用数据驱动产品文案设计
数据是如何影响我们在Dropbox上的文案写作
BY John Saito
翻译：Kevin嚼薯片
写作是一种艺术。文字能令我们开心欢笑，能令感动流泪，或激励我们成就伟大的事。
但，写作也是一门科学。数据能辅助写作选题，也能帮助我们更客观地去思考我们写的东西。
什么是对的，什么是错的?
作为Dropbox的交互体验写手，我们的目标是确保写的每一个字都有意义。一个错误的用语就会破坏用户体验。一个模糊的按钮标签或陌生术语，会容易让用户感到沮丧。
为了确保我们选择了正确的词语，我们使用了一些不同的技巧来帮助做出明智的选择。
1. 谷歌趋势
假设你要在几个不同的词语之间做决定，而且你不确定哪个词是最好的。例如，在产品中应该使用下列哪一个?
- Log in
- Log on
- Sign in
- Sign on
（以上均为“登录”之意）
你可以尝试谷歌趋势。只需输入所有的项，用逗号分隔。谷歌趋势比较了人们在谷歌上搜索这些词语的频率。包括诸如“facebook登录”或“不能登录”之类的短语。
那么谷歌趋势怎么说？
用谷歌趋势比较词语
哈！看起来“sign in”是这里的赢家。意味着在提到这动作时更有可能使用“登录”。如果你想让你的词语符合用户的期望，“sign in”可能比其他选项更有效。
在Dropbox，我们意识到使用不同的词语来描述“版本历史”这个功能：
我们知道想要解决这个问题，但我们不确定使用哪个词。应该是“版本历史（version history）”，“文件历史（file history）”，或者甚至是“修订历史（revision history）”？我们必须考虑清楚，于是使用谷歌趋势作为数据点来帮助我们。
谷歌趋势显示，用户更倾向于搜索“版本历史（version history）”，这是我们现在将其称为“版本历史（version history）”的原因。
2. 谷歌 Ngram Viewer（图书扫描）
Ngram Viewer与谷歌趋势类似，搜索经过谷歌图书扫描的已出版书籍。你可以使用这数据来查看哪些词语在文学用语中更常用。
Dropbox最近在我们的iOS应用中推出了一款新的签名工具。在你签名的屏幕上，提示“签上你的签名（Sign Your Signature）”，然后我们重新审视这个词语。
我们知道“签上你的签名（Sign Your Signature）”听起来很有趣。但“听起来很有趣”并不是变更的原因。我们如何说服团队去变更它?
我们去使用Ngram Viewer，比较“签上你的签名（Sign Your Signature）”和“签上你的名字（sign your name）”。它告诉我们“签上你的签名（Sign Your Signature）”根本就不被使用。当我们与团队共享这些数据时，他们迅速地将其更改为“签上你的名字（sign your name）”。
用Ngram Viewer比较词语
3. 可读性测试
多年来，语言专家们开发了一些可读性测试，来衡量用户理解产品词语的容易程度。
许多测试会给你的写作水平评级。例如，8级意味着美国8年级学生能够理解的水平。
我用我之前写的一篇文章（《如何设计产品文案 - How to design words》）做了一个测试，结果如下：
Readability-Score.com的展示结果
你可以从这里得到很多有趣的数据。例如：
- 我的文章是六年级水平。
- 我的语气是中性偏积极。
- 我平均每个句子10.7个单词。(在Dropbox中，我们试图将句子保持在15个字内。)
如果你也想试试，下面是一些链接地址。有些测试会给你一些建议，让你的文章可读性更强。
- The Writer’s Readability Checker
4. 研究调查
试着对产品的新功能命名？或者是找到一个新的价值支持？在这样的情况下，你可以帮助建立一个研究调查。
许多调查工具能让你选择目标受众，这样你就可以容易地得到潜在用户的反馈。
这里是一些建立研究调查的链接：
在那一天，Dropbox进行了一项调查，以了解使用我们的产品最大的好处是什么。大多数人提到“获取”——从任何设备获取文件的能力。所以，我们在落地页重新设计时使用的很多词语都集中在“获取”上。
5. 用户研究
用户研究是对你的写作非常有价值的反馈方法。在一个典型的用户研究中，你邀请一些用户阅读你的文章，或者尝试使用一个产品，然后你问他们问题。这对于查看你的词语是否合理非常有帮助。
我们的研究人员最近进行了一项研究，我们测试了一种新的流量。有一个步骤是：
选择“删除本地副本”以节省空间。
我们问参与者是否懂得使用这个功能。大多数人都很难理解，也不认为它有用。然后我们把句子的顺序颠倒过来，让用户意识到它的作用：
节省空间请“删除本地副本”。
这一次，当他们使用这个功能时，参与者更愿意去使用这个功能。而我们所做的只是改变了句子的顺序。
这展示如何把直觉变成一个测试，你可以像其他设计决策一样去测试它。
用心去写，用脑去编辑
当你试图去为写作选择时，数据是有用的。但这并不意味着你应该像机器一样写作。
依我看，你的初稿应该是发自内心的，相信自己的直觉。在你写出你的想法之后，你可以转向研究和数据来完善词汇。
写作既是一门艺术，也是一门科学。用心写作，用脑编辑，才能创作出一些既真实又有用的东西。
数据能给你信心。数据也能使你的写作变得更“正确”。
在文章底部打赏并留言，将获得《产品经理能力模型地图》和《运营能力模式地图》高清无码版本。
Design words with data
How data informs our writing at Dropbox
BY John Saito
Writing is a form of art. Words can make us laugh, move us to tears, or inspire us to do great things.
But I’d say there’s also a science to writing. Data can inform writing choices and help us think more objectively about what we write.
What’s right and what’s wrong?
As UX writers at Dropbox, our goal is to make sure every word we write makes sense. One wrong word can break a user’s experience. A vague button label or unfamiliar term can easily frustrate users.
To make sure we’re choosing the right words, we use a few different techniques to help us make informed choices about our writing.
1. Google Trends
Let’s say you’re trying to decide between a few different terms, and you’re not sure which term is best. For example, which of the following should you use in your product?
- Log in
- Log on
- Sign in
- Sign on
One thing you can try is Google Trends. Just enter all of these terms, separated by commas. Google Trends compares how often people search for these terms on Google. The search automatically includes phrases like “facebook log in” or “can’t sign in.”
So what does Google Trends say?
Comparing terms using Google Trends
Ta-da! Looks like “sign in” is the clear winner here. That means people are more likely to use “sign in” when referring to this action. If you want your words to match user expectations, “sign in” is probably a safer choice than the other options.
At Dropbox, we realized we were using different terms to refer to our “version history” feature:
We knew we wanted to fix these inconsistencies, but we weren’t sure which term to use. Should it be “version history,” “file history,” or maybe even “revision history”? There were a number of things we had to consider, but we used Google Trends as one data point to help inform us.
Google Trends showed us people were more likely to search for “version history,” and that’s one big reason why we now call it “version history” throughout our product.
2. Google Ngram Viewer
Ngram Viewer is similar to Google Trends, except it searches published books, scanned by Google. You can use this data to see which terms are more commonly used in your language.
Dropbox recently launched a new signature tool in our iOS app. On the screen where you draw your signature, the screen showed “Sign Your Signature” before we had a chance to review it.
We knew that “sign your signature” sounded funny. But “sounds funny” isn’t a great reason for changing it. How could we convince the team to change it?
That’s when we headed over to Ngram Viewer and compared “sign your signature” with “sign your name.” It showed us that “sign your signature” wasn’t really used at all. When we shared this data with the team, they quickly changed it to “Sign your name.”
Comparing terms using Ngram Viewer
3. Readability tests
Over the years, language experts have developed a number of readability tests that measure how easy it is to understand your words.
Many of these tests give you a grade level for your writing. For example, a grade of 8 means that a typical 8th grader in the U.S. should be able to understand your writing.
I ran one of my Medium stories (How to design words) through one of these tests. Here’s what it told me:
Results from Readability-Score.com
There’s a lot of interesting data you can get from here. For example:
- I wrote the story at a 6th-grade level.
- My tone was neutral but slightly positive.
- I averaged 10.7 words per sentence.(At Dropbox, we try to keep our sentences to 15 words or less.)
If you want to give one of these tests a spin, below are a few you can try. Some of these tests even give you suggested edits to make your writing more readable.
- The Writer’s Readability Checker
4. Research surveys
Trying to figure out what to name your new feature? Or what value prop to focus on? In cases like these, it can help to set up a research survey.
Many survey tools allow you to choose your target audience, so you can easily get feedback from potential users.
Here are a few places where you can set up research surveys:
Back in the day, Dropbox ran a survey to figure out what was the biggest benefit to using our product. Most people mentioned “access” — the ability to get to your files from any device. As a result, a lot of the messaging we used in our landing page redesign focused on access.
5. User studies
User studies are a great way to get valuable feedback about your writing. In a typical user study, you invite a number of people to read your text or try out a product, and then you ask them questions about it. This can be incredibly helpful for seeing whether your writing makes sense or not.
One of our researchers recently ran a study where we tested a new flow. There was one step that said:
Select “Remove local copy” to save space.
We asked participants when they might use this feature. Most had a tough time understanding this feature and didn’t think it was useful. So then we flipped the order of the words by putting the user benefit at the front of the sentence:
Save space by selecting “Remove local copy.”
This time, participants had a much easier time telling us when they’d use this feature. And all we really did was change the order of the words.
This shows how a writer’s hunch can turn into an experiment, and you can test it just like any other design decision.
Write with your heart, edit with your head
Data can be useful when you’re trying to make specific writing choices. But that doesn’t mean you should write like a machine.
The way I see it, your first draft should always come from the heart. Trust your gut. After you’ve written out your ideas, that’s when you can turn to research and data to refine your words.
Writing is both an art and a science. By writing with your heart and editing with your head, you can craft something that’s both authentic and informative.
Data gives you confidence as a writer. Data is what makes your writing “right.”
英文原文来自：https://medium.com/dropbox-design/design-words-with-data-fe3c525994e7
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