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Qordoba | Challenges in Product Content Optimization: 2018 Survey Results 1

Challenges in Product Content Optimization2 0 1 8 S U R V E Y R E S U LT S

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ContentsExecutive Summary

03

Notable Findings

05

Methodology

08

Conclusion

37

Good UX is built on three pillars: design, navigation, and

content. Design is always the coolest part, and it often

awarded the most time and biggest chunk of the budget.

Then there’s navigation, ensuring ease-of-use and a positive,

enjoyable experience. These elements are vital, and all

organizations know it. But too many get that third strategic

component—copy, the words used to literally get everyone

on the same page—wrong.

Words matter.

Words communicate a company’s value proposition and takes

a brand from recognizable to unforgettable. Words have the

power to give your product a personality, but when it comes

to priorities between design and UI content, the words often

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A RY

UI Content is the Primary Reason Digital Products Disappoint Users

3


front and back-end programmers, mobile specialists, full-stack

developers, and more. They create the technologies we use

every day, and know better than anyone what’s amazing and

what’s lacking.

The findings are stark and startling.

The process of managing copy within applications is difficult

for everyone involved. Making even small changes to the

copy is a major challenge. Larger updates are haphazard and

rushed, completed with constrained resources and handed

off in a disorganized process between design, editors,

development and product management. Much of the UI

content users interact with on a daily basis is created not by

copywriters but by developers and engineers whose core

competencies lie elsewhere.

This is an area that’s ripe for change and desperately needs a

process overhaul. Far from using words to enhance the power

of a brand, most technologists working in areas related to

content development struggle to be correct and coherent,

and spend too much time even meeting that low bar.

take a back seat to shape, color, and other visual elements.

However, the words associated with a given product are at

least as important as the colors, shapes and videos in the

user interface. In fact, in the mind of the user, it’s the words

that give each product a particular personality and keep them

coming back.

In most enterprises, the process for managing the written

word is a mess. In this age of endless innovation, when there’s

a blizzard of new apps almost daily and entire platforms can

go from foundation to legacy overnight, there’s almost no

product development for this basic discipline. In fact, we’re

still mostly using Microsoft Word and Google Docs. For users,

this willful neglect is a major barrier to an enjoyable and

memorable in-app experience For product teams, it’s a missed

opportunity to reach and retain a wider customer base at best.

Worst case, customers will abandon products with poor user

experiences.

To gain a sharper focus on this critical issue, Qordoba

conducted a comprehensive survey of the unsung heroes on

the front lines: product managers, application developers,

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A RY

Notable Findings

5


E N G I N E E R I N G T H E W R I T I N G

Let’s remember that these assertions are coming not from

professional writers but those in the trenches. In fact, 85%

state that most of the copy in their applications is actually

written by engineers and/or developers.

C H E C K I N G T H E C O D E

A big percentage of those surveyed, 43.7%, report spending

more than a quarter of their time writing, updating,

managing or wrangling string in the code.

C H E C K I N G T H E C O N T E N T

More than 62% report that their organizations face

challenges related to testing, updating and optimizing UI

content. In sum, 89% believe their organizations spend way

too much time trying to update copy in product content.

A B E T T E R E X P E R I E N C E

Problems aside, developers definitely know what’s missing

in their ability to create optimal content. For example,

89% agree that being able to check the quality of all their

product content would improve their users’ customer

experience drastically; 87.4% believe their organizations

would benefit from customizing product copy for specific

audiences and demographics; and 78.5% agree that their

organizations are not equipped to customize product

content for specific groups.

M I S M A N A G I N G C O P Y A remarkable 60.7% of the respondents acknowledge

that “managing the copy in my applications is difficult or

impossible.” Think about that for a minute: What writers

and editors at every media outlet do routinely becomes

a herculean task within applications. It gets worse: 70.7%

believe that making even small changes to application

content takes much more effort than it should.

N O TA B L E F I N D I N G S


T H E A I B Y L I N E

Writers take note: More than 84% say they’re interested in

leveraging artificial intelligence to develop more

compelling copy.

B R A N D M A N A G E M E N T

On the flip side, those surveyed understand the negative

impact that neglecting app content development can have

on their brands. However, a whopping 60.3% of respondents

note that their organizations have trouble adhering to

brand guidelines on UI content—a core problem in dire need

of a solution.

T H E F U T U R E I S P E R S O N A L

Major changes seem to be on the horizon. Nearly three-

quarters of the respondents, 72.8%, plan to implement a

product personalization program in the next 12 months.

N O TA B L E F I N D I N G S

54 174 141 33

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Qordoba | Challenges in Product Content Optimization: 2018 Survey Results

Survey Methodology

8

54 174 141 33

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

9

Qordoba surveyed 200 developers and 200 product managers in May 2018 via

an online panel.

To accurately reflect the entirety of developer

perspectives, a full-spectrum of developer roles were

surveyed, including: Front-end developers, Back-end

developers, Full-stack developers, Mobile developers,

UX developers, and Application developers.

Question: Which of the following most closely matches your job title?

Job Roles Surveyed

S U R V E Y M E T H O D O L O G Y

1 0Qordoba | Challenges in Product Content Optimization: 2018 Survey Results

Full stack Developer 5.0%

UX Developer 2.2%

Back end Developer 4.2%

Front end Developer 4.2%

Mobile Developer 6.2%

Database Administrator 0.2%

Quality Assurance 0.2%

Application Developer 27.9%

49.8%Product Manager



Industries

Respondents represent a wide range

of industries, including Software

(20%), Computer and Electronics

Manufacturing (10.2%), Information

Services and Data Processing (9%)

and Retail (7%.)

Overall, the survey captures

feedback from 21 industries,

ensuring a comprehensive

assessment.

Question: Which of the following categories best describes the industry you primarily work in?

10.2% Computer and Electronics Manufacturing

6.0% Wholesale

4.0% Transportation

and Warehousing

20.1% Software

4.2% Primary/Secondary (K-12) Education

7.0% Retail

5.0% Telecommunications

9.0% Information Services and Data Processing

5.0% Finance and Insurance

3.2% Other Industry

10.5% All Others

3.7% Health Care and Social Assistance

3.5% Other Manufacturing

3.0% Hotel and Food Services 5.7% Construction

Responses


Number of Employees

12

Companies of all sizes are also well-represented,

with a very balanced response across six employee

headcount categories.

Question: Approximately how many people are employed in your organization?

1 - 99 employees 17.9%

22.4%

22.1%

9.7%

10.4%

17.4%

100 - 499

500 - 999

1,000 - 2,499

2,500 - 4,999

>5,000

72 90 89 39 42 70



13

Responses

51 45 43 41 33

What type of development do you do?

Question:

Web

45.5% 40.2% 38.4% 36.6% 29.5%

Front End Full Stack Back End Mobile


Responses


14

46.8%

44.8%

36.6%

19.9%

1.7%

Content Management System

Source Code Repository

Strings Management Platform

CI/CD

Other

188 180 147 80 7

Which technologies does your organization currently deploy to manage product and application UI content (Text)?

Question:


54 174 141 33

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

1 5

Over 60% agree that managing copyin their applications is difficult or impossible.


Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

16


76 168 121 37

Statement:

Managing the copy in my applications is difficult or impossible.

30.1%

41.8%

18.9%

9.2%

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

17


77 207 100 18

Responses

Statement:

Making even small changes to application content is much

more effort than it should be.24.9%

51.5%

19.2%

4.5%


Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

18


113 229 50 10

Responses

Statement:

Most of the copy in our applications is written by engineers.

12.4%

57%

28.1%

2.5%


Undefined

Between 10% - 25%

Between 25% - 50%

>50%

54 174 141 33

Responses

19


Statement:

The approximate percentage of time I spend on a regular basis writing, updating, managing

or wrangling strings in code is:

13.4%8.2%

35.1%

43.3%


54 174 141 33

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

2 0

Over 84% of Product Managers and Engineers are interested in leveraging AI to

write more compelling product copy.


Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

105 233 56 8

Responses

21


Statement:

I am interested in leveraging AI to write more compelling copy. 26.1%

2.0%

13.9%

58%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

136 209 47 10

Responses

22


Statement:

I am confident that there are no embarrassing or brand-

damaging errors in my product content.

33.8%

52%

11.7%

2.5%


Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

133 209 51 9

Responses

23


Statement:

My organization has the right process, people and plans in place for managing

the product copy across all applications.

52%

2.2%

12.7%

33.1%


54 174 141 33

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

2 4

Over 60% of organizations have issues with testing, updating and optimizing UI content.

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

94 156 117 35

Responses

25


Statement:

My organization has issues with testing, updating and

optimizing UI Content.

38.8%

29.1%

23.4%

8.7%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree


54 174 141 33

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

2 6

Over 60% agree their organizationhas issues adhering to brand guidelines

on UI content.


Yes

No

292 110

Responses

27


Statement:

My organization plans a product personalization program in the next 12 months.

72.6%

27.4%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

79 164 113 46

Responses

28


Statement:

My organization has issues with adhering to brand

guidelines on UI content.

40.8%

28.1%

19.7%

11.4%


Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

124 224 48 6

Responses

29


Statement:

My organization has a systematic and functional way to segment and personalize content in our applications.

55.7%

30.8%

11.9%

1.5%


Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

127 205 64 6

Responses

30


Statement:

My organization has tools which enable updating product

content directly without involving engineering resources.

51%

31.6%

15.9%

1.5%


54 174 141 33

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

3 1

Nearly 90% agree that being able to check the quality of product content would improve

users’ customer experience drastically


Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

154 204 38 6

Responses

32


Statement:

Being able to check the quality of all of my product content would improve my users’ customer experience drastically.

50.7%

38.3%

9.5%

1.5%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

96 166 112 28

Responses

33


Statement:

My organization spends way too much time trying to update copy in product content.

41.3%

23.9%

7%

27.9%


54 174 141 33

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

3 4

Over 87% of organizations would benefit from customizing product copy for specific audiences and demographics but 60% are not equipped to customize product content for specific groups.


Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

145 206 45 6

Responses

35


Statement:

My organization would benefit from customizing product copy for specific audiences and demographics.

51.2%

36.1%

11.2%

1.5%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

75 166 123 38

Responses

36


Statement:

Today, my organization is not equipped to customize

product content for specific groups.

30.6%

41.3%

9.5%

18.7%



Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

135 204 53 10

Responses

37


Statement:

Today, my organization does a great or good job of publishing

high quality product copy.

13.2%

50.7%

33.6%

2.5%

54 174 141 33

Responses

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

In an operating environment driven by advanced features

and better functionality, it’s interesting to see words not as a

commodity, but a competitive differentiator. Customer and user

experience is a priority for every organization, with many taking

steps toward personalized, customized and segmented product

content. Somehow, even with all this emphasis on a streamlined

and engaging UX, the words in applications are still left for

last, or relegated to whosever code repository contain the text

strings in question.

The issue of creating and editing product content all comes

down to two things: the difficulties of manual text string

management, and the fact that UI content lives in source code,

accessible only by engineers. This two dimensional issue has

created a larger, organizational problem where UI content is

often unchecked and ill-maintained, and worst of all, doesn’t

end up getting the thought and strategy required for a fantastic

UX - and all because it’s just too darn hard to stay on top of.

Conclusion

38


maintaining a brand identity and building on it to develop

real customer engagement—the true User Experience—it’s a

unique resource.

Leveraging AI and machine learning to assist with product

content creation is the next phase of strategy once text strings

are well managed, as these solutions can check for both

functional requirements (spelling and grammar) and provide

sweeping insights on the emotional tone conveyed by product

content. As advanced strategies like brand guidelines and

content style guides are developed and ingested by AI and

ML-based platforms, product content can even be

automatically created.

As with many technology advances, it’s easy to see the

resistance. How can software recognize, let alone replicate in

text, any level of emotion, which is a fundamentally human

characteristic? It’s a valid question—but as with many other

fields enhanced by digital innovation, the proof is in the results.

The future of product content strategy looks bright - we now

have the power to harness words and enable communication

with the user in a way that truly speaks to them. And the more

a user is engaged, the better their experience will be.

As a shocking majority of respondents confirmed, managing UI

content is difficult or impossible, and making even a small change

takes far too much effort. When strategy is limited by a laborious

process, process always wins.

A far cry from strategic and well-thought out product content,

most organizations believe there are embarrassing or brand-

damaging errors in their UI. Accurate and consistent content,

regardless of the channel or platform where it is displayed, should

become non-negotiable for any organization, regardless of size.

This is evidenced by 89% of survey respondents agreeing that the

ability to check the quality of all of product content would improve

users’ customer experience drastically.

For companies starting down the path of strategic product content

and analysis, understanding how and why certain words affect

users is key. Brand-specific content embedded in the technology

can not only build an emotional connection but indeed elevate

the entire User Experience. Tools based on Affect Detection, a

computer science discipline that applies artificial intelligence and

machine learning to understand the primary emotion conveyed

by written text, can help with this analysis. For the purposes of

C O N C L U S I O N





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