ux-copy · diff
git:20260716.5b6b136 to git:20260717.ed06ff2
112 added, 68 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: ux-copy
- description: "Microcopy guide: CTA labels, error messages, empty states, form placeholders — aligned with the tone from design-method and the sector from design-system.md. Can run at any point in the pipeline, not tied to a fixed phase."
- when-to-use: "Writing or auditing any user-facing string — CTAs, errors, empty states, onboarding, form copy — for a web, webapp, iOS, or Android target."
- keywords: copy, ux-writing, cta, microcopy, voice, tone
- priority: high
- related: design-method, design-system, design-web, design-webapp
+ description: "Copy self-audit and ban-lists — filler verbs/hype adjectives, slop placeholder names, fake-precise numbers, Title Case headlines, humor in error copy ('Oops!'), em-dash crutch, one copy register per page."
+ when-to-use: "Any time visible copy is written or reviewed — headlines, subheads, buttons, body, captions, errors, empty states — inside any design-method move, or standalone copy work."
+ keywords: copy, microcopy, ban-list, register, tone, error-messages, self-audit
+ priority: critical
+ related: design-method, design-review, design-web, design-webapp
---
- ## UX Copy — Voice, Tone, and Microcopy
+ ## UX Copy — Self-Audit + Ban-Lists, One Register Per Page
### When
- Whenever user-facing copy is being written or reviewed — typically after
- `design-system.md` exists (it carries the sector and tone) and before or during
- component generation in `design-web`/`design-webapp`. Not tied to a fixed pipeline
- position: a copy-only request can invoke this skill directly.
+ Any time visible copy is written or edited — headlines, subheads, eyebrows, button
+ labels, body, captions, alt text, error messages, empty states — inside `generate`/
+ `critique`/`audit`/`polish` (`design-method`) or as a standalone copy pass. Register is
+ resolved once, at Gate 0 (`design-method/SKILL.md`), before this runs — never re-guessed
+ here.
### Input
- - `design-system.md` identity block (sector, brand personality) if it exists.
- - The tone committed to in `design-method` Step 1.
+ - Register (`brand`/`product`) from Gate 0.
+ - Sector, if resolved, for `references/voice-tone-sectors.md`.
+ - Every visible string in the deliverable.
- ### Steps
+ ### One register per page — hard rule
+ A single copy register per page (`references/copy-self-audit.md` §7): don't mix
+ technical mono, editorial prose, and marketing punch on one surface unless the brand
+ voice explicitly calls for it. Register direction is conditional exactly like layout and
+ motion (`design-method/references/register/copy.md` §3): **brand** copy must trace to
+ the one-sentence POV — run the Competitor Lift Test on the paragraph itself, could it run
+ unchanged on a competitor's site; **product** copy stays precise and domain-specific,
+ naming the real object and the real action, never marketing voice bleeding into the app
+ shell.
- 1. **Detect sector** from `design-system.md`, or from the brief if no design system exists yet.
- 2. **Load voice profile** from `references/voice-tone-sectors.md` — match sector to the
- NNG 4-dimension voice profile.
- 3. **Load sector copy examples**: `references/copy-fintech.md`, `references/copy-ecommerce.md`,
- or `references/copy-saas.md`.
- 4. **Define microcopy patterns** using `references/microcopy-patterns.md` — CTAs, form
- labels, validation messages, toasts. Sector-tested CTA phrasing:
- `references/templates/cta-patterns.md`.
- 5. **Define empty-state copy** from `references/empty-states-copy.md` — first-time,
- no-results, error-recovery formulas. Error copy formula:
- `references/templates/error-messages.md`.
- 6. **Onboarding copy**, if relevant: `references/templates/onboarding-copy.md`.
- 7. **Generate `copy-guide.md`** using `references/templates/copy-guide-template.md`.
- 8. **Run the Copy Self-Audit** (below) — mandatory before any copy ships, not advice.
+ ### Ban-lists — mechanical (grep), not vibes
- ### Copy Self-Audit — Pre-Flight Gates
- All gates must pass — base catalogue in `references/copy-self-audit.md`, plus the
- mechanical (grep/count) tells added below. Self-audit stays mechanical only; subjective
- judgment calls are routed to the challenger, never self-scored (see below):
+ 1. **Filler verbs / hype adjectives** — `elevate`, `seamless(ly)`, `unleash`, `next-gen`,
+ `revolutionize`, `empower`, `supercharge`, `game-changer`, `cutting-edge`, `unlock`,
+ `robust`, `effortless`, `frictionless`, plus `delve` and `tapestry`. Full grep pattern
+ and flag-not-fail nuance (read against the POV or the domain-specificity floor before
+ rewriting): `design-method/references/register/copy.md` §1.
+ 2. **Slop placeholder names** — `Acme`, `Nexus`, `SmartFlow`, `Cloudly`, `Initech`,
+ `Globex`, `Contoso`, `Umbrella Corp`, `Zenith (Labs/Tech)`. Blocks unless the brief
+ explicitly names a fictional example on purpose. Grep + rule:
+ `design-method/references/register/copy.md` §2.
+ 3. **Fake-precise numbers** — `92%`, `4.1x`, `48k`, `99.99%`, or any figure not traced to
+ real data, brief/brand guidelines, or an explicitly labelled mock
+ (`<!-- mock -->`/"example"). Real data reads organic and messy (`47.2%`), not
+ fake-perfect. `references/copy-self-audit.md` §3.
+ 4. **Title Case headlines** — sentence case is the default register for headings and body
+ copy; reserve Title Case for UI labels, buttons, and eyebrows only, never a body
+ headline, unless the brand style guide explicitly specifies Title Case. Inconsistent
+ or unjustified Title Case on headlines is a recurring AI-slop tell (grounding
+ corpus; general consistency principle also flagged in the reference clone's
+ capitalization check — apply it here as a default ban, not a mere consistency note).
+ 5. **Humor in error copy ("Oops!"/"Whoops!")** — banned. Errors use the what-happened +
+ why + how-to-fix formula (`references/templates/error-messages.md`), never cute
+ framing — a frustrated user doesn't want jokes. Bad-example precedent already in this
+ skill: `references/voice-tone-sectors.md` error row flags exactly `"Whoops!
+ Something went wrong."` against the correct `"Connection lost. Try again or continue
+ offline."`
+ 6. **AI production-tell catalogue** — version-label eyebrows (`v0.6`/`BETA`/`EARLY
+ ACCESS`), numbered section eyebrows (`00 / INDEX`), scroll cues, weather/locale
+ strips, "quietly trusted by", decorative photo-credit captions, fabricated live
+ counters, poetic craftsman labels, generic step labels (`Stage 1/2/3`). Full table:
+ `references/copy-self-audit.md` §2.
+ 7. **Em-dash as a crutch** — a single `—` isn't a hard fail; 2+ occurrences reading as a
+ repeated tic is. `references/copy-self-audit.md` §1 (shared gate with `design-review`).
+ 8. **"Not X. Y." manufactured-contrast fragments** — one instance is fine, 2+ on one page
+ is a blocking tic. `references/copy-self-audit.md` §4.
+ 9. **"theater"/"théâtre" keyword** — any hit blocks, near-universal AI copy tell.
+ `references/copy-self-audit.md` §5.
+ 10. **All-caps body copy** — 3+ consecutive all-caps words outside a recognized UI label
+ blocks; fine inside a button/eyebrow/badge. `references/copy-self-audit.md` §6.
- 1. **Em-dash — avoid as a crutch, not a hard ban.** A single em-dash doesn't block;
- flag it only when it shows up repeatedly (a recurring tic) or as a lazy substitute
- for clearer punctuation (period, comma, colon, parentheses). En-dashes for ranges
- (`2018-2026`, `€40-80k`) are fine.
- 2. **No AI "production tells."** Reject unless the brief explicitly demands it: hero
- version labels (`v0.6`, `BETA`), numbered section eyebrows (`00 / INDEX`), scroll cues
- (`↓ scroll`), `Quietly trusted by`, fabricated live counters.
- 3. **Fake-precise-number flag.** Every `92%`, `4.1×`, `48k` must trace to real data or be
- labelled mock.
- 4. **"Not X. Y." contrast fragments — count, don't feel.** Grep for the manufactured-
- contrast pattern (a short negation clause immediately followed by a period-terminated
- affirmation, e.g. "Not features. Focus."). 2+ occurrences on one page = blocking tic.
- 5. **"theater" keyword.** Grep for the literal word `theater`/`théâtre` (case-insensitive)
- in any visible string (e.g. "security theater", "performance theater") — a
- near-universal AI copy tell. Any hit blocks.
- 6. **All-caps body copy.** Grep for a run of ≥ 3 consecutive all-caps words outside a
- recognized UI label (button, eyebrow, badge). All-caps body paragraphs/subheads block.
- 7. **Final string review.** Re-read each visible string; flag anything grammatically
- broken, ambiguous, or AI-hallucination-sounding. One copy register per page.
+ ### Steps
+ 1. Confirm register (inherited from Gate 0) — never re-resolve it here.
+ 2. Write/review against the sector voice profile
+ (`references/voice-tone-sectors.md`, NNG 4 dimensions) and the matching sector guide
+ if one applies (`references/copy-saas.md`, `references/copy-fintech.md`,
+ `references/copy-ecommerce.md`).
+ 3. Apply the formula references for the surface being written: buttons/forms/toasts
+ (`references/microcopy-patterns.md`), CTAs (`references/templates/cta-patterns.md`),
+ errors (`references/templates/error-messages.md`), empty states
+ (`references/empty-states-copy.md`), onboarding
+ (`references/templates/onboarding-copy.md`). Project-level output uses
+ `references/templates/copy-guide-template.md`.
+ 4. Run every visible string through the ban-lists above.
+ 5. Final read (`references/copy-self-audit.md` §7): grammatically broken, unclear
+ referent, hallucination-sounding, "LLM trying to sound thoughtful" (forced metaphor,
+ mock-poetic aside, cute-but-empty wordplay). Rewrite; when unsure, replace with the
+ plain functional sentence — boring-correct beats clever-wrong.
+ 6. Mechanical checks (1-10 above) resolve on the spot. Judgment calls — does this line
+ actually trace to the POV, does it sound like forced profundity, does the aphoristic
+ cadence read as punchy ad copy pretending to be product copy — are named specifically
+ (quote the line, name the section) and routed to the `fuse-ai-pilot:challenger` gate
+ inside `design-review`, never self-scored
+ (`design-method/references/register/copy.md` §4; `references/copy-self-audit.md`,
+ "Not self-audited — routed to challenger").
- **Not self-audited — routed to challenger.** Aphoristic cadence (the "feel" of the copy:
- does it read punchy-staccato ad copy pretending to be product copy) is a subjective
- judgment call, not a grep/count. It goes to the challenger pass (fresh-context, per
- `design-review/SKILL.md`'s Part 2 Challenger gate, item 9) — never a self-audit item here.
+ ### Failure Handling
+ - Sector not resolved / no sector guide fits → default to
+ `references/microcopy-patterns.md`'s generic patterns, flag the gap instead of
+ inventing sector voice.
+ - A ban-list hit is contractually required by the brief (brand literally named "Acme",
+ a launch brief that genuinely wants a `BETA` eyebrow) → note the override explicitly in
+ the deliverable rather than silently keeping it unflagged.
### Output
- - `copy-guide.md`: voice profile, tone per context, CTA patterns, error templates, empty-state copy.
- - Copy Self-Audit passed.
+ - Every visible string checked against the 10 ban-lists above, register-consistent, one
+ voice per page.
+ - Judgment-call flags (if any), quoted and located, handed to `design-review`'s
+ challenger gate — not resolved solo.
- ### Next → back to `design-web`/`design-webapp` for component generation, or `design-review`.
+ ### Next → `design-review` — Part 1's em-dash/production-tell checks are the same gates
+ enforced here; Part 2's challenger judges any remaining judgment call (aphoristic
+ cadence, POV-tracing) this skill flagged but didn't self-score.
### References
| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
- | `references/copy-self-audit.md` | **Pre-ship gates: em-dash crutch threshold, production-tell catalogue, fake-number flag, final review** |
- | `references/voice-tone-sectors.md` | NNG voice profiles per sector |
- | `references/microcopy-patterns.md` | CTA, form, validation, toast patterns |
- | `references/empty-states-copy.md` | Empty-state copy formulas |
- | `references/copy-fintech.md` | Fintech-specific copy examples |
- | `references/copy-ecommerce.md` | E-commerce copy examples |
- | `references/copy-saas.md` | SaaS copy examples |
- | `references/templates/copy-guide-template.md` | Copy guide template |
- | `references/templates/cta-patterns.md` | CTA pattern templates |
- | `references/templates/error-messages.md` | Error message templates |
- | `references/templates/onboarding-copy.md` | Onboarding copy templates |
+ | `references/copy-self-audit.md` | **Canonical self-audit — em-dash, AI tells, fake numbers, final read** |
+ | `design-method/references/register/copy.md` | Filler-verb + slop-name ban-lists, register direction (external, canonical there) |
+ | `references/voice-tone-sectors.md` | Sector voice profiles, NNG 4 dimensions, do/don't examples |
+ | `references/microcopy-patterns.md` | CTA/form-label/validation/toast/button-state patterns |
+ | `references/empty-states-copy.md` | Empty-state copy formulas per type and sector |
+ | `references/copy-saas.md` | SaaS sector copy examples |
+ | `references/copy-fintech.md` | Fintech sector copy examples |
+ | `references/copy-ecommerce.md` | E-commerce sector copy examples |
+ | `references/templates/cta-patterns.md` | CTA label examples by context |
+ | `references/templates/error-messages.md` | Error message formula + good/bad examples |
+ | `references/templates/onboarding-copy.md` | Welcome-flow / first-run copy patterns |
+ | `references/templates/copy-guide-template.md` | Project-level copy guide output template |