Quality standards

The four quality standards that every piece of UX text should meet - purposeful, concise, conversational, and clear.

Every piece of UX text should meet four quality standards. These standards work together to create interface copy that helps users accomplish their goals while maintaining a human, accessible experience.

The four standards

Purposeful

Helps users or the business achieve goals

Concise

Uses the fewest words possible without losing meaning

Conversational

Sounds natural and human, not robotic

Clear

Unambiguous, accurate, and easy to understand

Purposeful

Purposeful text helps users or the business achieve specific goals. Before writing, ask:

• Does this text help the user achieve their goal?
• Does this text serve business objectives?
• Is the value to the user clear?
• Are user concerns anticipated and addressed?

If text doesn’t serve a purpose for the user or business, remove it.

Examples

Poor

Welcome to our app! We're excited to have you here.

The first example focuses on the company’s excitement. The second focuses on user value - what they’ll accomplish.

Concise

Concise text uses the fewest words possible without losing meaning. Every word must earn its space.

Best practices

• Use 40-60 characters per line maximum
• Every word must have a job
• Break dense text into scannable chunks
• Front-load important information

Target 8-14 words per sentence for optimal comprehension. 8 words = 100% comprehension, 14 words = 90% comprehension.

Examples

Poor

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Word count targets by content type

Content type	Target length
Buttons/CTAs	2-4 words ideal, 6 word maximum
Titles	3-6 words, 40 characters maximum
Error messages	12-18 words (including solution)
Instructions	20 words maximum, 14 ideal
Notifications	10-15 words for title + body

Conversational

Conversational text sounds natural and human. Write how you speak.

Best practices

• Write how you speak
• Use active voice 85% of the time
• Include prepositions and articles
• Avoid robotic phrasing

Read your text aloud. If you wouldn’t say it to someone in person, rewrite it.

Examples

Active vs passive voice

Passive (robotic)

Your account has been updated

Use active voice 85% of the time. Passive voice is acceptable when the actor is unknown or unimportant.

Natural connecting words

Robotic

Update required. Install latest version.

Including articles (“the”) and explaining “why” (“to continue”) makes text more natural.

Clear

Clear text is unambiguous, accurate, and easy to understand.

Best practices

• Use plain language (7th grade reading level for general, 10th for professional)
• Avoid jargon, idioms, and technical terms
• Use consistent terminology throughout
• Choose meaningful, specific verbs

Avoid idioms and cultural references - they don’t translate well and can confuse non-native speakers.

Reading level guidelines

Audience	Target reading level
General public	7th-8th grade
Professional tools	9th-10th grade
Technical products	10th-11th grade
Specialized fields	11th-12th grade (only when necessary)

Examples

Unclear

Submit

Specific verbs with objects provide clarity. “Submit” alone lacks context - submit what?

Jargon

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Using the standards together

Apply all four standards in order during the editing process:

1. Purposeful - Does this help the user?
2. Concise - Can I say this in fewer words?
3. Conversational - Would I say this out loud?
4. Clear - Is the meaning unambiguous?

Learn more about applying these standards in the editing process guide.