The words you choose within your app are an essential part of its user experience.

Whether you’re building an onboarding experience, writing an alert, or describing an image for accessibility, designing through the lens of language will help people get the most from your app or game.

Getting started

Determine your app’s voice. Think about who you’re talking to, so you can figure out the type of vocabulary you’ll use. What types of words are familiar to people using your app? How do you want people to feel? The words for a banking app might convey trust and stability, for example, while the words in a game might convey excitement and fun. Create a list of common terms, and reference that list to keep your language consistent. Consistent language, along with a voice that reflects your app’s values, helps everything feel more cohesive.

Match your tone to the context. Once you’ve established your app’s voice, vary your tone based on the situation. Consider what people are doing while they’re using your app — both in the physical world and within the app itself. Are they exercising and reached a goal? Or are they trying to make a payment and received an error? Situational factors affect both what you say and how you display the text on the screen.

Compare the tone of these two examples from Apple Watch. In the first, the tone is straightforward and direct, reflecting the seriousness of the situation. In the second, the tone is light and congratulatory.

Be clear. Choose words that are easily understood and convey the right thing. Check each word to be sure it needs to be there. If you can use fewer words, you should. When in doubt, read your writing out loud.

Write for everyone. For your app to be useful for as many people as possible, it needs to speak to as many people as possible. Choose simple, plain language and write with accessibility and localization in mind, avoiding jargon and gendered terminology. For guidance, see Writing inclusively and Accessibility; for developer guidance, see Localization.

Best practices

Consider each screen’s purpose. Pay attention to the order of elements on a screen, and put the most important information first. Format your text to make it easy to read. If you’re trying to convey more than one idea, consider breaking up the text onto multiple screens, and think about the flow of information across those screens.

Be action oriented. Active voice and clear labels help people navigate through your app from one step to the next, or from one screen to another. When labeling buttons and links, it’s almost always best to use a verb. Prioritize clarity and avoid the temptation to be too cute or clever w