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ux-writing

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Interface copy that works — voice/tone, the PACE framework, alert anatomy, naming features, empty states, error messages, and the small-word edits that measurably improve UX. Distilled from Apple's writing sessions (2017–2026). Use when writing or reviewing any user-facing text — labels, alerts, onboarding, notifications, empty states, paywalls — or naming a feature.

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UX Writing

Interface text is interface design. This skill covers writing it: the frameworks Apple's writers use, the anatomy of the hardest components (alerts, errors, empty states, names), and the mechanical edits that improve any screen's copy in minutes.

When This Skill Activates

  • Writing or reviewing user-facing copy: labels, buttons, alerts, onboarding, notifications
  • Naming a new feature, tier, or setting
  • Error messages that frustrate, empty states that dead-end, permission prompts that get denied
  • Localization prep (copy that survives translation)

The PACE framework (Writing for Interfaces)

Run every screen's copy through four questions:

  • Purpose — what must this screen communicate? Headers and buttons should carry the screen alone; know what to leave out. Hierarchy in words mirrors hierarchy in layout.
  • Anticipation — what will the user ask or do next? Write for that ("What comes next?").
  • Context — where is the user right now (quiet home vs. busy airport, mid-task vs. idle)? That decides how much to say.
  • Empathy — write for a person having a problem, not for the system reporting one.

Voice vs. tone

  • Voice is constant — derive it from what the app does and who it's for. Exercise: describe the app as a person, cluster the personality adjectives, keep 2–3 as your voice attributes.
  • Tone modulates by moment — turn up clarity and directness for important information (health alerts: specific numbers, no softening); allow warmth in celebrations — sparingly.
  • The test that recurs in every Apple session: read it aloud. Does it sound like the best version of your app talking?
  • ❌ Jargon ("it can make people feel left out"); ❌ personality at the cost of usefulness.

The four small edits (biggest impact per minute)

  1. Cut filler: "easily," "quickly," "simply," "just" — ✅ "Enter your license plate to pay for parking" ❌ "Simply enter your license plate number to quickly pay for parking."
  2. Kill repetition — merge redundant sentences: ❌ "We're running late. Your driver won't make it on time. They'll be there in 10 minutes." ✅ "Delivery delayed 10 minutes."
  3. Lead with the why — benefit before action: ✅ "To get reservation updates, enter your phone number." Notifications too: ✅ "Keep your streak going by solving today's crossword."
  4. Keep a word list — three columns: approved term · alternatives to avoid · definition (e.g. "alias — not handle/username/title — the player's in-game name, shown to others"). Reuse identical button labels ("Next") everywhere; consistency builds trust.

Alert anatomy (Writing Great Alerts)

First: should this be an alert at all? Alerts interrupt by design — reserve them for things the user must know now.

  • Title: the main point, one sentence or less.
  • Message: only if needed — the cause or the reason for the request.
  • Buttons: specific verbs for the action taken — never Yes/No/OK when a verb exists.
  • The scannability test: title + buttons alone must convey the situation.
  • A good alert answers: What happened? Why am I seeing this? How do I proceed?
  • ❌ Interjections in errors ("Oops!", "Uh-oh") — they signal you're not taking it seriously.
  • ❌ Vague hedging ("You may need to…") — name the file, name the fix.
  • If the fix lives elsewhere (Settings, another screen), the button takes them there — "do not leave this job to the Back button."

Naming features (Craft Clear Names, WWDC26)

Judge every candidate on three criteria: it belongs (fits the app and its location), it sets expectations (readers predict what they'll get), it works everywhere (languages, markets, platforms).

  • Process: Think / Feel / Do — what should the audience think, feel, and do? Group the answers into themes; name from the themes; test candidates in natural sentences ("just search for ___").
  • ✅ Verbs for features users perform: "Enhance Dialogue," not "Vocal Isolation."
  • ✅ Industry-standard words in high-stakes domains: "Balance," not "Spending Power."
  • ✅ Clarity over cleverness in tiers: "Basic Access / All Access," not "Lightweight/Heavyweight."
  • ✅ Compounds are fine when the parts self-explain ("AutoMix"); emotional names win where the moment is emotional ("Memories").
  • ❌ Implementation jargon — describe the outcome, not the mechanism.

Empty states, permissions, localization

  • Empty states never dead-end: say what will appear here and how to make it appear — ideally with example input (pairs with the blank-page rule in design/design-principles).
  • Permission prompts: explain value first, ask at the contextually right moment — never at first launch (mechanics in generators/permission-priming).
  • Localization: plain language survives translation; idioms and humor don't. Words grow in translation — leave layout room; every element needs accessibility text conveying intention.

Output Format

Copy review table:

Location | Current | Problem (PACE / filler / vague button / jargon) | Rewrite

ordered by frequency-of-exposure (navigation labels before deep-screen prose).

References