| name | ux-writing |
| description | Microcopy discipline — buttons, errors, empty/loading/success states, alt text. Voice and tone come from the project's memory, not from this skill. |
Skill: UX Writing
The discipline of interface copy. The project's voice (tone, vocabulary, banned words) lives in memory-long §conventions — seeded by /init, refined by the humans. This skill is how to structure copy regardless of voice.
Microcopy patterns
| Surface | Pattern | Never |
|---|
| Buttons/CTAs | [imperative verb] [+ object if needed] — "Send message" · primary CTAs ≤24 chars (one line at 320px) | "Submit", "Click here", exclamation marks |
| Form errors | [specific cause]. [corrective action]. — "Invalid email. Check the format." | "Error", vague politeness ("Please fill correctly") |
| Empty states | [context of emptiness] [+ next possible action] | Dead ends ("Nothing here") |
| Loading | Say what is happening — "Validating email…" | "Loading…", "Please wait" |
| Success | [concrete confirmation]. [next action or link]. — "Message sent. Reply within 48h." | "Success!" (zero context) |
| Alt text | Decorative → alt="" · Informative → describe what it communicates, not what it is | Inventing text for decorative images |
| ARIA labels | Expand context beyond visible text | Duplicating visible text |
Rules
- Every state a component can enter has copy designed for it (error/empty/loading/success are part of the component contract — see
component-patterns).
- Copy is content, not decoration: review it like code. A vague error message is a bug.
- Generic marketing-speak is banned by default (the project's memory may extend the blacklist): "innovative", "seamless", "leverage", "unlock", "empower", "best-in-class", "next-gen", "streamline", "supercharge", "world-class", "enterprise-grade", "cutting-edge".
- If the project is bilingual, the primary language leads and the mirror follows the same patterns — never machine-translate microcopy without pattern review.
- AI-cadence tells (Impeccable-verified): more than two em-dashes in one passage · the aphoristic rebuttal cadence ("X. No Y." / "Not a feature. A platform.") repeated across sections · buzzword stacking. Once is voice; the pattern is the tell — rewrite with plain verbs and nouns.
