Microcopy that gets out of the way
The best interface words are the ones nobody remembers reading. Getting there takes more drafts than anyone expects.
Nell Okafor
Content designer
Interface copy is written under pressure, usually last, usually by whoever is nearest the screen. That is how a product ends up with three different words for the same action and an error message that apologises without explaining anything.
Say what happens next
A button label should describe the outcome, not the mechanism. Save changes beats Submit, because the reader is thinking about their work, not about the form. The same test applies to empty states, confirmations and warnings: name the consequence in the reader's language.
Cut the apology
Most error messages spend their first sentence being sorry and their second being vague. Reverse it. State the problem, then the fix, then get out of the way. People in the middle of a failed payment do not want warmth, they want the next step.
Read it aloud
If a sentence is awkward in your mouth it will be awkward on the screen. Reading the flow out loud catches the stiffness that silent editing misses, and it takes about ninety seconds.
