How you or your product speaks to users is integral to their experience and has notable impact. Tone dictates how your content feels in digital spaces that lack face-to-face communication.
Tone of voice is everywhere in UX and content design, from hero banners to button text and error messages. A casual tone on a corporate website may come across as unprofessional, while a formal voice on a social media can feel detached and unengaging.
Knowing your audience is key to good design. Who are your users? What are their expectations? How can you align with them?
Consider the following:
Think of your product or brand as a person. How does that person talk and act?
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Figure: Example - Casual, fun, irreverent, and enthusiastic
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Figure: Example - Formal, serious, respectful, and matter-of-fact
In a UX study by the Nielsen Norman Group users gave feedback on 4 websites. They saw 2 versions of each site, where the only difference was tone of voice. Users displayed clear preferences for each product. The right tone felt more credible and trustworthy - key measures of desirability.
The tone of voice that creates that feeling of trust will differ based on your specific audience and their concerns.