Content

Voice Principles

Be Direct

Say what you mean. No filler words, no corporate speak.

Don’t	Do
“In order to”	“To”
“At this point in time”	“Now”
“Due to the fact that”	“Because”
“It is important to note that”	(Just state it)

Be Helpful

Guide users toward success. Answer the question they’re asking.

Don’t	Do
“Invalid input”	“Enter a valid email address”
“Error occurred”	“Couldn’t save. Check your connection.”
“Access denied”	“You need editor permissions to do this”

Be Human

Write like a colleague, not a robot.

Don’t	Do
“The operation was successful”	“Done!”
“Please wait while processing”	“Working on it…”
“Terminate session”	“Sign out”

Capitalization

Sentence case

Use for most UI text:

• Button labels
• Form labels
• Menu items
• Tooltips

Example: “Save changes” not “Save Changes”

Title case

Reserve for:

• Page titles
• Section headings
• Product names

Error Messages

Good error messages have three parts:

1. What happened - State the problem clearly
2. Why it happened - If helpful, explain the cause
3. What to do - Give a clear next step

✗ Error 500
✓ Couldn't save your changes. Our servers are having trouble. Try again in a few minutes.

Buttons

Use verbs. Be specific.

Don’t	Do
“OK”	“Save”
“Submit”	“Send message”
“Yes”	“Delete account”
“Cancel”	“Keep editing”

Empty States

Don’t just say “nothing here.” Help users take action.

No projects yet

Projects you create will appear here.
[Create your first project]

Loading States

Tell users what’s happening.

Context	Message
Saving	“Saving…”
Loading data	“Loading your projects…”
Processing	“Generating report…”
Long wait	“This might take a minute…”

Numbers and Dates

• Use numerals: “3 items” not “three items”
• Relative dates when recent: “2 hours ago”
• Absolute dates when older: “Jan 15, 2026”
• Abbreviate large numbers: “1.2K” not “1,234”