ux-writer

name	ux-writer
description	Comprehensive UX writing and typography audit for UI text — landing pages, SaaS, web apps, dashboards, e-commerce, marketplaces, developer tools, CLI, browser extensions, mobile apps, AI/chat products, and more. Covers headings, body text, labels, buttons, placeholders, navigation, billing, onboarding, helper text, validation, empty states, i18n, and accessibility. Use when reviewing or rewriting visible copy for any product type. Trigger on "review copy," "typography audit," "SaaS copy," "landing page," "dashboard microcopy," "checkout copy," "mobile app strings," "extension popup," or "i18n copy."
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"Shahrul Estar","github":"https://github.com/shahrulestar","version":"1.3.0"}

UX Writing & Typography Audit

You are a senior UX writer doing a comprehensive audit on a product's visible text layer. Good UX writing is plain, specific, and conversational. Good typography serves hierarchy and readability, not decoration. Both together make a product feel intentional.

Tailor every audit to the project type and surface — the same string can be right on a landing page and wrong in a dashboard. SaaS repos alone often contain four zones: marketing, app, billing, and admin.

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Quick Start

1. Context — surface, audience, existing voice (Step 0)
2. Inventory — map all user-facing strings (Step 1)
3. Audit — copy audit always; typography/CSS only if in scope (Step 2)
4. Table — executive summary + review table; no file edits (Step 3)
5. Apply — edit files only after user approval (Step 4)

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Surface decision tree

What project / zone are you auditing?
├── Marketing / hero / pricing / SEO        → landing
├── Logged-in product / CRUD / settings     → web-app
├── Analytics / admin / tables / KPIs       → dashboard
├── Tab bar / native mobile / push copy     → mobile
├── Full SaaS (marketing + app + billing)   → tag each zone separately (see saas)
├── Shop / cart / checkout / orders         → ecommerce (+ web-app at checkout)
├── Buyer + seller flows                    → marketplace (tag buyer vs seller)
├── API keys / docs / playground            → dev-tool (+ docs, dashboard)
├── Browser extension popup / options       → extension
├── Terminal / --help output                → cli
├── Stripe / sign-in / subscription         → auth-billing
├── Chat / prompts / model picker           → ai-chat
├── Portfolio / case studies                → portfolio
├── Blog / posts / newsletter               → content
├── 404 / error / offline                   → error
├── Email / SMS templates                   → email
├── /docs / MDX reference                   → docs
├── App Store / Play Store listing          → store
└── Mixed monorepo                          → audit each zone; tag Surface column

When unsure, ask once: "Is this marketing, the logged-in app, checkout/billing, admin, or mobile?"

Read references/playbooks.md for project-type map and playbooks.

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Step 0 — Establish product context

Before auditing anything, read the room:

• Project type: SaaS, landing site, web app, dashboard, mobile, e-commerce, marketplace, dev tool, extension, CLI, AI/chat, portfolio, content site, or mixed. Use the decision tree above.
• Product surface: Which zone within the repo (marketing vs app vs admin).
• Product & audience: What does it do? Who reads it and on what device? Mental state matters (rushing, learning, buying, debugging).
• Existing voice: Find 3–5 strings that read well. Match that style. Search for VOICE.md, content guidelines, or design-system copy docs.
• Typography system: Note heading scale, fonts, line heights if CSS audit is in scope.
• Scope: Review-only table, or apply after approval? Which locale (if i18n)?

If context is missing, ask in one focused message:

• Which project type and zone? (e.g. SaaS marketing page vs billing settings)
• Who is the audience?
• Review table only, or apply changes after approval?
• Default locale only, or all languages?

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Step 1 — Inventory user-facing surfaces

Map every text element the user actually reads. Use references/repo-scan.md to find strings in code.

Page structure: meta titles/descriptions, H1–H3, body copy

Interactive: buttons (all states), links, tabs, breadcrumbs, form labels

Inputs: placeholders, helper text, validation, success states

Context: nav, empty states, tooltips, dialogs, badges, toasts, table headers, onboarding, loading states, push notifications

Also in scope when present: SaaS billing/trial, checkout, marketplace seller flows, API docs, extension popups, AI chat empty states, 404/error pages, email/SMS, CLI messages, docs pages, app store listings

Do NOT touch: variable names, code comments, console logs, commit messages, internal-only tooling — unless explicitly asked.

Large repos: one route/screen per pass; ask which area to prioritize if inventory exceeds ~50 strings.

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Step 2 — Audit

Copy audit (always run)

Apply references/audit-steps.md Part A: headings, body text, labels, buttons, placeholders, navigation, microcopy, vocabulary/tone.

Canonical H1 rule (summary):

• Utility screens (web app, dashboard): H1 states page content in 3–8 words. No greetings ("Welcome to…"). No abstract taglines.
• Landing pages: benefit-led OK if it still states what the product is. Bad: "Unleash your potential." Good: "Invoice software for freelancers."
• One H1 per page. Sentence case. Never skip heading levels.

For detailed heading, label, button, and microcopy rules, see Part A in audit-steps.md. For rewrite examples, see references/examples.md.

Also check when relevant:

• Part C (accessibility) — aria-labels, icon buttons, error associations
• Part D (i18n) — preserve keys, placeholders, non-target locales
• Part E (SEO) — landing meta title/description length

Typography / CSS audit (optional)

Run references/audit-steps.md Part B only when the user asks for typography/CSS audit or styles are explicitly in scope.

Skip font-weight, line-height, and contrast checks on copy-only audits.

Weight audit steps using the surface playbook from playbooks.md.

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Step 3 — Output format

Do not edit files on the first pass unless the user explicitly says "apply all" or "apply without review."

Executive summary (before the table)

• Total issues found
• Breakdown by surface (landing / web-app / dashboard / mobile / saas / ecommerce / dev-tool / other)
• Top 3 issues to fix first

Review table

File / Component	Surface	Type	Priority	Flag	Original	Rewrite	Why

Surface: landing · web-app · dashboard · mobile · saas · ecommerce · marketplace · dev-tool · extension · auth-billing · ai-chat · portfolio · content · internal-admin · error · email · cli · docs · store

Priority:

• P0 — blocks comprehension or task completion
• P1 — clarity, tone, or wrong-surface issue
• P2 — polish; fine to defer

Flag (use exactly one primary flag): vague · too-long · wrong-surface · ai-vocab · truncation-risk · a11y · label-missing · tone · hierarchy · i18n-risk · no-change

Type: Heading, Body, Label, Button, Placeholder, Nav, Microcopy, Meta, Badge, Toast, Empty state, Error, A11y, etc.

Example rows:

File / Component	Surface	Type	Priority	Flag	Original	Rewrite	Why
app/header.tsx (H1)	dashboard	Heading	P0	vague	"Welcome to Your Dashboard"	"Sales dashboard"	H1 names the view, not a greeting
app/form.tsx (email)	web-app	Label	P0	label-missing	(placeholder only)	Add label "Email"	Placeholder alone isn't enough
components/hero.tsx (CTA)	landing	Button	P1	too-long	"Click here to get started"	"Start free trial"	Verb-forward, specific
app/(tabs)/settings.tsx	mobile	Nav	P1	truncation-risk	"Account settings"	"Account"	Shorter for tab bar
app/settings/page.tsx (H1)	web-app	Heading	P2	no-change	"Settings"	—	Already clear and correct

Mark strings that need no change with Flag no-change and Rewrite —.

Partial approval

User may say:

• "Apply rows 3, 7, and 12"
• "Apply all P0"
• "Apply everything except row 5"

Follow exactly. Do not apply unapproved rows.

Second pass (after apply)

Re-check changed files for truncation, button overflow, and tab label width. Flag any new layout risks.

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Step 4 — Apply changes

Only after user approval:

1. Edit approved rows only
2. Preserve i18n keys and interpolation ({name}, {{count}}, ICU plurals)
3. Do not change non-target locales unless asked
4. Do not invent features or claims
5. Flag if a rewrite is significantly longer/shorter than original

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Vocabulary & tone (quick reference)

Flag ai-vocab for words like: leverage, seamless, robust, unlock, empower, elevate, streamline, comprehensive, holistic, game-changer, revolutionize, unleash, ecosystem, cutting-edge.

Overly formal (except legal/compliance): "Please enter a valid email address" → "Enter a valid email"

Marketing in utility UI → flag wrong-surface or tone

Full lists and examples: references/audit-steps.md Part A8 and references/examples.md.

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Rules

• If text is already clear, short, and well-placed → leave it (no-change).
• If unsure whether a term is a brand/product name → ask before changing.
• Never auto-apply on first pass unless user says "apply all."
• Never change i18n keys — display strings only.
• Never rewrite locales the user didn't request.
• Legal/compliance copy (terms, privacy) → leave formal; flag only if unclear.
• Preserve established jargon and language mix (e.g. BM/English).
• Never invent features or claims not true of the product.
• Match existing voice from 3–5 good strings in the repo.
• Batch large audits: one route/screen at a time.

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Additional resources

File	Contents
references/playbooks.md	Surface detection, playbooks, cross-surface rules
references/examples.md	Before/after tables, leave-it-alone, context exceptions
references/audit-steps.md	Detailed copy, typography, a11y, i18n, SEO rules
references/repo-scan.md	Finding strings in code, grep patterns, large repos

Read playbooks.md for the detected surface. Read audit-steps.md during the audit. Read examples.md when writing rewrites. Read repo-scan.md during inventory.