UX Writing
Repository
markdown Writing & Communication
ux-writingmicrocopycontent-designaccessibilityproduct-writing

Summary

Write and audit interface microcopy, from buttons to error messages, against four checkable quality standards.

Features

  • Four quality standards with concrete, checkable benchmarks
  • Pattern library for buttons, errors, empty states, and onboarding
  • Reading-level and comprehension benchmarks baked into guidance
  • Voice and tone adaptation framework for different product contexts

Install This Skill

Add this skill to your favorite AI agent in a few steps.

Any AI agent

This skill is plain instructions — it works with any assistant that accepts custom instructions or system prompts.

  1. Copy the skill content with the button below.
  2. Paste it into your agent's instruction file or system prompt (for example AGENTS.md, .cursorrules, or a custom instructions field).
  3. Ask the agent to apply the skill whenever the task matches.

Skill Content

Markdown Content

Copy this content and use it with your preferred AI agent

# UX Writing

Write clear, concise, user-centered interface copy (UX text/microcopy) for digital products and experiences.

## Core UX Writing Principles
### The Four Quality Standards
1. Purposeful — Helps users or the business achieve goals
2. Concise — Uses the fewest words possible without losing meaning
3. Conversational — Sounds natural and human, not robotic
4. Clear — Unambiguous, accurate, and easy to understand

### Key Best Practices
**Conciseness:** 40-60 characters per line maximum; every word must have a job.
**Clarity:** plain language (7th grade reading level for general, 10th for professional); avoid jargon.
**Conversational Tone:** write how you speak; active voice ~85% of the time.
**User-Centered:** focus on user benefits, not features; second-person ("you") language.

## UX Text Patterns
### Titles
- Purpose: Orient users to where they are
- Format: Noun phrases, sentence case
- Examples: "Account settings", "Your library", "Create new post"

Description

UX Writing is a standalone skill focused entirely on interface copy, meaning the buttons, labels, error messages, notifications, form hints, empty states, and onboarding text that make up a product's voice but rarely get the same editorial attention as marketing copy. It is built around four quality standards, purposeful, concise, conversational, and clear, and backs each with concrete, checkable guidance rather than vague advice, including a 40-60 character line-length target, a seventh-grade reading level for general audiences, roughly 85 percent active voice, and second-person address.

It provides pattern libraries for common UI text types, such as titles, error messages, empty states, confirmations, and tooltips, each with purpose, format conventions, and examples, plus frameworks for establishing and adapting a product's voice and tone across different contexts. Accessibility is core to the skill rather than an afterthought, with comprehension research and plain-language guidance baked into the same recommendations used for clarity and concision. Use it any time text is being written or edited for an app, website, or software interface, whether drafting new copy, auditing an existing product for consistency, or reviewing UI strings before ship. It is explicitly compatible with any agent supporting the Agent Skills spec, not just Claude.

Related Skills

AGENTS.md Authoring

AGENTS.md Authoring

by Sentry

Write and maintain concise AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md files that document the conventions an agent actually needs.

Writing & Communication
documentationagentsconventions
Browse all skills →