UX Writing Challenge — Write an Error Message for Delayed Service

Scenario: A user has ordered a pizza using a food delivery app. the app connects users to their favorite restaurants but only facilitates delivery—the app doesn’t cook.

Once the order is complete, the user receives a confirmation from the app that the pizza will be delivered within 30 minutes.

10 minutes later, the pizza shop signals to the app that they’re busier than usual and the pizza will be delayed an additional 30 minutes.

Challenge: Write an email notification that informs the user about the updated delivery schedule.

Headline: 30 characters

Body: 125 characters

Button(s): 15 characters*

Editor’s note: Given the labyrinthine supply chain that is the modern food delivery business, messages like this are common. Just yesterday I saw a variation of this in a microcopy Facebook group I’m in and thought it’d make a good bonus challenge. So here we are.

Hint: there’s a very easy solution to this one.

*Buttons are not a required feature, but you can work them in if they help with the solution.

This content originally appeared in the Daily UX Writing Challenge Newsletter as a “Bonus Challenge” on April 27th, 2019. Subscribe to the newsletter if you want to get similar stuff. Or not. You know yourself better than we do.

TL;DR is a blog about how to write short, effective copy for user interfaces and digital products. Brought to you by Ryan Farrell, maker of Daily UX Writing. Follow on Twitter.