ADDING AUGMENTED REALITY to etsy’s iOS app

In 2020 Etsy released an augmented reality feature on our iOS app, allowing users to preview wall art in their homes using their iPhones. I worked closely with the designer, PM, and engineers from the very start of the process to ensure the language in this brand new experience was clear and concise.

Initial Design

Here’s the initial design. Mostly system copy, not a lot of explanation, and definitely not in Etsy’s voice.

Initial COPY

Here’s the copy written by the PM. Better! But likely far too long.

MY FIRST DRAFT COPY

Here’s my first pass, in product. Even though I’d shortened this, it’s still too long, which is something I only realized once I saw it in action. Each of these steps can take a fraction of a second OR several seconds, so the copy needs to work in both situations -

FINAL COPY

It needed to be parsable at a glance, but then if you end up with it on your screen for longer than an instant, it needed to help you move forward. After using the feature for a while, I edited things down to what you see below, the final version in the app.

This feature resulted in an increase in conversion! We also received some good press, were featured in the App Store, and got some lovely write-ups praising the “clear, stepped instructions” of our “deceptively simple approach”.

All in all, a successful first step into integrating a new technology, and one that we would iterate on moving forward.