Voice and tone

How the product speaks: the words in every component.

The five answers

Question	Answer	Why
Which kinds of copy does it need?	Labels, messages and help	Hints and help text carry people through each step.
How many tones does it use?	One	One plain tone everywhere; no surprises.
How is the voice defined?	Rules and a word list	A word list of common words, with terms to avoid.
How does it sound?	Plain and direct	Every sentence is easy to read on the first try.
Where do the words matter most?	Form steps and errors	Words decide whether a form gets finished.

Tokens

Each token points to another token. Values live only on primitives, below.

Token	Points to
content.action.commit
content.action.cancel
content.action.destroy
content.action.retry
content.action.empty-action

When to use what

Situation	Use	Not	Why
A button label	A common verb that says what happens next	"Submit" or "Proceed"	Common words are understood by the most people. Example: “Continue”
The words of an error	Say what is wrong, where, and exactly how to fix it	"Invalid input"	People must be able to fix the error without help. Example: “Enter your date of birth. For example, 27 3 1980.”
A success message	Confirm what happened and what comes next	A confirmation with no next step	People need to know the task is finished and what happens now. Example: “We have your application. We will email you within 5 working days.”
An empty state	Explain what will appear here and how to start	A blank page	A blank page leaves people unsure if something failed. Example: “You have no saved applications. Start a new one below.”
A confirmation question	Say what will happen in plain words, and offer a way back	A double negative	Plain words prevent a choice people did not mean. Example: “Do you want to cancel your application? Your answers will be deleted.”
A first visit	Say how many steps there are and how long it takes	Marketing copy	Knowing the length lowers effort and anxiety. Example: “This takes about 10 minutes. There are 4 steps.”