UI Elements

Here are a few guidelines we recommend you follow when writing near UI elements to help make things clear

Buttons

Buttons should be descriptive but short.

Do
  • If your object is already described on the screen, buttons only need a verb
  • If your object isn’t described on the screen, buttons need a verb + the object
  • Use fewer than 3 words
  • Use sentence case
  • Examples:
    • Save
    • Edit profile
    • See job openings
    • Cancel
    • No thanks
Don't
  • Don’t use punctuation
  • Examples:
    • Save changes
    • Edit
    • Jobs
    • No, thanks

Confirmations and toasts

Confirmations are like little high-fives that let people know that the action they just took was successful.

Always use a toast, unless there’s another visual indicator that an action’s been taken (for example: if you follow someone there’s an animation showing their icon going into your following tab—so you wouldn’t need a toast there).

Elements

  • Header/title: Let the Pinner know the action they just took was successful.
  • Subhead/main text: Use if needed, but it’s optional. Ask yourself if a visual element might help more than additional text would.
  • Buttons: No buttons in confirmations!
Do
  • Explain what just happened
  • Keep it short and light
  • Include an exclamation point if the toast is under ~4-5 words (even if the toast is a negative action)
  • Examples:
    • Pin sent!
    • Delete undone!
    • 3 Pins deleted!
Don't
  • Don’t sound like a robot
  • Don’t include an exclamation point if you say it out loud and it doesn’t sound like something you’d...actually exclaim
    • The action was successful
    • You saved 3 Pins to Uniform
    • We’ll send your feedback to Felicia

Education

Education for a new (or existing!) feature can be a tooltip or a screen takeover, often using progressive disclosure or multiple screens.

Use the following principles when writing education:

  • Set expectations up front about what the new product does
  • Guide people to anticipate (and take) next steps—what action will occur after they tap on this button or tab?
  • Identify potential questions or points of anxiety about the new product, and give people context and information to feel confident and knowledgeable so they feel confident and comfortable.
  • Celebrate a job well done—either with judicious use of positive writing like an exclamation point or “yay,” or some kind of delightful design element.help center

PS: When working with designers on education, consider what education should look like. (Ex: Is a banner being used when just a temporary flyout is needed?) Currently, we have a number of different education design options:

  • Tooltip
  • Flyout
  • Modal (screen takeover)
  • Empty state text
  • Banners

Emoji

Okay, okay. We’re loosening up about emoji, since it’s a natural part of human communication. Don’t go crazy and start using, like, flags and onigiri and stuff though. Check out these handy-dandy guidelines:

Do
  • Limit emoji to infrequent, one-off elements, like notifications
  • Use extremely common emojis from this list: ❤️, ✔️, 📌, 🔥, ✨, 💡, ⭐️, 📣
  • Use emojis as an addition to the copy, not instead of a word (so “Look who's checking out your Pins “ rather than “You've got on your Pins”)
Don't
  • Don’t use emoji in the product, in permanent parts of the UI
  • Don’t use unique or unusual emojis, even in the name of “delight”
  • Don’t use emojis for negativity (like error messages)
  • Don’t use emoji in an experience where whimsy or delight could be established through existing design assets instead. Check with your designer first!

Error messages

Error messages should clearly describe what happened and what the person can do to fix the problem—without overwhelming them with unnecessary info.

Elements

Use titles and text wisely—quickly explain the problem in the title, then follow up with more details

  • Title: Let the Pinner know why they’re seeing the error, but keep it short. Include a “Sorry!” or “Oops!” at the beginning to lighten things up a bit.
    • Sorry is a good fit for when we or our servers screwed up
    • Oops is a good fit for when we're not sure whether it's us or them (or when it's them)
  • Text: Give more details about why they’re seeing the error and how to resolve it if they can.
  • Buttons: A good ol’ [Okay] works in most cases

Use red text inline when someone submits a form that’s missing a required field.

  • Don’t use punctuation. Exception: Errors that are more than one sentence or if you want to use an exclamation point
Do
  • Use super-simple language
  • Clearly explain what happened
  • Help people fix the problem
  • Be tone-sensitive
  • Limit calls to action—don’t give Pinners too many ways to solve a problem or multiple buttons/steps to work through
  • If error is a full and complete sentence, use a period at the end
  • Don’t use periods for one-word errors
  • Use conversational, normalizing words like Psst!, Hmm, Oops, and Um
  • Examples:
    • Choose a board for your Pin and try again.
    • You can't follow this board because this person blocked you.
Don't
  • Examples:
    • Parameter 'board_id' is required.
    • You’re not allowed to do that.

Mobile UI

Use mobile-appropriate terms for gestures (ex: swipe and tap, not click), and keep things short.

Do
  • Tap
Don't
  • Click

Notifications

Notifications (including push notifications) are lightweight messages that let Pinners know about what’s happening with the Pins they saved, the people they follow and more.

Elements

  • Title: No titles in notifications!
  • Body: Include up to 3 subjects (ex: Tiffani, Mia and 5 others NOT Tiffani, Mia, Long, Ricky and 17 other people) and keep them to two lines of text, max.
  • Buttons: No buttons in notifications!
Do examples
  • Mac saved your Pin
  • Sadia invited you to a group board
Don't examples
  • Check out what we’re doing for Fashion Week!!!!
  • Based on your search for "dogs,” you’ll love these ideas! [ Okay ]
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