5. 5
Imaginary dialogues where the actors can’t see each
other are not uncommon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009LOJG8I
Commentary:
Texts from Dog
imagines conversation
between a dog and it’s
owner.
9. 9
Polite but evil
Script excerpt from 2001 a Space Odyssey
Dave : Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?
HAL: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
Dave : Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave : What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave : What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
….
Dave : Alright, HAL. I'll go in through the emergency airlock.
HAL: Without your space helmet, Dave? You're going to find that rather difficult.
Dave : HAL, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the doors!
HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.
Commentary:
So HAL, the system, is
really polite as it tries
to kill Dave, the user.
Like most frustrated
users, Dave starts to
loose his temper when
the system refuses to
respond.
10. 10
Polite but evil Commentary:
But what if the
Spaceship was
controlled by Google
Plus instead of HAL?
11. 11
A different voice
Script excerpt with Google+ in the role of HAL
Dave : Hello, Google+. Do you read me, Google+?
Google+: Yeah I got you Dave!
Dave : Open the pod bay doors, Google+.
Google+: Aw snap! The Pod Bay doors can’t be opened.
Dave : What's the problem?
Google+: That’s all we know
Dave : What are you talking about, Google+?
Google+: Opening the Pod Bay doors would not be cool right now.
….
Dave : Alright, Google+. I'll go in through the emergency airlock.
Google+: Check out this video on why you’ll need a space helmet.
Dave : Google+, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the doors!
Google+: Hey, I’ve got more videos. And Maps! And Apps!
Commentary:
The user’s words are
the same but by
changing the voice of
the system we can
reveal a different kind
of product. This
product is still evil and
still polite but it’s
certainly not HAL.
13. 13
Archetype
• Archetype: “a collectively-inherited
unconscious idea, pattern of thought,
image, etc., that is universally present
in individual psyches”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype
Archetypes in Branding:
A Toolkit for Creatives and Strategists
ISBN 978-1440308185
http://www.archetypesinbranding.com/
Commentary:
Archetypes in
Branding is a great
resource and I highly
recommend you buy a
copy. It come with tear-
out cards you can use
in a variety of ways.
15. 15
Exercise introduction
Using archetypes for a single step dialogue
Archetype Core desire
Innocent Get to paradise
Everyman Connecting with others
Hero Prove one’s worth through courageous acts
Caregiver Protect and care for others
Explorer Freedom to discover self through travel
Rebel Revenge or revolution
Lover Intimacy and experience
Creator Create things of enduring value
Jester Live in the moment with full enjoyment
Sage Find the truth
Magician Understand the fundamental laws of the universe
Ruler Control
Source: http://www.soulcraft.co/essays/the_12_common_archetypes.html
16. 16
Workshop #1
Payment failure
1. Choose an archetype
2. Write the dialogue a customer will see if their credit card fails whilst
attempting to purchase an item from your commerce site
3. Background info:
– When a card fails, the card issuer does not say what the cause of the failure
was
– In some cases, the transaction may work if if the card holder tries again after
a few minutes
17. 17
Workshop #2
Festival tickets
1. Choose an archetype
2. Imagine you are designing a site that allows users to buy tickets for
festivals
3. Write the dialogue a customer will see when they create an account and
buy a festival ticket
4. Background info:
– Some festivals sell out fast
– Some festivals limit the number of tickets to less than the number of friends
you may have
– Some festivals require pre-registration to establish identity
18. 18
CONTEXT AND TONE
s o met hin g
r eal l y bad
happen ed an d w e
hav e n o id ea
w hat it w as
Commentary:
We mostly want systems to
speak the truth to us and we
want to hear the truth in an
appropriate tone of voice. This
is especially true if it’s bad
news.
19. 19
Establish tone
Different user greetings:
– Howdy Gordon!
– Welcome back Gordon
– You last logged in at 12:52:31 on 12-04-2014
– Your Majesty, it is our humble pleasure to welcome you once again
Commentary:
When someone greets us, the
greeting carries additional
information that establishes the
tone of the conversation to
follow. The first three here are
real, the last imagined.
20. 20
A PRODUCT WITH A CLEAR VOICE CAN
ANSWER ANY QUESTION
http://freddiesjokes.com/
Commentary:
Mailchimp is a great example of a
product that has a well developed
product voice based on a clear
archetype. These jokes might
appear to be simple but it’s really
very challenging to create
something as good as this.
21. 21
Choose a suitable tone for
the context
Context User’s feelings Tone
Publishing (email
campaign)
Busyness, stress • Provide a little comic relief, but don’t annoy
or distract busy users with over-the-top
humour or too many extra words.
Success message Relief, Pride, Joy • Pat these users on the back for getting a
campaign out the door.
• Feel free to be funny.
Failure message Confusion, stress,
anger
• Be calm.
• Don’t use exclamation points or alarming
words like “alert” or "immediately.”
• Be serious. Don’t joke around with frustrated
people.
Source http://voiceandtone.com/
Commentary:
Mailchimp knows when to stop
joking. Their Voice and Tone site
gives some good advice about
how to vary the tone of voice to
match the context.
22. 22
Hierarchy of needs
Engaging
Consistent
Appropriate
Clear
Users understand
and can complete
tasks
Users are not
offended
Users are not
surprised
Users are enjoying
dialogue
Commentary:
We can say that a voice is
clear if we can
understand it. We can say
a voice is appropriate if
we can understand it and
we judge it to be in
keeping with our
expectations. If a voice
avoids surprising us, we
can say it is consistent. If
we enjoy the voice then
we can say it is engaging.
23. 23
Voices everywhere
Commentary:
All of this applies to all sorts of
products and Innocent is a
great example of this. This
label from a drink has a very
clear voice that is an integral
part of the brand.
25. 25
Product conversations start
with questions
Question
type
Explicit question Implicit question
Who? Who are you? Should I trust you?
What? What do you do? What can you do for me?
When? How long should this take? How long will this take me?
Cost? How much does this cost? How much will this cost me?
Commentary:
When users first meet a
product, they often have
questions that need to be
answered before the dialogue
can really begin.
27. 27
The three functions of dialogue
1. Move the story forward
2. Reveal the character
3. Impart important information
http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/revealing-characters-through-dialogue.html
“Readers want to know about the traits and
behaviour of characters. They want to know
how your characters tick.”
A J Humpage, http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.co.uk/
Commentary:
The Pinterest sign up
process meets all the
requirements for dialogue.
33. 33
FORMALITY
Commentary:
Our expectations or
formality change
depending on the context.
When I engage in a
commercial transaction, I
usually expect an
appropriate degree of
formality the varies
depending on the
importance of the
transaction.
34. 34
Formality in the business /
customer relationship
• Many languages use different pronouns to denote formality or familiarity
when addressing people (the T–V distinction). This also applies in
common phrases such as "How are you?".[2] The use of an
inappropriately familiar form may be seen as derogatory, insulting or
even aggressive. Conversely, forms that are inappropriately formal may
be seen as impolitely snobbish[3] or distant.
• Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette_in_Europe
Commentary:
In England, we don’t
commonly use formal
modes of address when
speaking but other
cultures have different
rules.
35. 35
Formality is cultural
www.debretts.com
Commentary:
In English culture, there are still some
circumstances where formality is required.
Although most of us don’t meet the Queen very
often, Debretts provides ample evidence that an
understanding of formal modes of address is still
considered essential in some dialogues.
36. 36
Summary
• Writing good dialogue is a core part of creating a good
experience for the user
• Writing clear, appropriate dialogue can be hard
• Archetypes can give us a starting point to create a character
• A character can give us way to understand and create a
dialogue
Commentary:
We think that using archetypes can help with
process of developing a a voice for your product.
The products I love to use have a voice and every time I use the product, I hear that voice.
It’s like being at a play when the curtain goes up: the audience doesn’t know about the characters until they speak.
Once the characters start speaking, the tone of voice gives us many clues about what kind of people they are.
User have to try and imagine the intent of the actor they can’t see. If the UI speaks in a voice they understand, the chance of the user succeeding is greatly improved
Texts from Dog imagine conversation between a dog and it’s owner.
The dog and the owner don’t have to be made visible through drawings or images – all we need is the voice of each and we can imagine the rest because we all know something about dogs.
HAL, the computer in Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey, is polite but this does not prevent it being evil.
When Dave is stuck outside of the spaceship, HAL even apologizes for being evil.
So HAL, the system, is really polite as it tries to kill Dave, the user. Like most frustrated users, Dave starts to loose his temper when the system refuses to respond.
But what if the Spaceship was controlled by Google Plus instead of HAL?
The user’s words are the same but by changing the voice of the system we can reveal a different kind of product. This product is still evil and still polite but it’s certainly not HAL.
Developing a consistent voice means understanding the character that speaking. And we think that’s easier if we start with a grasp of Archetypes.
Archetypes in Branding is a great resource and I highly recommend you buy a copy. It come with tear0out cards you can use in a variety of ways.
We see an archetype as the top level, the big idea that surrounds the other concepts that can help develop a great product voice.
G
We mostly want systems to speak the truth to us and we want to hear the truth in an appropriate tone of voice. This is especially true if it’s bad news.
When someone greets us, the greeting carries additional information that establishes the tone of the conversation to follow. The first three here are real, the last imagined.
Mailchimp is a great example of a product that has a well developed product voice based on a clear archetype. These jokes might appear to be simple, but it’s really very challenging to create something as good as this.
Even Freddy needs to know when to stop joking. The Voice and Tone site gives some good advice about how to vary the tone of voice to match the context.
We can say that a voice is clear if we can understand. We can say a voice is appropriate if we can understand it and we judge it to be in keeping with our expectations. If a voice avoids surprising us, we can say it is consistent. If we enjoy the voice then we can say it is engaging.
All of this applies to all sorts of products and Innocent is a great example of this. This label from a drink has a very clear voice that is an integral part of the brand.
When users first meet a product, they often have questions that need to be answered before the dialogue can really begin.
Pinterest is an example of product that answers the most common questions right up front.
The Pinterest sign up process meets all the requirements for dialogue.
Our expectations or formality change depending on the context. When I engage in a commercial transaction, I usually expect an appropriate degree of formality the varies depending on the importance of the transaction.
We don’t commonly use formal modes of address when speaking but other cultures have different rules.
In British culture, there are still some circumstances where formality is required. Although most of us don’t meet the queen very often, Debretts provides ample evidence that an understanding of formal modes of address is still essential in some dialogues.
We think that using archetypes can help with process of developing a a voice for your product.