Questions tagged [copywriting]
the art of writing promotional text to make an emotional impression on the reader, usually to encourage a purchase. Don't confuse with the [copyright] tag.
319
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Should error messages apologize?
We are having a discussion on our team about an error message that says "Sorry, you do not have permission to access this feature. Please contact your administrator for assistance."
Is it ...
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14
answers
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Should I use Yes/No or Ok/Cancel on my message box?
Semantically, the Yes/No buttons are roughly equivalent to the Ok/Cancel buttons, but in general what would you recommend to use? Should I always use Yes/No or always use Ok/Cancel? Or does it depend ...
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votes
23
answers
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Using "Sign in" vs using "Log in"
Is there any research in this area, it seems "Sign in" is more common and hence more recommended.
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12
answers
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What to call "Cancel" when "Cancel" is already the default action?
When attempting to cancel a service or setting, "cancel" is the default action. What should the normal "cancel" button be called?
Redbox uses a playful "just kidding", which may not be appropriate in ...
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answers
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Should a sentence ending with a URL terminate with a period?
Suppose my web service needs to send a password recovery e-mail message to the user. The message will contain a link (with some disposable token). Something like:
To reset your password please ...
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answers
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Why shouldn't we use words such as 'here' and 'this' in textlinks?
Over the years of surfing on the web I have found numerous examples of people saying that you shouldn't use the word "here" in a textlink etc. Personally I like the idea of using the word, because it ...
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votes
13
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"Your" vs "My" in user interfaces
Some user interfaces feature titles such as:
My documents
My photos
My previous orders
While others opt for:
Your documents
Your photos
Your previous orders
Are their any guidelines addressing ...
Philip Morton
118
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24
answers
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What word can be used to mean either click or tap?
Very often we need to speak generically about clicking or tapping an item, but there seems to be a lack of vocabulary in English for this. We could just say "click or tap" every time, but ...
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103
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answers
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When to use "join," "register," or "sign up"?
For a user, when is it better to be asked to do the following:
"Sign In" vs. "Log in"
"Join" vs. "Register" vs. "Sign Up"
"Sign Out" vs. "Log out"
Different websites seem to use them differently, ...
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95
votes
12
answers
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"New" vs. "Create"
For buttons that initiate some content creation interaction, which label is better:
"New X" or "Create X"? Are there specific uses that in which one is better than the other?
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votes
21
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How do we ensure our staff read instructions aloud?
As Jakob Nielsen demonstrated:
On the average Web page, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely.
We have a business application used by call ...
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9
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Should we use 'Title Case' or 'Sentence case' for headlines and buttons?
I am wondering if we should use Title Case or Sentence case for buttons and headings in websites and web/mobile apps?
Title Case:
Manage my Account
Delete my Account
Sentence case:
Manage my account
...
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70
votes
8
answers
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How to tell a user their login credentials are incorrect?
When a user has entered incorrect details into a login form, is it better to tell them:
The username or password you have entered is invalid.
or
The username you have entered is invalid (for ...
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67
votes
23
answers
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Better term for "user" [closed]
I often have to explain some aspect of an application, and often need to refer to users. I really don't like the term as it is not something with a good connotation (e.g. drug users) to the non-...
67
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Should software refer to itself in the first-person, especially in error messages?
(I've searched this StackExchange site for posts relating to the use of first-person pronouns, but all I found concerned how to address the user and not the software, e.g. Form instructions/guidance - ...
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Should an interface ever say "please"?
Often I'll see a website, especially when registering or filling out a form that says something like "Please only use letters and numbers in this field" or "Please try again."
Please is a pleasantry ...
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63
votes
15
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Alternatives to "Like", "+1", "Bookmark", and "Favorite"?
I'm building a web-app where users indicate that they "like" feed-items published by other users. The act of "liking" also inherently bookmarks the feed-item as well as the publishing user. I'm ...
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votes
10
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What is the recommended wording for a generic error message
What would be the best wording for a generic error message?
With generic error message I mean a message for an error that has occured but there are no details on what the error is or how to recover ...
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58
votes
10
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What are some alternatives to the phrase "Are you sure you want to XYZ" in confirmation dialogs?
I don't like seeing the word 'you' in the message twice. Examples:
Are you sure you want to delete this item?
Are you sure you want to continue?
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votes
7
answers
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How to phrase button labels?
How should I phrase the following button labels:
"Import image" or "Import an image"?
"Create app" or "Create an app"?
"Add description" or "Add a description"?
If you could also supply the grammar ...
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32
votes
7
answers
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views
What is the right success message?
What would be the right success message when the the user deletes a record?
I could think of the following:
Record has been successfully deleted
Record has been deleted
Record was successfully ...
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32
votes
7
answers
9k
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Next vs. Continue
Is there any situation in which either Next vs. Continue would be more appropriate to use?
I'm working on an application that has many, many different forms (data entry), and have been using the word ...
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29
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8
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No one is clicking my slide box popup - Can it be improved?
Earlier I asked when it the right time to prompt the visitor to opt in for web push notifications (they work on both PC and Android devices).
I was just loading the default prompt and every day maybe ...
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Why do we have OS names like Mountain Lion, Jellybean, and Quantal Quetzal instead of numbers?
Less of a pressing question and more a "what happened here"?
At some point in the past decade (most) OS's have switched over to these codenames for their versions with names like Mountain Lion, ...
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27
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4
answers
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You, Me, or Joe Soap
When listing content in an application (think of a list of documents) we show the name of the document and the name of the author.
What should be shown for the author's name when the person reading ...
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27
votes
8
answers
3k
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Why do some sites use "If you are not <user>, click here" instead of "Log out"?
I've recently noticed that several websites, e.g. Amazon, Dockers, etc. say "If you are not -username-, [click here]" instead of an explicit logout button. Is this another example of hiding the logout ...
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27
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What do you call a website which is not in beta, but a re-launch with possible teething problems?
We are launching a new website soon. We have ran some beta versions to users, but we are going to finally press the button, turn off the old one and only have the new website.
I want to let users ...
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4
answers
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How to tell visitors to activate JavaScript?
How should one tell website visitors that a website makes heavy use of JavaScript?
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4
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Should I include the word 'this' in an in-paragraph hyperlink?
I have the following text as my signature in some other fora.
Those interested in Arts and Crafts, please Commit to this stackoverflow proposal!
Well, I read somewhere that hyperlinks shouldn't be ...
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6
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Is it OK to phrase the title of a modal as a question?
Modals are often used to force the user to make a decision, so they're basically questions. Is it ok to present the question in the title of the modal?
Something about it rubs me the wrong way.
This ...
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votes
3
answers
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views
Use old or new name for an update confirmation message when name itself has been updated?
I want to provide a user of a web application some confirmation message like:
The task "foobar" has been successfully updated.
Now, in term of usability, if the update consists in changing task’s ...
user30979
22
votes
7
answers
6k
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How to define/classify messages and notifications in web applications
I have seen content from various style guides and UX guidelines about this, and was wondering if there is a much more simple system to create a consistent and easy to implement design for various ...
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3
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Should I put "." at the end of messages for mobile users?
Should I write "." at the end of messages displayed to the user in my mobile Android application?
For example:
High bandwidth required, switch to WiFi.
or
High bandwidth required, switch to ...
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votes
6
answers
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"Expiry date" or "Expiration date" label
What is the best form label to use for the credit card expiry date (during a checkout process on an eCommerce website)?
I've done some research and noticed that some sites use 'Expiration date' and ...
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votes
3
answers
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What are the rules of using ellipsis on buttons
I read about the rules of using ellipsis (three dots ...) in a menu command:
Indicate a command that needs additional information (including a
confirmation) by adding an ellipsis at the end of ...
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votes
7
answers
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User Profile, My Account, or just Settings?
I am writing a little webapp, and am stuck on a UI hangup. I have a global menu bar at the top of the screen, that when the user is signed in consists of:
Signed in as Joe User (with username as ...
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votes
5
answers
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How to display different levels of importance?
On one of my projects I am currently trying to solve a problem of levels of importance. Due to technical reasons we need five levels of importance, which would be shown to the user in some abbreviated ...
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3
answers
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Why Do Long, Ugly Sales Pages Convert?
It seems impossible to avoid the litany of "snake oil" sales pages consisting of long, boring videos and endless (and I mean endless) text. These look like UX nightmares, and yet they're becoming ...
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Recommendations for good resources on writing good error messages [closed]
Writing good error messages which help users understand how to use the system is difficult. Often we get bug reports stating "Error message x is confusing" which usually sparks a long debate in the ...
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7
answers
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"1 other" or "one other"?
It's used multiple times in the UI, in different lists, like: users in the dialogue, users in your project.
Example:
Tom, Bob, Linda, and 1 other.
Tom, Bob, Linda, and one other.
For all the other ...
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7
answers
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What's a better label for the traditional "Browse..." button for selecting files to upload?
I've been working on an advanced file uploader, complete with folders and animated progress bars, and wanted to improve the vague "browse" button generally used for launching a file selector window. ...
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What are good rules for naming menu items? [closed]
I'm establishing some style guidance for naming items which are accessed from my application's menu bar.
What are the commonly accepted rules for naming menu items?
When should the names of the ...
barry
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votes
10
answers
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What to do when customers search for "Cheap" when you want to convey "Quality"?
An ecom client that I am working with has an interesting SEO challenge. They sell products that they want to convey quality and value; however, the #1 thing searched for on Google, Bing, and their ...
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How can the classic footer elements be integrated into an infinite scrolling layout?
Infinite Scrolling is a fairly new and effective way to display practically infinite amounts of data in a user's window, but one page element simply does not suit itself to this method; the footer. A ...
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16
votes
4
answers
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Should an interface ever say "thank you"?
I just read an answer to another question, in which Roger Attrill wrote:
You might not need to say Thank you if this is a very frequent action
or if your user's won't appreciate the nicety - just ...
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15
votes
2
answers
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Setting vs Settings? Which one makes more sense in a dropdown button
This button should do what it looks like it should do. It opens a drop down of actions that a user can perform on their user account. Should I go with "Setting" or "Settings"?
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Should labels in forms follow the same grammar rules as titles
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/capitalization/rules-for-capitalization-in-titles.html
At the company I work at, we follow certain rules for capitalization in titles.
But currently, we're having a ...
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votes
11
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Creative alternatives for word 'Home' on a web application
What could be creative alternatives for word 'Home' on a social network applications that implies as a default space/ a living space or a place where all the updates gather?
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What will be the Best notifications and error messages?
As a UI architect, I am always wondering about the best format to display errors and notifications to users.
Which of the following examples is the best format?
Name is required
Name cannot be ...
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