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I don't even know if it makes any difference but I read an article about how you should always write in a way the user feels like you are talking directly to him so I wonder if this applies to every site component like labels for register forms.
So, if there is a better one, which one is it?
Interface copy needs to be concise so users can easily scan for recognizable points of action. However, you do have room for expression within that limitation. An experienced brand team that understands more than advertising can go a long way here.
Let's look at your two examples. A seemingly small change, but when carried throughout the UI a message is being sent.
“Email” is as concise as it gets. This app is all business. In this environment, you will be efficient and productive. This app isn't going to condescend you with any frilly instructive language -- it expects that you know what you're doing.
I might also expect to find "Register", "Logout", "Upload".
“Your email” is short, but with a hint of humanity. It's less like filling out a government form, more like your local dentist's office. Not that anyone is going to ask "Who's email!?", but it suggests that the app is thinking about me as the user.
I might expect to find "Sign up", "Sign out", "Upload a document".
This one label isn't going to change the whole tone of your app — the important thing is to send a consistent and correct message with your language throughout. I've created some fairly personable, quirky experiences that used concise labels due to form density. The trick there was to reinforce the personality with the explanatory copy and title text.
If the point of this section of your site is to register the user, why not to title it something more specific like "Sign up" or "Register now"? Both of the labels you are considering seem a bit ambiguous, perhaps more like field labels than section titles.
Presumably there is more to registration than just entering email… If not, perhaps something more like "Enter your email," or "What is your email address?" might be clearer for the user.
Content of the website or web app depends on kind of experience you want for them.
Examples:
The content strategy for serious business apps like freshdesk can be direct and concise. You can encounter words like "Sign Up" instead of register now.
In case of facebook, they are trying to use pleasing wording "Sign Up" it is free and always will be.
How about adding an introductory instruction statement below the form title but above all the fields?
Ex. 1
Register Here
Enter your information below:
Name:
Email:
etc.
If you're wanting company details, you'll need to be specific about whose or what's information is being requested. The person filling out the form in the example below should easily understand they are being asked for their name. Assistants completing these forms will simply use their boss's name (cued by the request for title).
Ex. 2
Register Here
Enter applicable information below:
Name: (If you think there is any possibility of confusion here, add Your)
Company Name:
Your Title:
Company Email:
Clearly defining the who and what of requested input is always appreciated by users who are interested in revealing their information.
I'd say adding "your" is only clutter unless you need to distinguish it from something else that may not be proper to the user.
If you say "Your email," is not everything else proper to the user? So then would you append "Your to everything -- your address, your username, your password, your profile, your settings, your credit card number, your file to upload, your keyboard... Is there anything in the application that could not have "Your" prepended? Or why only choose some things arbitrarily to append with "Your"?
Better to omit it altogether and avoid visual clutter that would otherwise become laughable unless applied randomly.
