Clarity Over Cleverness: Interface Copy & Microcopy

UX writing is not marketing copy. Marketing seeks to persuade and attract attention; UX writing seeks to guide action, reduce cognitive load, and eliminate ambiguity.

• Clear: Unambiguous vocabulary written in plain language. Eliminate internal company jargon and technical abstractions.
• Concise: Scannable text stripped of filler words. Users do not read software; they scan it for triggers.
• Useful: Every phrase must help the user accomplish their immediate task or recover from an impasse.

Buttons are the primary levers of software. The most pervasive microcopy defect is using vague, generic labels like 'Submit', 'OK', or 'Proceed'.

The Specific Action Formula: Pair a strong action verb with a specific noun:

• 'Submit' -> 'Create Organization'
• 'OK' -> 'Save Changes'
• 'Delete' -> 'Delete Project Permanently'

When a user scans a dialog, the button label itself should describe the consequence of clicking it without forcing them to re-read the entire body copy.

An empty state occurs when a screen has no data to display (e.g., a brand-new project board, an empty favorites list, or a clean inbox).

The 3-Part Empty State Framework:

1. What belongs here? Briefly describe the purpose of the space ('No invoices yet').
2. Why is it empty? Explain why nothing is showing ('When you bill clients, your sent and paid invoices will appear here').
3. What should I do next? Provide a single, prominent primary button ('Create First Invoice').

An empty state is the prime moment of user intent; never leave it as a blank screen or a dry '0 items' label.