Speaking · Free lesson
UX English: explain what changed and why
Your design lead asks what changed in the prototype. It looks better gives a preference. A useful explanation names the change and the user task it is meant to support.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
Say what you changed, then why: I moved the Save button next to the title to help users find it. To help expresses a purpose. If the new design has not been tested, do not turn that purpose into Users now find it faster.
Describe the change and its purpose as two connected ideas.
Use a concrete verb such as moved, renamed or grouped. Add the affected element and, when relevant, its new location. Then use to + verb for the purpose: to help users find it. I moved the button describes completed design work. I moved it to help users find it explains your intention; it does not prove that people found it more easily.
Compare the examples
I moved the Save button next to the title.
I moved it to help users find it.
We haven’t tested the new position yet.
Because introduces a reason; to help introduces a purpose. You can use both: I moved the button because two participants missed it. The goal is to make it easier to find. Use participant evidence only when it actually exists.
Build the meaning step by step
Name the change
I moved the Save button next to the title.
Explain the purpose
The goal is to help users find it.
State the current evidence
We haven’t tested the new position yet.
Try it now
Separate a change from a result
Read all answers and explanations
Which sentence names a concrete change?
I moved the Save button next to the title.Moved names the action, the button names the element, and next to the title gives the location.
What does to help users find it express?
The intended purposeIt explains the goal, not a measured outcome.
The new position has not been tested. Which statement preserves that fact?
We haven’t tested the new position yet.Only the last statement avoids inventing results.
Put it into practice
Explain the prototype to your design lead
You moved the Save button next to the title to help users find it. The new position has not been tested. Answer using those facts.
- Design lead
What changed in this version?
See a model answer
- Design lead
What changed in this version?
- You
I moved the Save button next to the title to help users find it.
- Design lead
Have we checked whether people find it more easily?
- You
Not yet. The new position still needs to be tested.
The first answer describes work and purpose. The second preserves the actual testing status instead of defending an unproven result.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Does to help mean the change succeeded?
No. It states a purpose. Report success separately only when the available evidence supports it.
We changed the label to help users understand it.
Can I explain a change with because?
Yes. Use because with the actual reason and to with the intended purpose. Do not invent a user observation to support your preference.
I changed it because the original label was inconsistent with our other screens.
Take it into your day
An intended improvement is a reason to test, not proof that the improvement happened.
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The available English Grammar and English Speaking Master Course develops broader grammar, sentence-building and communication foundations. Purpose clauses and clear action verbs help you explain your reasoning.
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