Ux Content

Content and UX Writing

Every word in your UI is a design decision. Good UX writing reduces friction, builds trust, and guides users to their next step. It carries the same weight as visual design.

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Checklist

| Item | Guidance | |---|---| | Plain language | Write at a 7th-grade reading level. Short sentences and common words. | | Data accuracy | User-entered data is validated and shown back correctly. No stale values. | | UGC distinction | User-generated content is in a visually distinct container from editorial content. | | Read and unread indicators | Read and unread items are visually differentiated with a bold title or a colored dot. | | Localization quality | Translations are reviewed by native speakers. Machine translation alone is not sufficient. | | Content freshness | Outdated content is flagged, archived, or removed after a defined threshold. |

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UX Writing Principles

Be specific, not vague

• Avoid: "Something went wrong."
• Use: "We couldn't save your photo. Check your connection and try again."

Write for the action, not the object

• Avoid: "Submit"
• Use: "Create account" / "Send message" / "Place order"

Front-load the key information

• Avoid: "To complete your order, please enter your card details below."
• Use: "Enter your card details to complete the order."

Be consistent with terminology Pick one word for one concept and use it everywhere. If one screen says "Save" another should not say "Store" or "Keep" for the same action.

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Microcopy Patterns

| Context | Pattern | |---|---| | Button | Verb plus noun: "Download report", "Add photo" | | Destructive button | Specific verb: "Delete account", not "OK" | | Placeholder text | A genuine hint, not a repeated label: "Search by city or ZIP" | | Error message | What happened and how to fix it | | Success message | Confirm the action and suggest the next step | | Loading text | What is loading: "Uploading photo..." not just "Loading..." | | Empty state headline | Empathetic and forward-looking |

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Localization Notes

Strings should never be concatenated. Use placeholders: "Hello, %@" not "Hello, " + name. Leave 30 to 40% expansion space for German, Finnish, and Russian translations. Date, time, number, and currency formats are locale-specific — always use platform formatters, never hardcode them. Right-to-left languages require layout mirroring, not just a text direction change.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: parhamb
• Source: parhamb/design-skills
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://design-skills-pi.vercel.app

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.