Diff for "UserInterfaceWording"

Not logged in - Log In / Register

Differences between revisions 12 and 13
Revision 12 as of 2011-05-04 15:28:29
Size: 4422
Editor: jml
Comment:
Revision 13 as of 2011-06-13 15:45:43
Size: 4751
Editor: jml
Comment:
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
Line 55: Line 55:
== Changing things or editing them ==

Only documents are edited, everything else is changed. Only use 'Edit' to describe actions where a document or something document-like is being edited.

e.g. A project description is a paragraph of text, and can be edited. The project's details, considered as a whole, can be changed.

These are low-level design guidelines for Web pages, e-mail messages, and other Launchpad output. They cover common mistakes, and are not a substitute for having an interface designer involved in the design of any visible change.

Text

These guidelines apply to Web pages, e-mail messages, Atom feeds, IRC notifications, and any other media used in the future.

Don’t use this

Use this instead

abort

stop

above

this, these

click

nothing

below

this, these

illegal

not allowed

invalid

incorrect (or more specific error)

just

nothing

Malone

Launchpad or Launchpad’s bug tracker

Note:

nothing

Note that

nothing

please (unless announcing serious inconvenience)

nothing

Rosetta

Launchpad or Launchpad Translations

simply

nothing

Soyuz

nothing

the following

this, these

the form

nothing

this form

nothing

this page

nothing

to the left

better page layout

to the right

better page layout

*

better text ordering

!

nothing (or, if in real danger, <strong>)

Capitalization

  • Buttons should be Headline Case; the last word capitalized, and all other words capitalized except those three letters or fewer that are prepositions, articles, or conjunctions.
  • Everything else should be sentence case, including headings, checkbox labels, menu items, and e-mail Subject lines.

First person, second person

First person (I, me, my) should be used only in controls (buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, etc). Everything else, including headings, should use second person (you, your).

As a user, you interact with the control, so it speaks as your voice (e.g. "Yes I do"). The rest of the web page is generated by Launchpad, and as such should speak with Launchpad's voice (e.g. "Yes you do").

Notifications, warnings, and errors

Follow the guidelines specified in AlertMessages.

Taking or cancelling actions

The actions at the end of a form should consist of a button, followed by the word "or" and a Cancel link:

( Summary of Action ) or Cancel

The "Cancel" link should return you to the page you came from. (To get this link, define the cancel_url @property in the browser class.)

Changing things or editing them

Only documents are edited, everything else is changed. Only use 'Edit' to describe actions where a document or something document-like is being edited.

e.g. A project description is a paragraph of text, and can be edited. The project's details, considered as a whole, can be changed.

Create or Register actions

Use "Register" when the thing exists outside of Launchpad. Users register projects, series, milestones, and teams in Launchpad.

Use "Create" when the thing exists exclusively in Launchpad. Users create PPAs, recipes, and bugwatches in Launchpad.

Some users are confused or angered when they read "create" for a thing that they know exists elsewhere. They believe Launchpad is claiming authority over the thing. This issue can often be avoided by selecting the correct verb.

E-mail messages

These guidelines apply to all e-mail messages:

  • Don't wrap paragraphs manually in the message template. The e-mail machinery can do this more consistently (especially if the message contains variables).
  • If the message is from a subscription, the footer should consist of three lines:
    • the URL of the relevant resource (e.g. the bug report)

    • "You are precise reason for getting this message"

    • "To unsubscribe: <URL of unsubscription page>" ?? -- TBD

These guidelines apply to notifications not being sent on behalf of a Launchpad user:

  • From addresses should be @launchpad.net, not @canonical.com or @ubuntu.com, and should have a display name starting with "Launchpad".

  • The Web page that tells you you're being e-mailed should say what the From address will be.
  • The Subject line should be informative, and use sentence case.
  • The body text should be copyedited by someone fluent in the language being used.

Comments and suggestions

UserInterfaceWording (last edited 2011-08-04 10:00:28 by matthew.revell)