Guidelines

The words

Content, copy, microcopy, UI text -- the words that appear in the user interface go by many names, but their job is the same. They serve as a guide that provides the information people need to navigate and interact with an experience.

Choose them carefully

When you get the words right, they create meaningful interactions, build trust, and help people achieve their goals. But if you get the words wrong, you could significantly impact a person’s experience and risk them abandoning it altogether.

Make every one count

So, how do you make every word count? By starting with people’s needs and asking yourself the following questions:

What are people trying to accomplish through an experience? What do they need to know to do it? How might they feel about doing it?

These questions will help you determine what information to provide, where to provide it, how to share it, and when to do it. This approach not only gives people the right information in the right place at the right time, but it also makes the overall experience useful and usable.

Use them to boost usability

A useful and usable experience helps people achieve their goals with minimal effort. This includes making the words readable, accessible, and inclusive.

Make the words easy to read

Consider it a success when your experience is so easy to understand that anyone can complete a task quickly. Readability measures how easily someone can read and understand the words. Words are especially important for UI text because if they aren’t communicating clearly, completing tasks will take longer, resulting in both confusion and frustration.

Here’s how to make your experiences readable:

  • Score readability at around a 6th-grade reading level
  • Keep phrasing short and to the point
  • Use plain and simple language and avoid technical jargon
  • Break up text into digestible pieces of content, like shorter paragraphs with headings

Make the info accessible to all

Writing with accessibility in mind means anyone, regardless of ability, can read and understand your experience using any method, whether it’s with a keyboard, a screen reader, their voice, or something else.

Here are some ways to write with accessibility in mind:

  • Check that the words on the page make sense when read by devices like screen readers
  • Avoid device-specific language, like “click,” since not everyone uses a mouse to navigate an interface
  • Avoid cognitive overload with too much information
  • Avoid making the person solely rely on the words to understand what’s going on
  • Put the most important information first
  • Write clear and concise labeling of any icons, iconic buttons, or interactive elements that require more information to proceed
  • Include alt text for any images

Choose language that’s inclusive

The words you choose and the way you write them will play a critical role in ensuring that anyone, regardless of their age, gender, background, or skill level, will be able to feel safe and included while using your experiences.

Here are some ways to write more inclusively:

  • Consider your audience, including their age, experience, and needs
  • Avoid language that is biased or potentially offensive
  • Avoid assuming gender
  • Avoid slang, jargon, or idioms that might not translate well or be understood by everyone
  • Check for any words and terms that may be offensive due to their origin
  • Focus on the most critical information to reduce cognitive load

Remember, writing and designing inclusively is an ongoing practice that requires constant evaluation and adjustments to meet and exceed everyone’s expectations.