UI writing

Voice (3 of 3 rules)

• Title Case Used For Interface Text
• Vague or inflated language
• Padding words and introductory phrases

Structure (4 of 4 rules)

• Text that buries the point
• Long text without a structure
• Vague headings
• Uneven text length across parallel elements

Words (5 of 6 rules)

• Numbers spelled out
• Abbreviations and acronyms
• UPPERCASE
• Full stops on fragments
• Inconsistent vocabulary

Labels and links (4 of 4 rules)

• "My" or "your" on form labels
• Generic link text
• Actions and text centred by default
• Brand colour spent on decoration

Errors (1 of 1 rule)

• Error messages that report without helping

Prose (6 of 9 rules)

• Specific in sound, empty in fact
• Saying it twice
• A rhetorical shape on repeat
• Enthusiasm the content has not earned
• Stacked hedges
• Structure imposed rather than earned

Long-form (3 of 4 rules)

• No point of view
• An even rhythm
• Feeling named, not shown

Specs, not filtered (1 spec)

A spec has no bucket, severity or detector, so the filters do not apply to it.

• Copy checklist