The nudge
The Nudge is a personal planner for date nights, hikes, drinks, and the best eats in your city. Each Nudge contains videos of a plan in action and an article for more details.
Users also connect their phone numbers to receive interactive text messages. For example, the user can be presented with two options:
(1) A day in the city
(2) Hike through nature
The user then sends the number of the plan they’d like to receive.
Product principles like wanderlust, playful, and neighborly help elevate The Nudge from random online recommendations to that of a close friend.
Voice and tone problem
The goal of this sample will be to increase the effectiveness of the upgrade messaging by correcting problems with voice and tone. I recommend using a voice chart that establishes helpful guidelines for the app’s numerous contributors.
Before
Upgrade messaging reads, “Upgrade – Nudge Plus members can access all plans in The Vault.”
Voice Chart
| Wanderlust | Playful | Neighborly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concepts | Adventure, changing the pace, and beauty | Familiarity, sense of humor, and energetic | Hidden gems, helpful, and friendly |
| Vocabulary | Descriptive and vivid language | Trendy words like iconic or fave | Use first names and non-commanding vocabulary eg; try this vs do this |
| Verbosity | Paint the experience with adjectives, adverbs, and descriptions | Short word length and active language | Conversational language that builds familiarity |
| Grammar | Complex sentences preferred over simple or compound, and second person preferred eg; you | Present and progressive tense; short and simple sentences | Complete sentences |
| Punctuation | Serial commas and use em dash instead of colon | Emojis, exclamations, question marks and minimal use of periods | Periods and commas |
| Capitalization | Use sentence case | Only use for emphasis | Relationship roles a like friend or partner are not capitalized |
The Nudge is in the early stages of growing its member base, and establishing a voice chart now will help keep the experience consistent across the app and through SMS. A voice chart doesn’t have to become an exhaustive style guide; instead, the focus should be on maintaining the qualities of the experience.
Using the chart can also help establish consistency as the tone changes according to the context or subject matter. The information outlined in the voice chart will ensure that the user recognizes The Nudge’s voice and personality no matter the tone.
Before
Screen one
We will begin by applying the voice chart to screen one, shown on the left. The call to action reads:
“Upgrade – Nudge Plus members can access all plans in the Vault.”
This CTA does well under the principle of being neighborly by inviting users to be members instead of simply upgrading. But the CTA is lacking in the principle of playfulness, a missed opportunity when inviting users to action. Here is my solution:
Upgrade – Full access to The Vault and more
This copy is more playful, inviting the user to access premium content and leaving room for possibility with “and more” Being neighborly belongs more in the realm of the actual content, information, and instructions.
Screen Two
We can apply the voice chart to screen two, shown on the right. Let’s take a closer look at the copy:
Title: nudge plus
Make the most of every season
- The Summer Nudge Vault
- Plus-only seasonal nudges
- Free lifestyle programs
- Exclusive summer discounts
2 weeks free then $4.99 a month
CTA: Try Nudge Plus free
Making the most of every season certainly qualifies as wanderlust, but we can strengthen the message by following the guidelines outlined in the voice chart. This line is also too generalized. Making the most of every season brings adventure to mind, but it ignores the feelings and experience The Nudge is trying to provide. Here is my solution:
Title: nudge plus
Life happens while you’re making plans
- Full access to plus exclusives
- Discounts and inside scoops
- Premium lifestyle programs
2 weeks free then $4.99/month
CTA: Try it free
The opening title is playful, using active language to add energy to the statement. The benefits of upgrading to Nudge Plus are also more clearly outlined. Because all Plus exclusives can be found in the Vault, distinguishing between seasonal Nudges can confuse the user. I also changed free lifestyle programs to premium ones because it adds perceived value to the benefit.
After
