Copywriting for Installers

We all have our own nightmare stories of installation gone wrong. I’m not talking carpeting or kitchen cabinets. I’m talking about installing software.

David Pogue, the technology guru for the New York Times, talks about trying to install software for some new fancy 802n routers - article here. Bottom line: the UI is so confusing, opaque and legalistic that Mr. Pogue never gets the routers to run correctly.

Mr. Pogue goes on to do an amusing “installation audit,” detailing where the installation process runs off the tracks (just about everywhere it turns out).

The real problem here is that manufacturers spend untold millions developing high-tech products and bringing them to market, but then let Bob the engineer write the installation process.

Online copywriters, designers and UI architects are skilled at lowering friction and raising the conversion rate in interactive processes. These are precisely the skills that are needed for successful installation design.

Or you could let Bob the engineer do it. I’m sure Mr. Pogue has more columns coming up.