In this section, you will find principles and best practices for writing clear, concise, and user-friendly microcopy.
To write effective short text, such as error messages, button labels, notifications, call-to-actions, instructions, and more, you must lead with the benefits for the user.
For example: “Save time by using our quick booking.” Note that benefits are different from features. Features are part of how a product works, but benefits are how the features help the user.
Best practices
- Use simple language for clarity and ease of understanding.
- Keep text short, removing unnecessary words without losing essential information.
- Maintain consistent terminology and style, following brand guidelines for tone and voice.
- Provide relevant information based on the user’s current context and needs.
- Anticipate user questions and provide answers proactively.
- Use verbs for actionable text, e.g., “Save updates,” “Pay,” or “Learn more.”
- Follow brand guidelines and use sentence case for all text except industry terms, which use title case (e.g., Bill of Lading).
- Use British English as the official default language.
- Avoid disclosing personal identifiable information (PII) to ensure user privacy and security.
Following these practices will ensure better clarity, consistency, and user privacy.
Explore each section for in-depth guidelines and examples to help you write effective and coherent product microcopy.
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Accessibility
In addition to the Maersk Design System’s Accessibility Guidelines, Brand Management also offers guidance on how to make content accessible on Brand Central.