Writing

Your UI may address the user using either:

• Second person, “you” or “your”: Use this conversational style for most situations, as though the app is speaking directly to the user.
• First person, “I” or “my”: In some cases, you may need to use this form of address to emphasize the user's ownership of content or actions.

Avoid mixing "me"/"my" with "you"/"your.” It can cause confusion to see both forms of addressing the user in the same context.

Focus on the user and what they can do with your app, rather than what you or your app is doing for the user.

One exception is when a human actually does take action for a user, such as reviewing an appeal or responding to a suggestion. Here, the use of “we” is appropriate and more personable.

Write in small, scannable segments to facilitate navigation and discovery.

Keep your sentences and phrases short, with as few concepts as possible.

Use the present tense to describe product behavior. Avoid using the future tense to describe the way a product always acts.

When you need to write in the past or future, use simple verb forms.

Use simple, direct language that is easy for users to understand.

Common introductory phrases may be omitted.

Pick common words that are clearly and easily understandable to both beginning and advanced English readers.

Avoid industry-specific terminology or names invented for UI features.

Generic terms like "slider" and "menu" are fine, but direct users to the labels on UI elements, not the kind of element (such as menu or button).

Use verbs in a consistent manner across the description of an action.

If a sentence includes an action for the user to take and instructions for achieving it, start the sentence with that action.

It's not necessary to describe every detail in the first interaction. Reveal increasing detail about features as the user explores them and needs the information.

Avoid “never” and other absolutes.

Text in your UI should complement your visual UI: intuitive, efficient, casual, and trustworthy. Charm peeks through, but never upstages the user.

Don’t brag or over-promise. Reveal what a feature does, don’t say how great it is.

Focus on the benefits of each feature. Omit implementation details, caveats, and restrictions at the entry points to features (buttons, menu items, links, and promotions).

Present information in a positive light: it’s reassuring.

For every message, ask yourself: does the user really need to know this? Err on the side of letting users stay focused on their own tasks. Sometimes the most effective UI is no text at all.

Avoid messages that suggest that it’s surprising or unusual that a user’s simple action was successful.

Use sentence-style caps for all titles, headings, labels, menu items – any place that considered for “Title-Style Caps.”

Avoid capitalizing all letters except where the material spec requires them, such as the Button style.

Don’t capitalize the things you create or work with when using that product.

Don't make a sentence harder to understand just to follow this rule. For example, "do not" can give more emphasis than "don't" when needed.

Exclamation points should be avoided as they could come across as shouting.

Use numerals in place of words for numbers.

One exception is when mixing uses of numbers, such as "Enter two 3s."

People of all ages, cultures, backgrounds, and education levels rely on the English versions of products. Many of the writing guidelines support writing for non-native English speakers and for localization (the translation and adaptation of content for international use). Simple, clear English makes it easy for anyone to understand your product.

This section focuses on how to write English in a way that makes products more useful in English and other languages around the world.

Culturally specific language can be difficult to translate and may be inappropriate in some locales.

Interfaces for languages with right-to-left scripts may be mirrored when a product is localized.