The Impact of Differences in UX Writing on Users’ KANSEI: Framing Effects of Variations in Tone and Style

Abstract

As internet businesses expand, customer service and guidance conversations are being replaced by short UI texts, such as app and e-commerce copywriting, notification messages, and button labels. Users infer a service’s attitude and sense of security from a single line of text and decide on their next action (sign up, purchase, continuation). Wording directly impacts trust, familiarity, and motivation, especially in high-uncertainty situations, such as onboarding or input errors. Thus, the tone and style of UX writing determine the quality of the experience. Moran (2016) also reported that nearly identical content could influence brand impressions based on tonal differences. Therefore, this research quantitatively clarified the effects of stylistic tone on emotional responses and continued actions through impression evaluations and behavioral logs. In the registration task, impressions of four writing styles were organized into two factors: “cognitive value” and “emotional value,” revealing trade-offs. A humble polite style maximized cognitive value, whereas a friendly tone maximized emotional value. Continued usage intent increased through emotional value, although resistance (e.g., perceived overfamiliarity) was also observed. In a subsequent voluntary continuation task involving 46 university students, the median number of responses was the highest for the friendly conversational tone, which descriptively exceeded the formal polite tone. However, the difference in the dropout rates between groups was not statistically significant. Meanwhile, for the friendly tone, “reliability/reassurance” and “individuality/enjoyment” functioned as separate axes, showing a tendency for their coexistence to lower dropout risk. Consequently, designing a writing style that aligns with emotions, and not just the accuracy of information, can potentially encourage continued usage. This research suggests a strategy that strategically switches the tone within the bounds of maintaining reliability, depending on the usage context and value orientation.

Keywords: UX Writing, Kansei, Tov(tone Of Voice), CTA(Call To Action)

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007752