Article · ~12 min read

Content design overview

Google · Material Design 3 (Google) Free Beginner

Google's content design guidance is a free, thorough reference for clear UI writing, including the classic rule of naming the label on a control rather than the type of control. It covers error tone (do not blame, be specific, offer a path) with side-by-side good and bad examples. A solid team reference you can point people to.

  • Refer people to the label they see, not 'the button'
  • In errors, be specific rather than technical, and offer next steps
  • Use short, scannable, second-person copy

The question it answers

  1. How do I write clear button and error messages so users know exactly what to do next?

Read with it

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  2. Nielsen Norman Group is the closest thing to a standard reference in usability, and this piece is a clean, specific checklist... Nielsen Norman Group Article Error-Message Guidelines Tim Neusesser and Evan Sunwall (Nielsen Norman Group)
  3. This is the reference everyone quietly copies when they first try to write down their brand voice, and it is public, free, and... Mailchimp Content Style Guide Article Voice and Tone, Mailchimp Content Style Guide Mailchimp
  4. If you are a founder or designer writing your own product copy without a UX writer on the team, this is the most practical... Smashing Magazine Article · About a 20 minute read How To Improve Your Microcopy: UX Writing Tips For Non-UX Writers Irina Silyanova
  5. Concrete rules for writing the words on your buttons and menus so nobody has to decode them. It covers using a verb plus a noun... Nielsen Norman Group Article · ~9 min read UI Copy: UX Guidelines for Command Names and Keyboard Shortcuts Anna Kaley
  6. This is the single most practical book written entirely about the tiny words in your product (buttons, error messages, empty... microcopybook.com (Nemala) Book · ~350 pages Microcopy: The Complete Guide Kinneret Yifrah
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