brand-voice-in-interface

name	brand-voice-in-interface
description	Use when writing UI copy: button labels, error messages, empty states, onboarding text, tooltips. Covers voice consistency, the difference between marketing voice and product voice, and the language patterns that read as 'brand.'

Brand Voice in Interface

UI copy is brand voice in the smallest doses. Hundreds of micro-copies make up the perception.

Three voice axes

Pick a position on each axis:

Axis	Endpoint A	Endpoint B
Formal ↔ Casual	"Please complete your account"	"Finish setting up"
Serious ↔ Playful	"An error occurred"	"Hmm, that didn't work"
Verbose ↔ Terse	"You haven't added any drivers to your account yet"	"No drivers yet"

A SaaS for fleet compliance is probably: medium-casual, medium-serious, terse. A consumer app might be: casual, playful, terse. A medical product: formal, serious, medium-verbose.

Voice patterns by surface

Buttons

• Verb + outcome: "Start my trial", "Save changes", "Add driver"
• 2-4 words max
• First-person when emotional ("Start my trial" not "Start a trial")

Error messages

• Plain language, no codes
• Suggest the fix
• "Email must include @" not "Invalid email"
• "We couldn't reach the server. Try again?" not "ERR_NETWORK_FAILURE"

Empty states

• Acknowledge the absence
• Direct to next action
• "No drivers yet" + "Add your first driver" CTA

Tooltips

• 1 sentence max
• Add context, don't repeat what's visible
• "Add a comment that's only visible to admins" not "Add comment"

Onboarding

• Friendly, slightly more verbose
• Concrete examples, not abstractions
• Anticipate questions

Confirmation dialogs

• "Delete driver?" + "This can't be undone" (concise)
• Show what's being deleted (driver's name)
• Cancel button → safe default

What NOT to write

• "Oops!" / "Yikes!" / "Oh no!" — performative apology
• "Click here" — never describes WHAT to click
• Marketing speak in UI: "Unlock your full potential!" (no)
• Acronyms / jargon without explanation
• "We're sorry" 5x in one error flow

Personality without sacrificing clarity

You CAN have voice in UI copy if you trade nothing for it:

• "Compass is thinking..." (vs "Loading...") — adds character, same clarity
• "Nothing to see here" empty state — playful, still clear
• "Let's get this set up" onboarding — warm, still clear

When in doubt, choose clarity.

Voice review checklist

For any new UI copy:

• ☑ Verb + outcome on buttons
• ☑ No "oops" / "yikes" performative
• ☑ Errors say what + suggest fix
• ☑ No jargon without context
• ☑ Tone consistent with established voice
• ☑ Read aloud — does it sound natural?

Common mistakes

• Inconsistent voice — formal in onboarding, casual in errors
• Performative apology ("Oh no! Sorry!") for minor issues
• "Click here" copy
• Acronyms without explanation
• 30-word tooltip
• "Submit" buttons (no, what does it submit?)

Where this fits in X3 Compass

X3 Compass voice: medium-casual, serious about regulation, terse. Examples: "Start free → 1 truck", "Ask Compass anything", "Cited every answer". Brand voice doc at brand/voice.md.