/content

name: content
description: >-
  UIForge's microcopy layer — words are UI. Use when writing or fixing any
  interface text: headlines, subheads, button/CTA labels, empty states, error
  and loading messages, tooltips, form labels, onboarding, or marketing copy, or
  when copy feels generic, hypey, or "AI-written." Enforces outcome-driven
  labels, error/empty states that help, a hype-word blocklist, and a specificity
  test so every claim is checkable — the difference between a page that reads as
  crafted and one that reads as a template.

Content — write the interface

Copy is a design surface, not filler poured in at the end. Users **scan, don't read** (NN/g: 79% scan; rewriting marketese to objective, concise, scannable copy tested **+124%** usability). And "words are UI" (Polaris) — labels, empty states, and errors are where a product feels human or feels generated.

Buttons & actions — state the outcome

• **Verb + object, ≤ 3 words, sentence case.** Never "Submit," "Click here," or

"Learn more" in isolation. "Send invoice." "Create project." "Start free trial." (Intuit measured "Send invoice" vs "Submit" at **+18% CTR**.)

• **Destructive actions = Verb + Noun** ("Delete project," "Remove member") so the

consequence is unmistakable — never a bare "Delete" / "OK."

• One **primary** action per view; secondaries are quieter in both weight and word.

Errors — what happened + how to fix

• Say **what went wrong and what to do next**, in plain words. No blame, no codes

as the whole message, never "An error occurred."

• **Preserve the user's input.** Point at the field. "That email's already in use —

sign in instead?" beats "Invalid input."

Empty & loading states — never blank

• **Empty = why it's empty + one clear next action + a hint of the payoff.** It's

a first-run activation moment, not a dead end. "No projects yet. Create one to start tracking builds." + the button.

• **Loading:** skeletons over spinners; show nothing under ~300ms (a flash reads

as a glitch); consider optimistic UI for likes/CRUD.

Headlines & marketing — the specificity test

Every headline needs **≥ 1 checkable element**: a number, a name, a timeframe, or a mechanism. **The test:** if the line could be pasted onto a competitor's site unchanged, it's a slogan — rewrite it.

• "Ship faster" → "Deploy in under 90 seconds."
• "Powerful analytics" → "Query 10B events without a data team."
• Lead with the user's problem, not your product's adjectives (inverted pyramid —

front-load the point).

The hype blocklist (ban these)

Marketese *lowers* measured usability and is the copy signature of AI output. Blocklist and replace:

| Banned | Replace with | |---|---| | unlock / supercharge / elevate / revolutionize / streamline | the literal outcome + a number | | seamless / seamlessly integrate | "connects to Slack, GitHub, Jira in two clicks" | | world-class / enterprise-grade / game-changing / cutting-edge | a specific proof | | "Trusted by thousands" | "Trusted by 4,200 engineering teams" | | "In today's fast-paced world…" | delete; open on the user's problem | | exclamation overuse, em-dash overuse | one clean statement |

Voice & mechanics

• **One voice; tone flexes** to the user's state (playful on success, plain and

calm on errors).

• Write for a **~9th-grade reading level**; sentences **< 25 words**; active

voice; concrete over abstract.

• **Placeholders are not labels** (they vanish on focus and fail a11y) — every

field gets a visible label; every icon gets a text label / `aria-label`.

• Numbers use `tabular-nums`; real currency/units; consistent capitalization

(pick sentence case for UI and hold it).

Hand back copy the other skills can drop in verbatim — and flag any claim you couldn't make specific, so it gets a real proof point or gets cut.