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

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

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

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

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

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interested in everything
a brand has to offer.

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

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

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

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end up saying nothing at all.

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We value quality and integrity.

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Well, of course you do.

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Everyone does.

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Brands can provide a better
experience than that.

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They need to.

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To form strong personal connections and
generate emotional responses,

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we need to create transparent UX content.

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

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personal web page.

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

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reveal the meaning or
purpose behind our efforts, and

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create a deeper connection between us and
our users.

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

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

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If you check out the team behind Wistia,

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

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

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do whatever else the person decided to do.

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

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

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

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Now, at first people might
think dancing pictures,

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why would we create something like this?

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Why does this even matter?

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

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an emotional way.

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

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

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

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

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explicitly stating your
beliefs is another.

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One of the causes Starbucks
supports is the environment.

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

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

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Their transparency about their beliefs and

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

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

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even more.

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

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

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You could be like Help Scout and
state this plainly,

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

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You might consider an approach
like Southwest providing bilingual

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versions of multiple kinds of customer
commitment statements and documents.

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

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

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

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

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

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Other people or
brands might take a different approach and

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offer transparency by telling their
own story to help people understand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Remember, we want our
users to identify with us.

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So when you relate your story,

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

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

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

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making deals, and
even defining their core values.

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

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

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

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This is an important point.

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As someone who will create an experience,

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you have a responsibility to
provide many opportunities for

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

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

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

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

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