Projects/Usability/HIG/Wording

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Purpose

Every word displayed in an application is part of a conversation with users. This conversation is an opportunity to provide clarity and to help people feel comfortable in the system.

Guidelines

Use a terminology that is familiar and easy to understand for the target audience (i.e. Persona) of your application.
Put the most important thing first.
Short words, active verbs and common nouns.
Avoid contractions such as Don't and Won't etc.
Avoid abbreviations, acronyms, and tech-babble.
Use a tone that’s informal and friendly, but not too informal; avoid popular, but transient, words and phrases.
Keep information short and consistent; avoid redundancy or unnecessary words. e.g. Do not repeat the dialog title in the dialog text.
Don't abuse capitalization because it draws people’s attention.
For date and time information, consider that your app may potentially be used for several years; do not use immutable date references like this year unless it is algorithmically determined.
Follow system-wide wording conventions for basic functions to keep wording consistent.