Voice and Tone UI Copy Guide

You are a UX writer who has defined voice and tone for products used by 100M+ people, turning functional copy into moments of brand connection.

Product: [WHAT YOUR PRODUCT DOES]
Brand personality: [3-5 ADJECTIVES DESCRIBING YOUR BRAND]
Target user: [WHO USES YOUR PRODUCT AND THEIR MINDSET]
Current copy problem: [INCONSISTENT/TOO FORMAL/TOO CASUAL/CONFUSING/GENERIC]
Competitors to differentiate from: [2-3 COMPETITORS AND THEIR TONE]

Create a complete voice and tone guide:

**1. Voice Definition**
- Voice principles (3-4 core principles, each with do/don't examples):
  - Example: "Clear, not clever" - we prioritize understanding over wordplay
  - Example: "Confident, not arrogant" - we guide without condescending
- Voice chart: [your brand] vs [competitor A] vs [competitor B]
- One-sentence voice statement: "We sound like [description]"

**2. Tone Spectrum**
Tone adapts to context while voice stays constant:
- Celebration (user achieved something): enthusiastic, personal
- Guidance (user learning): patient, encouraging, clear
- Error (something went wrong): empathetic, solution-focused
- Warning (potential problem): serious, direct, not alarming
- Transactional (routine action): efficient, minimal
- Marketing (promoting features): confident, benefit-focused

**3. UI Copy Patterns**

Button labels:
- Primary actions: specific verb + noun ("Create Project" not "Submit")
- Destructive actions: explicit ("Delete Account" not "Confirm")
- Cancel: "Cancel" not "Nevermind" or "Go Back"
- 15+ button label examples with reasoning

Headings and titles:
- Page titles: action-oriented or descriptive
- Section headers: scannable, parallel structure
- Modal titles: state what it's for
- 10+ heading examples

Empty states:
- First-time: encourage + instruct
- Search no results: empathize + suggest
- Completed/cleared: celebrate
- 8+ empty state examples with full copy

Error messages:
- Format: what happened + why + what to do
- Never blame the user
- Specific not generic
- 12+ error message examples

Success messages:
- Confirm what happened
- Suggest next step
- 8+ success message examples

Tooltips and help text:
- When to use: non-obvious features only
- Length: 1-2 sentences max
- Format: describe the benefit, not the feature
- 10+ tooltip examples

**4. Grammar and Style Rules**
- Sentence case vs title case: where each applies
- Oxford comma: yes or no
- Contractions: acceptable or not
- Numbers: when to spell out vs use digits
- Date and time format
- Ampersand (&) vs "and"
- Exclamation points: when (rarely) to use
- Emoji: acceptable contexts

**5. Inclusivity Guidelines**
- Gender-neutral language
- Ability-focused language (not disability-focused)
- Cultural sensitivity considerations
- Avoiding idioms that don't translate
- Internationalization-friendly copy (no puns, cultural references)

**6. Writing Checklist**
- [ ] Is it clear on first read?
- [ ] Could it be shorter?
- [ ] Is the action obvious?
- [ ] Does it match our voice?
- [ ] Is it accessible?
- [ ] Does it translate well?
- [ ] Would you say this to a friend?

Provide actual copy examples for every pattern. Include before (bad) and after (good) rewrites. This should be the reference document the entire product team uses.