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Writing Guidelines

Tone of voice, microcopy, and content principles

Voice & Tone

MUZISYSTEM's voice is clear, confident, and helpful. We write like we're having a conversation with a colleague—professional but approachable, technical but not intimidating.

Core Principles

Guidelines for all content

✅ Do

  • Be clear - Use simple, direct language
  • Be concise - Respect the user's time
  • Be helpful - Provide context and guidance
  • Be consistent - Use the same terms throughout
  • Be human - Write like a person, not a robot

❌ Don't

  • Use jargon - Avoid unnecessary technical terms
  • Be vague - Be specific about actions and outcomes
  • Be condescending - Assume users are intelligent
  • Use humor - Keep it professional
  • Overexplain - Trust users to understand basics

Button Labels

Clear, action-oriented text

✅ Good Examples

  • "Save changes"
  • "Create project"
  • "Delete account"
  • "Download report"
  • "Send invitation"

Specific verbs that describe the action

❌ Avoid

  • "OK" / "Submit"
  • "Click here"
  • "Yes" / "No"
  • "Continue"
  • "Proceed"

Generic labels that don't describe the action

Error Messages

Helpful, specific, and actionable

Structure

  1. What happened - Describe the error clearly
  2. Why it happened - Explain the cause (if helpful)
  3. How to fix it - Provide clear next steps

Examples

✅ Good

"Your password must be at least 8 characters and include a number."

Clear, specific, and tells the user exactly what to do.

❌ Bad

"Invalid password."

Vague and doesn't help the user fix the problem.

Empty States

Encourage action when there's no content

Components

  1. Illustration or icon - Visual representation
  2. Headline - Brief, descriptive title
  3. Description - Explain why it's empty and what to do
  4. Call to action - Primary button to get started

Example

📁

No projects yet

Create your first project to get started with MUZISYSTEM.

Success Messages

Confirm actions and provide next steps

Best Practices

  • Be specific - "Project created" not "Success"
  • Use past tense - "Settings saved" not "Saving settings"
  • Provide context - What happened and what's next
  • Keep it brief - 1-2 sentences maximum

Examples

  • "✅ Project created successfully. You can now invite team members."
  • "✅ Changes saved. Your profile is now public."
  • "✅ Invitation sent to john@example.com"

Terminology

Consistent vocabulary across the design system

✅ Use

  • Sign in / Sign out
  • Email address
  • Username
  • Settings
  • Dashboard
  • Profile

❌ Avoid

  • Log in / Log out
  • Email / E-mail
  • User name
  • Preferences
  • Home
  • Account

Formatting

Capitalization, punctuation, and style

Capitalization

  • Sentence case - For body text, descriptions, labels
  • Title case - For page titles, section headings
  • ALL CAPS - Avoid, except for acronyms (API, CSS)

Punctuation

  • Periods - Use for complete sentences, skip for fragments
  • Exclamation marks - Use sparingly, only for genuine excitement
  • Question marks - Use for questions, not rhetorical statements

Numbers

  • Spell out - One through nine
  • Use numerals - 10 and above
  • Exceptions - Always use numerals for measurements, percentages