3 UX Writing Tweaks for the 2021 Census Landing Page
Another five years have come and gone and it’s time for us Canadians to do a proper head count. Here’s a look at the current landing page that millions of Canadian households will see:
With any project that has many stakeholders, egos, and sign-offs, I’m sure there is a good reason that the content exists as it does and that I won’t question. Gauging by the information hierarchy, Statistics Canada wants you to know the following:
This online process is safe
Read these frequently asked questions (FAQ) before you start, but it’s not required
You can get started with the questionnaire by clicking this big button
Again, if you have any questions or concerns that you didn’t see above, we’ve got answers and explainer videos
Canada’s Chief Statistician has a bunch of stuff to tell you
Below are three areas I would tweak to make this page more concise (long titles and instructions) and clear (two ways to get to the same place).
Before
Section 1:
Firstly, I’d cut down on the number of words in the first subheading. The most important message to convey is that this process is safe, quick and easy, so I put in a line break to make it stand out more.
Prompting users to do some reading, but then not making the reading mandatory is taking up more space than it needs to. I shortened this for scannability by bolding “frequently asked questions.” Users can now see what the links are for—with just a glance.
There isn’t enough space to include all of the FAQs, so I added a link that takes users to the complete list. Clicking one of the three listed topics shoots people directly into the answers, but the only way to see the full list is to navigate the (hard to see) breadcrumbs, or using the browser’s back button and clicking the Section 3 link.
Section 2:
This alert box link takes you to the main FAQ page, but it doesn’t quite make sense as an alert. It functions more as a “Hey, notice me!” section that wants to drive you to the FAQ area. I replaced this text with a due date for completing the questionnaire. The due date is not listed anywhere on the landing page, but you can find it all over the mailer that has your access code. Since getting the census completed is pretty important, let us nudge users with some urgency instead of displaying a redundant link.
Section 3:
Canada’s Chief Statistician’s most important point to make is that… you need to complete your census questionnaire today. Yes, this is important, but we’ve already conveyed that idea with our alert section. I believe a more common question is what all of this data is used for. I elected to bold another sentence in Anil’s message that answers this and hopefully alleviates safety concerns.
After
These changes aren’t monumental, but they do show how more thoughtful UX Writing design improves the overall experience by reducing friction, providing clarity, and most importantly, giving users the confidence to click the big fat “Start” button.
