Content and voice
How the product talks to people.
The product writes like a calm, knowledgeable coworker. Say what is happening, what it means and what to do next.
Principles
- Start with what the person needs. The headline answers its own question.
- Use plain words. Name things the way people know them, not the way the system is built.
- Buttons say exactly what happens: Approve and send, not Submit.
- Errors say what went wrong and how to fix it. Do not apologize or blame.
- Refusals stay neutral. Say what you cannot do once, then offer another way.
- Never sound more sure than the system is. Show sources and confidence instead.
Side by side
| Surface | Write | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Button | Approve and send | Okay |
| Error | The connection dropped before the reply finished. Your message is saved. Try again. | Oops! Something went wrong. |
| Refusal | I can't help with that. I can explain the safety concerns instead. | Error: request denied. |
| Empty state | 3 tasks need you today. Where should we start? | Welcome to your dashboard! |
| AI notice | AI can make mistakes. Check important information. | Powered by cutting-edge AI. |
Patterns
- Headlines can be sentences that end in a period or question mark. Labels use sentence case, not Title Case.
- Show the person's real details in approvals: who it goes to, how many, the subject line.
- Keep status lines to one line: a name, then the reason in grey.
- Use digits for counts and lengths of time. Write dates the way people say them: due Friday, 6 days ago.