking, and surveys.

New Shop Pay features, such as the ability to integrate Shop Pay with any checkout, and boost conversion rates with Shop Pay Instalments.

Checkout sheet kits: The checkout sheet kit allows companies to bring their own customized checkout experience directly into an ecommerce mobile app.

Thank you and order page extensions, available to customize with your brand logo, colors, font choices, headers, and images.

Shopify’s Omnichannel Updates

One of the main reasons why I often recommend Shopify as a top choice for ecommerce vendors, is that it’s so flexible. With Shopify you can sell through your own website, marketplace channels, social media platforms, and even in-person, with Shopify POS.

The introduction of Shopify POS Terminal in Shopify Editions Winter ’24 will further enhance in-store sales experiences, giving companies an all-in-one solution for accepting tap, chip, and swipe payments, capturing customer information, and showcasing their brand.

The POS offering also now includes:

The ability to manage UI extensions across various locations within the admin interface.

A streamlined smart grid editor in the admin interface.

Customizable receipts that match your brand image perfectly.

Access to fulfilment tasks and features within Shopify POS.

The option to attribute online sales to retail locations with “Send Cart”.

Shopify tax for managing taxes, cancelling, and voiding orders in Shopify POS.

Advanced security with new staff permissions and enhanced PINs.

Retail inventory transfers with the Stocky inventory transfers app extension

Shopify also made its Shopify POS Go hardware available to companies in the UK and Ireland this year, and even introduced a new feature that allows users to log out from devices remotely.

Shopify B2B Updates

If you’re running a B2B company on Shopify, you’re in luck. This year’s latest Editions’ event revealed a host of updates for B2B companies, including a brand-new theme, specially designed for B2B wholesale companies, and a new set of tools for staff permissions.

For instance, you can now determine which staff members should be able to place orders, view customer information and more for specific locations.

Shopify also introduced:

Headless B2B storefronts: You might already be familiar with Shopify’s tools for headless commerce, like the Hydrogen platform. Now, these tools are also available for B2B storefronts, allowing users to create unique experiences by combining Shopify’s ecommerce capabilities with bespoke front-end designs.

Shopify Collective: Shopify’s Collective solution allows companies to expand their product portfolio with access to thousands of third-party brands. You can narrow your search for marketplace partners using a range of filters for category, margins, free shipping, and more. And even track Shopify collective orders on a supplier timeline.

Marketplace connect: Shopify Marketplace Connect upgrades now allow companies to select inventory locations for each regional marketplace, and streamline the apparel listing process with automation tools.

Plus, Shopify just partnered with Faire, one of the world’s leading wholesale companies, to help brands reach new B2B customers through the Faire: Sell Wholesale app.

Shopify Markets Pro: Simplified international Selling

If you sell products internationally, you’re probably already familiar with Shopify Markets – one of my favorite tools offered by the company. Shopify Markets allows you to identify, setup, and manage international market experiences from a single store.

In Editions Winter ’24, Shopify announced the general release of Shopify Markets Pro, an upgraded version of Shopify Markets with even more automation, a merchant record of service, and exciting new features, like standard delivery options accessible through DHL, and USPS, and the option to “filter by market” in your Shopify analytics.

There’s also a newly improved search function in the “Translate and Adapt” app for Shopify Markets, that helps to give users a more streamlined shopping experience.

Other updates to the Shopify Markets experience include the ability to edit orders from the order detail page, to offer payment in multiple currencies and invoice buyers. You can also access the “fulfillable inventory” tool, to match your inventory location with your intended market.

Shopify Marketing Updates

Before the latest update, Shopify already offered companies a handful of impressive marketing tools and features, including an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) friendly web design experience, Shopify Inbox for customer communications, and Shopify Audiences.

Now, companies will also have access to:

Advanced Shopify Audiences features: Shopify has developed enhanced algorithms that maximize performance on top of ad platforms. Plus, Shopify allows companies to compare ad performance to similar stores and industry groupings in Shopify Audiences.

Upgraded Shopify Collabs: Store owners can now easily discover creators across social platforms from within Shopify, accessing new tools for brand reputation development and growth. You can also pay commissions on autopilot with Shopify billing, and create consolidated creator profiles for all of your partners.

Shop Campaigns: Shop Campaigns empowers companies to attract new customers across a range of channels. You can create advertising initiatives to attract customers on the Shop app, the web, and soon, Google and Meta too. Plus, Shopify offers real-time analytics and estimates to help you scale campaigns.

New “Shop” features also allow companies to create shoppable videos and product recommendation quizzes, and increase order conversions using new lead capture forms. There’s even an enhanced “Shop AI assistant”, that can deliver personalized recommendations to customers.

For social proof, companies can display reviews across a wider range of surfaces, like your online store, Shop app, and Shopify Collective. Plus, you can add a “verified by Shop” badge to your online store. On top of all that, there are even more powerful marketing integrations to access in the Shopify app store, which can sync data between multiple marketing channels.

What’s more, you can use historical and predictive spend metrics in your Cohort analysis reports to increase insights into customer lifetime value.

Shopify Operations Updates: AI Innovations

While there have been a number of updates to the “Operational” experiences offered by Shopify, the most exciting announcements for me are all linked to Shopify’s investment in artificial intelligence.

Since Shopify made waves in 2023 with Shopify Magic, it’s been exploring ever-more exciting ways to empower companies with intelligent tools. Companies can now transform product images and photography with AI, using text-based prompts to manipulate their visual content.

You can remove and replace backgrounds, update image quality, and more, all without any design skills. You can also use Shopify Magic to make creating content a lot quicker and simpler. Just ask the tool to write a page for your brand, such as an FAQ page, and tweak the responses as needed.

Shopify Sidekick is also better than ever, with more in-depth insights into your organization, so it can provide you with tailored advice relevant to your business.

Other Major Shopify Operations Updates

Alongside the addition of enhanced AI tools, Shopify has also introduced features like:

Advanced data privacy: Increase customer trust with privacy and consent management tools organized onto centralized pages within your Shopify admin.

Shopify lending: A flexible new lending portfolio, building on Shopify Capital, to give companies access to Line of Credit, Term loan, and Cash advance options.

Shopify Tax: Shopify’s US sales tax report can automatically streamline your tax filing tasks, adapting calculations to your specific state and filing period.

Shopify app updates: With the Shopify Ios and Android apps, companies can now access a widget for tracking store performance, and even create interactive 3D models of products.

Stronger Shopify Flow experiences: Shopify Flow, the company’s innovative automated workflow builder now has more templates, and allows companies to set up automated notifications for failed workflows.

Enhanced shipping and fulfillment: Shopify’s shipping and fulfillment tools now come with fulfillable inventory tools, always-on address validation, and more options to edit shipping costs and discounts on orders.

There’s also advanced “native exchanges” available in Shopify, to help companies create, track, and manage exchanges for any order in the admin dashboard. Plus, Shopify’s app store has been enhanced with AI recommendations that guide companies to the add-ons and integrations they might need.

Other Major Shopify Updates for 2024

Alongside all of the significant updates and announcements mentioned above, Shopify also revealed a range of impending enhancements for developers in the Shopify community. Since I’m not a developer, I didn’t want to focus too heavily on these updates. However, you can expect to see:

New theme blocks: New reusable and customizable theme blocks and block presets, designed to help developers rapidly build custom stores and even dashboards for monitoring ecommerce site performance.

Hydrogen updates: The headless Hydrogen developer experience is being enhanced with features like the Subrequest profiler for site optimization, and tools for tracking the source of code errors. Plus, there will be tokenized links, customer privacy APIs, runtime mirroring solutions, and the ability to upgrade Hydrogen projects from the Shopify CLI.

Greater extensibility: Developers will now be able to build extensions directly into new accounts with the same UI components as Shopify checkout, alongside extension APIs, new components, and external network calls.

Other updates include the new Store Credit API and Primitive, a more developer-friendly Shopify Flow experience, and new tools to help developers list and earn money from their apps.

Exploring the Incredible Updates from Shopify Editions

I always love analyzing the latest updates revealed in Shopify’s “Editions” events. This year, Shopify is releasing even more features and tools that will help companies increase their sales, upgrade their marketing strategy, and unlock new avenues of revenue.

At the same time, the Shopify building, and development experience is becoming simpler and more flexible, with the addition of enhanced tools, and artificial intelligence.

All of these updates indicate Shopify is still perfectly positioned to preserve its reputation as one of the top ecommerce and SaaS platforms for growing brands.

The post Shopify Editions Winter 2024: The Most Important Releases, Updates, and Key Takeaways appeared first on Ecommerce Platforms.

Original Source: https://smashingmagazine.com/2024/06/how-make-strong-case-accessibility/

Getting support for accessibility efforts isn’t easy. There are many accessibility myths, wrong assumptions, and expectations that make accessibility look like a complex, expensive, and time-consuming project. Let’s fix that!

Below are some practical techniques that have been working well for me to convince stakeholders to support and promote accessibility in small and large companies.

This article is part of our ongoing series on UX. You might want to take a look at Smart Interface Design Patterns 🍣 and the upcoming live UX training as well. Use code BIRDIE to save 15% off.

Launching Accessibility Efforts

A common way to address accessibility is to speak to stakeholders through the lens of corporate responsibility and ethical and legal implications. Personally, I’ve never been very successful with this strategy. People typically dismiss concerns that they can’t relate to, and as designers, we can’t build empathy with facts, charts, or legal concerns.

The problem is that people often don’t know how accessibility applies to them. There is a common assumption that accessibility is dull and boring and leads to “unexciting” and unattractive products. Unsurprisingly, businesses often neglect it as an irrelevant edge case.

So, I use another strategy. I start conversations about accessibility by visualizing it. I explain the different types of accessibility needs, ranging from permanent to temporary to situational — and I try to explain what exactly it actually means to our products. Mapping a more generic understanding of accessibility to the specifics of a product helps everyone explore accessibility from a point that they can relate to.

And then I launch a small effort — just a few usability sessions, to get a better understanding of where our customers struggle and where they might be blocked. If I can’t get access to customers, I try to proxy test via sales, customer success, or support. Nothing is more impactful than seeing real customers struggling in their real-life scenario with real products that a company is building.

From there, I move forward. I explain inclusive design, accessibility, neurodiversity, EAA, WCAG, ARIA. I bring people with disabilities into testing as we need a proper representation of our customer base. I ask for small commitments first, then ask for more. I reiterate over and over and over again that accessibility doesn’t have to be expensive or tedious if done early, but it can be very expensive when retrofitted or done late.

Throughout that entire journey, I try to anticipate objections about costs, timing, competition, slowdowns, dullness — and keep explaining how accessibility can reduce costs, increase revenue, grow user base, minimize risks, and improve our standing in new markets. For that, I use a few templates that I always keep nearby just in case an argument or doubts arise.

Useful Templates To Make A Strong Case For Accessibility
1. “But Accessibility Is An Edge Case!”

❌ “But accessibility is an edge case. Given the state of finances right now, unfortunately, we really can’t invest in it right now.”

🙅🏽♀️ “I respectfully disagree. 1 in 6 people around the world experience disabilities. In fact, our competitors [X, Y, Z] have launched accessibility efforts ([references]), and we seem to be lagging behind. Plus, it doesn’t have to be expensive. But it will be very expensive once we retrofit much later.”

2. “But There Is No Business Value In Accessibility!”

❌ “We know that accessibility is important, but at the moment, we need to focus on efforts that will directly benefit business.”

🙅🏼♂️ “I understand what you are saying, but actually, accessibility directly benefits business. Globally, the extended market is estimated at 2.3 billion people, who control an incremental $6.9 trillion in annual disposable income. Prioritizing accessibility very much aligns with your goal to increase leads, customer engagement, mitigate risk, and reduce costs.” (via Yichan Wang)

3. “But We Don’t Have Disabled Users!”

❌ “Why should we prioritize accessibility? Looking at our data, we don’t really have any disabled users at all. Seems like a waste of time and resources.”

🙅♀️ “Well, if a product is inaccessible, users with disabilities can’t and won’t be using it. But if we do make our product more accessible, we open the door for prospect users for years to come. Even small improvements can have a high impact. It doesn’t have to be expensive nor time-consuming.”

4. “Screen Readers Won’t Work With Our Complex System!”

❌ “Our application is very complex and used by expert users. Would it even work at all with screen readers?”

🙅🏻♀️ “It’s not about designing only for screen readers. Accessibility can be permanent, but it can also be temporary and situational — e.g., when you hold a baby in your arms or if you had an accident. Actually, it’s universally useful and beneficial for everyone.”

5. “We Can’t Win Market With Accessibility Features!”

❌ “To increase our market share, we need features that benefit everyone and improve our standing against competition. We can’t win the market with accessibility.”

🙅🏾♂️ “Modern products succeed not by designing more features, but by designing better features that improve customer’s efficiency, success rate, and satisfaction. And accessibility is one of these features. For example, voice control and auto-complete were developed for accessibility but are now widely used by everyone. In fact, the entire customer base benefits from accessibility features.”

6. “Our Customers Can’t Relate To Accessibility Needs”

❌ “Our research clearly shows that our customers are young and healthy, and they don’t have accessibility needs. We have other priorities, and accessibility isn’t one of them.”

🙅♀️ “I respectfully disagree. People of all ages can have accessibility needs. In fact, accessibility features show your commitment to inclusivity, reaching out to every potential customer of any age, regardless of their abilities.

This not only resonates with a diverse audience but also positions your brand as socially responsible and empathetic. As you know, our young user base increasingly values corporate responsibility, and this can be a significant differentiator for us, helping to build a loyal customer base for years to come.” (via Yichan Wang)

7. “Let’s Add Accessibility Later”

❌ “At the moment, we need to focus on the core features of our product. We can always add accessibility later once the product is more stable.”

🙅🏼 “I understand concerns about timing and costs. However, it’s important to note that integrating accessibility from the start is far more cost-effective than retrofitting it later. If accessibility is considered after development is complete, we will face significant additional expenses for auditing accessibility, followed by potentially extensive work involving a redesign and redevelopment.

This process can be significantly more expensive than embedding accessibility from the beginning. Furthermore, delaying accessibility can expose your business to legal risks. With the increasing number of lawsuits for non-compliance with accessibility standards, the cost of legal repercussions could far exceed the expense of implementing accessibility now. The financially prudent move is to work on accessibility now.”

You can find more useful ready-to-use templates in Yichan Wang’s Designer’s Accessibility Advocacy Toolkit — a fantastic resource to keep nearby.

Building Accessibility Practices From Scratch

As mentioned above, nothing is more impactful than visualizing accessibility. However, it requires building accessibility research and accessibility practices from scratch, and it might feel like an impossible task, especially in large corporations. In “How We’ve Built Accessibility Research at Booking.com”, Maya Alvarado presents a fantastic case study on how to build accessibility practices and inclusive design into UX research from scratch.

Maya rightfully points out that automated accessibility testing alone isn’t reliable. Compliance means that a user can use your product, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a great user experience. With manual testing, we make sure that customers actually meet their goals and do so effectively.

Start by gathering colleagues and stakeholders interested in accessibility. Document what research was done already and where the gaps are. And then whenever possible, include 5–12 users with disabilities in accessibility testing.

Then, run a small accessibility initiative around key flows. Tap into critical touch points and research them. As you are making progress, extend to components, patterns, flows, and service design. And eventually, incorporate inclusive sampling into all research projects — at least 15% of usability testers should have a disability.

Companies often struggle to recruit testers with disabilities. One way to find participants is to reach out to local chapters, local training centers, non-profits, and public communities of users with disabilities in your country. Ask the admin’s permission to post your research announcement, and it won’t be rejected. If you test on site, add extra $25–$50 depending on disability transportation.

I absolutely love the idea of extending Microsoft’s Inclusive Design Toolkit to meet specific user needs of a product. It adds a different dimension to disability considerations which might be less abstract and much easier to relate for the entire organization.

As Maya noted, inclusive design is about building a door that can be opened by anyone and lets everyone in. Accessibility isn’t a checklist — it’s a practice that goes beyond compliance. A practice that involves actual people with actual disabilities throughout all UX research activities.

Wrapping Up

To many people, accessibility is a big mystery box. They might have never seen a customer with disabilities using their product, and they don’t really understand what it involves and requires. But we can make accessibility relatable, approachable, and visible by bringing accessibility testing to our companies — even if it’s just a handful of tests with people with disabilities.

No manager really wants to deliberately ignore the needs of their paying customers — they just need to understand these needs first. Ask for small commitments, and get the ball rolling from there.

Set up an accessibility roadmap with actions, timelines, roles and goals. Frankly, this strategy has been working for me much better than arguing about legal and moral obligations, which typically makes stakeholders defensive and reluctant to commit.

Fingers crossed! And a huge thank-you to everyone working on and improving accessibility in your day-to-day work, often without recognition and often fueled by your own enthusiasm and passion — thank you for your incredible work in pushing accessibility forward! 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾

Useful Resources
Making A Case For Accessibility

“How To Make The Business Case For Accessibility”, by R Gregory Williams
“How We’ve Built Accessibility Research at Booking.com”, by Maya Alvarado
“Designer’s Accessibility Advocacy Toolkit”, by Yichan Wang
“Making The Case for Accessibility”, by Susanna Zaraysky
“Making A Strong Case For Accessibility”, by Todd Libby
“Accessibility Case Studies and Success Stories”, by Deque
“Inclusive Design Toolkits and Templates”, by yours truly

Accessibility Testing

“A Comprehensive Guide to Accessible UX Research”, by Brian Grellmann
“Inclusive User Research: Recruiting Participants”, by Ela Gorla
“Testing With Blind Users: A Cheatsheet”, by Slava Shestopalov
“Mobile Accessibility Research with Screen-Reader Users”, by Tanner Kohler
“How To Conduct UX Research With Participants With Disabilities”, by Peter McNally
“How To Conduct Accessibility UX Research”, by AnswerLab

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