How many times have you read copy on a website, or

watched a video produced by a brand, and really felt like you understood them and

that they understood you, where it felt like these people were speaking your

language, so much so that you wanted to learn more about them?

When you can form a connection like that, users become more engaged and

interested in everything a brand has to offer.

It's a lot like meeting someone in real life and sparking up conversation,

only to realize, hey, we've got something in common.

Too many brands play it safe and try to say the right thing, but

end up saying nothing at all.

We value quality and integrity.

Well, of course you do.

Everyone does.

Brands can provide a better experience than that.

They need to.

To form strong personal connections and generate emotional responses,

we need to create transparent UX content.

Content that reveals who we really are behind any corporate facade or

personal web page.

It allows us to build trust with our customers and followers,

reveal the meaning or purpose behind our efforts, and

create a deeper connection between us and our users.

By being genuine, honest, and direct, you could have accomplish these goals.

So let's explore how to create transparent UX content.

If you check out the team behind Wistia,

you'll discover their About Page shows you more than just a list of team members.

It's an interactive array of photos that dance and move and

do whatever else the person decided to do.

They could've written something obvious, like we're a cool company.

But instead, Wistia delivers this cool experience that reflects who they

really are, a company that values their fun culture and isn't afraid to show it.

Now, at first people might think dancing pictures,

why would we create something like this?

Why does this even matter?

Wistia did it because they wanted to connect with their audience in

an emotional way.

They're basically saying, if you value fun, we're the right company for you.

An audience that identifies with the values you display through UX content will

be more likely to trust you, connect with you, and be influenced by your content.

So using content to represent your values is one way to connect, but

explicitly stating your beliefs is another.

One of the causes Starbucks supports is the environment.

So on their website they've prepared mission statements that detail what they

do, inside and out of their stores, to support this cause.

Their transparency about their beliefs and

actions help followers understand why they care and do what they do.

And those customers that share the same beliefs will probably support the company

even more.

So if you've got specific beliefs and values you're passionate about,

how could you raise awareness of them through UX content on your site?

You could be like Help Scout and state this plainly,

our mission is to help you build a company people love.

You might consider an approach like Southwest providing bilingual

versions of multiple kinds of customer commitment statements and documents.

So their commitment to you, the customer Is clear and in writing,

no matter where you're from or what language you speak.

Or you might take the TriNet approach and state on your homepage the number of

customers and the amount of payroll processed through your HR platform.

By sharing this data, you're establishing your expertise and abilities.

Other people or brands might take a different approach and

offer transparency by telling their own story to help people understand

why they do what they do and what brought them here today.

Like a comic book superhero, some brands will detail their origin story, the spark

of creativity, or the unique event that drove them to begin their efforts.

They might also include their life lessons, the key pieces of advice they can

share based on the various ups and downs they've experienced along the way.

Ironically, though, some of the best stories focus on the user.

When you read Dropbox's story on their site, they start by saying,

we've always been obsessed with making work better for people.

But they end it by stating, so you can focus on what matters.

Remember, we want out users to identify with us.

So when you relate your story,

your users need to see very clearly how they fit into the story as well.

Buffer has regularly published insightful posts about the inner workings at their

company, openly talking about the lessons they've learned, creating budgets,

making deals, and even defining their core values.

One of those core values, by the way, is default to transparency.

And there's a great quote within the presentation they've shared online.

As a company, we view transparency as a tool to help others.

This is an important point.

As someone who will create an experience,

you have a responsibility to provide many opportunities for

users to do things, try things, or consume things.

By creating content that's genuine and honest and allows your users to

understand you and your motivations, like your values and mission,

you can build a relationship that's deeper than just someone using a website or app.

It'll be the beginning of a relationship you can grow and build upon.