Voice & Tone

Voice and tone is as important to consistent branding as colors, UX patterns, and logos. It is just as jarring to find a switch in voice and tone as it is to find that a button that is usually blue is now red. Voice and tone is how we talk to our users, how we inform them of errors, successes, and alerts, how we explain concepts, and how we guide them through our product. Consistency in voice and tone sets the users' expectations of how to interact with PeopleCloud products.

Voice

Voice is what you're saying. Our voice doesn't change. Our voice is clear, concise, informative, and positive. We speak in short sentences and use simple words. We give our users the information they need to use our products, without frills or embellishments.

Clear

Use plain English. Avoid jargon, slang, buzzwords, or anything you wouldn't say conversationally.

Concise

Get to the point. Use short sentences. Speak in the active voice and use positive language. Avoid large blocks of text and complex sentences.

Informative

Be as informative as possible. Put yourself in the user's place and give them as much information as they need to complete their goals. Don't be vague or reference other areas of our products without more description.

Positive

Phrase directions and messaging in positive language. Don't use negative language. One way to tell positive from negative language is to look for words like 'can't' or 'don't'.

Tone

Tone is how you say what you say. Our tone does change from time to time. Our tone is professional, matter-of-fact, serious, and respectful. We are not casual, cutesy, irreverent, or enthusiastic.

Professional

Keep your tone professional. People use our products to get their jobs done. Avoid exclamation marks, exuberant language, slang, or emojis.

Matter-of-fact

Deliver news, information, and messaging in a matter-of-fact, conversational tone. Contractions and addressing the user as 'you' or 'yours' is allowed.

Cheat Sheet

Our quick and dirty guide to writing for Epsilon products.

Be concise, clear, and specific

• Use short sentences and cut out unnecessary words
• Be specific about directions, errors, successes, and any other copy for the user
• Know that you may need to repeat certain things and add more description to get your point across
• Order your copy for scanning; use headings, bulleted lists, clear hierarchies, and short blocks of text

Be accessible and inclusive

• Use plain language
• Avoid jargon, slang, or technical words
• Ask yourself, would an everyday person understand this?
• Avoid using directional language to refer to items within the page. Above / below etc. may mean something to sighted users, but not to users requiring screen readers or other assistive technology
• Avoid unnecessary abbreviations and always spell out abbreviations where they appear
• Use consistent naming conventions across products and training materials

Be consistent

• Follow our Voice & Tone guidelines
• Use familiar layouts, hierarchies, and patterns
• Use consistent names, terms, and words across products

Take care of the user

• Explain as much as you need to get the concept, issue, or message across to the user
• Put yourself in the user's place, and give them the information they need at that moment
• Never confuse the user or give them vague answers; people will trust a product that they understand

Resources

Some helpful resources to refer to when writing copy for Epsilon products.