I’ve been a fan of Otter.ai, the speech to text web-based application which creates audio files and transcripts, for the past few years.
It’s one of my top recommendations to people looking to capture meeting notes, add transcripts to podcasts, or captions to videos.
And for user experience researchers to record and transcribe user research interviews and usability test sessions.
Having said that, you always want to to edit autogenerated transcript. They’re not 100% accurate.
What I like about Otter.ai:
- Free plan (their Basic Plan) offers real-time transcription and collaboration with a good amount of free minutes
- Premium plans for those who need additional minutes
- Ease of use for editing transcripts
- Ability to search and playback recordings
So when I received an email notifications about updates to the Basic Plan, I was thrilled to learn the plan would soon have more new features and functionality.
What made me smile: how Otter.ai presented the new added value in the Basic Plan.
Read on to learn why I’m giving a UX win to Otter.ai (Otter) for their email notification message about improvements to the Basic Plan.
Otter’s Basic Plan Update Notification Message
When you receive email notification messages about changes in an application or product you use, the message is often short and contains few details.
Or is so long, you quickly move on to another message in your inbox.
Formatted for quick scanning and readability, Otter’s email notification was concise and well-formatted. Making for quick scanning for the new updates.
That’s helpful!
What I Liked
First up, the email subject line: [Important] Upcoming Changes to Your Otter Basic Plan initially caught my attention when the message arrived in my inbox.
I knew exactly what the message was about.
Second, Otter took the initiative to highlight specific Updates to Basic Plan with its own section and heading. The gray color behind the section makes it stand out in the message.
The background color (#F4F5F7) with the text color (#0A0A0A) creates readable text with good contrast ratio.
The readable font and white space offered a good user experience.
And, of course, I was happy to learn about two new features in the Basic Plan: automated outline and the number of transcription minutes increased to 300 minutes/month.
Third, Otter highlighted the date the changes would take place: September 27, 2022.
I didn’t have to scan through a long email message with a lot of text blocks to discover effective date for the new features and functionality.
Otter and their marketing/email staff show they respect their users’ time by highlighting the date.
Fourth, Otter announced an increase in their premium plans. With an offer to Basic Plan users to upgrade before the pricing increase takes place.
Nice bonus for Basic Plan users who are looking for additional features, but may not be aware of the price increase.
Summary
Otter recognizes people’s time is valuable. They’ve created a product update message that provides details with a clean layout, good formatting, and readability.
I wish more companies would follow Otter’s lead when it comes to announcing new product/services updates: descriptive subject line, highlight specific new features and functionality, and add effective date for changes.
Well done, Otter on your UX win!
