UX Copy Style Guide
In its first phase, I migrated a gnarly web of documents to a cohesive website with updated and new chapters on internationalization, brand language, social media, and product copy.
By offering guidelines for internationalization, voice and tone, and a UX writing overview, I standardized the approach to build a cohesive product voice. These were supported by dos and don’ts that explain fundamentals to craft messaging that’s usable and clear. Here’s a sample of familiar headers:
✅ Do use active and positive voice
✅ Do read it aloud
✅ Do use the squint test
✅ Do comparative research
❌ Don’t use the same word twice
❌ Don’t say “click here”
❌ Don’t use too many adjectives and adverbs
❌ Don’t say “please” or “sorry” unless absolutely necessary
Over time, this website evolved into a robust knowledge base. It covers an overview of what UX writing is and how it works at Kickstarter, along with tips around error messages, capitalization, voice and tone, localization, and step-by-step guides on crafting transactional emails and handing them off to developers. The goal was to scale my discipline and contribute to the platform’s digital landscape with confidence.
Our style guides grow alongside us, and can be broken down from collections into boards into individual entries that address a specific topic while fitting into a larger, cohesive picture. I’m currently focused on building a content design system that integrates with our design and engineering components to streamline our product development process.