UI Writing Guidelines

UI Guidelines

Follow these guidelines when creating UI terms in addition to the rest of the Writing Style Guide. Use the Material Design guide and the Apple Human Interface Guidelines for additional support.

Eliminate redundancy

Wherever possible remove words that don't add any extra information to your message.

Do not write:	Replace with:
Create New File	Create File
In order to	To

Be active

When you want a user to do something, make sure your user knows it. Use a call to action where appropriate.

Do not write:	Replace with:
New Users	Add new users

Be positive

Use positive language. Tell your user what they can do instead of what they can't do.

Do not write:	Replace with:
You cannot upload Rich Text files	You can upload Word and PDF files only

Be consistent

Using consistent language will help your user better understand the meaning.

Do not write:	Replace with:
To log into the server click "Sign in"	To log into the server click "Log in"

Avoid "the user"

Using the term user is depersonalising. Try to write directly to your user to make them feel more engaged with your message. Where appropriate use "you".

Do not write:	Replace with:
The user should click "Save" to save the changes	Click "Save" to save the changes

Use "I"

Use ‘I’ where your user wants to tell the system what to do. This gives your user a feeling of personal interaction with the system.

Do not write:	Replace with:
By signing up, You accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy	By signing up, I accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Be user oriented

Think about how your communication will be used and make life easier for your audience. For example, if you're communicating a long password, consider making it easy to copy and paste. Make your content searchable. Make complex content as simple as possible with formatting choices.

Do not write:	Replace with:
Contact: 001255654564	Contact: + 12-556 545 64

Don't over communicate

Use simple language to convey your message and only communicate what your user needs to know to complete their task.

Do not write:	Replace with:
The email you entered does not match the required format. Please enter your email using the standard format.	Please enter your email address in the format yourname@example.com.

Use short words

Short and plain words are easy to scan and quick to understand.

Do not write:	Replace with:
Are you sure you want to delete this photo?	Delete photo?

Connect similar words

Use similar words where applicable so that your user can connect them easily. Buttons are never "Yes" or 'No".

Do not write:	Replace with:
Save Document?	Save Document?
Yes / No	Save / Cancel

Give some context

Don’t assume people remember their last action.

Do not write:	Replace with:
Delete this?	Delete “This week” group?

Use numerals

Don't use the textual form of numbers.

Do not write:	Replace with:
Please enter three examples	Please enter 3 examples