FX ALERT - UX COPY
OVERVIEW
Project
FX Alert Setup on Western Union App (Australia)
Brief
Western Union’s app allows users to set up FX alerts for currency rate monitoring. While doing this, users may receive a specific message informing them that the countries selected for the alert must be different.
Role
UX Copywriter
Content Designer
User Research
Duration
10 days
Objective
To enhance user clarity and reduce friction when setting up FX alerts by optimizing the popup message’s UX copy.
Problem
Challenge
While setting up FX alerts, users may sometimes select the same country for both sides of the currency exchange. When this happens, a popup message informs them that “the countries must be different,” but users may feel frustrated or confused by this error message.
Pain Point
Users may not immediately understand the reason for this error, especially if they are new to the FX feature. The current message is functional but not user-friendly, which may lead to confusion and potential drop-offs.
Goal
To improve the clarity and guidance of the error message, ensuring users can quickly correct their input and successfully complete their task.
Target audience
Primary Users
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Australians who are frequent users of international money transfer services.
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Users who track exchange rates between AUD and other global currencies.
Secondary Users
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People who are new to using the Western Union app for FX alerts.
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Occasional users of currency tracking services for business or travel purposes.
User Research
Interviews/Feedback
Conducted interviews with a subset of Australian users to understand common frustrations with the FX alert feature. A key finding was that many users were confused when they received the "countries must be different" message, as they didn’t fully grasp why the selection was invalid.
Usability Tests
Users were observed setting up FX alerts, and many stumbled when they received the error. They either repeated the same selection or abandoned the setup.
Competitor Analysis:
Looked at similar currency alert setups in apps like XE and OFX. These apps often provide more informative feedback, like highlighting the error and giving suggestions for correction.
Solution
Improved UX copy
The existing message was vague and didn’t offer users enough guidance. The new copy needed to be both educational and actionable, preventing users from feeling frustrated or lost.
Original copy
Proposed copy
Rationale
The new message explains exactly why the selection is invalid and provides a clear action (choose a different country), reducing confusion and guiding the user toward the solution.
Results
Feedback
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After rolling out the new message, usability tests showed a reduction in user confusion. 85% of users were able to correct their selection after receiving the new message, compared to 60% previously.
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The number of abandoned FX alert setups dropped by 25%.
Metrics
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Increased completion rate for setting up FX alerts.
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Decreased error message visibility due to fewer incorrect selections.
Key learnings
Clarity matters
Even small adjustments to UX copy can significantly impact user satisfaction and task completion.
User feedbacks helps a lot
Gathering user feedback helped uncover confusion that wasn’t apparent just from analytics.
Iterative process
The success of the project highlighted the importance of testing, gathering feedback, and iterating on design and copy.
Next steps
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Continue monitoring user behavior and collect additional feedback.
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Explore further refinements in UX copy for other error messages across the app.
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Investigate automated suggestions for common currency pairs to further improve the experience
Conclusion
This format helps communicate the problem, solution, and results clearly while emphasizing the importance of UX copy in the overall user experience.
