Conversational vs. casual — the different tones in UX writing

We’ve all heard about the importance of writing conversational copy. But what does that actually mean? How should the inevitable pushback be addressed?

Conversational

“Conversational” simply means writing how a human would talk and not like a computer.

For example, that might mean using positive contractions, e.g., I’ll, we’re. (Negative contractions are not in line with the Readability Guidelines, though every rule has exceptions. My personal rule of thumb has been to err on the side of not using negative contractions, making exceptions for very light situations where the message does not have a lot of gravity. For example, I would write, “You are not approved”, not “aren’t approved”, because that’s heavy, but I’d be OK with, “Not your jam? Don’t worry” because that’s not an important sentence anyway.)

However, “conversational” is not a free-for-all. For example, it’s usually still best to avoid slang for the sake of inclusivity and translations. “Conversational” doesn’t mean write how your 12 year old texts. It just means to sound human.

Casual

“Casual” means familiar and informal. Like how buddies would talk, not a banker to the board of directors or a surgeon to her patient right before go time. Whether your copy is casual is a bigger voice and tone topic. It’s right for some brands and not right for others.

“Conversational” is always right.

One of the books I always recommend when asked about getting into UX writing is “The Man Who Lied to His Laptop” by Clifford Nass. He covers really interesting and well done research on how people expect digital interfaces to sound like humans and the damage to product engagement when they don’t.

A newly promoted teaching assistant will speak conversationally because she’s a person, even if she does not consider her relationship with her students casual.

So what’s the problem?

A lot of people still don’t get the difference between “conversational” and “casual” and as UX writers we get pushback to conversational copy that it’s too casual. That’s like saying a party is too lively — parties should always be lively, maybe you mean too loud. But lively and loud are not the same thing. You can have lively without loud and you can have conversational without casual. There are times and places where loud, and casual, are appropriate, but not always; they are not synonymous with conversational and loud.

I do not actually have a good way out of this conundrum. Examples usually help. You might try explaining it in terms of personalities because really, your brand voice should reflect your brand’s personality. Assume your brand voice is subdued and empathetic, like a depression hotline counselor. Maybe you’re writing the hotline’s mobile app. You’re writing the “Contact us” flow and your target audience is users in acute crisis.

• NO/Conversational and casual: Hey buddy, Things are rough. Give us a ring.
• NO/Not conversational, not casual: To Whom it May Concern: Enter your contact details.
• NO/Not conversational, and casual: Greetings, Submit a telephone number now and we will call.
• YES/Conversational, not casual: Hi there, Please leave the best number to reach you.

That last one is what we’re going for.

If you find yourself thinking, “Nobody talks like that!” Or, “I have actually never used that word in my entire life,” the copy is not conversational. That doesn’t mean you’ve never heard someone speak, or spoken yourself, in both formal and casual relationships, in both intimidating and familiar settings, with both positive and negative emotions behind your words. But in all of those scenarios, in all voices and all tones, you and those you interact with sound like people. Your copy should, too.