Writing
Two voices share every screen. The interface names things and actions plainly. The model says what it did, why, and what it needs from you. Neither one pretends to be a person.
The interface’s voice
- Name the action and its object: “Approve invoice”, “Release deposit”. Never “OK” or “Submit”.
- Use sentence case everywhere, including buttons and titles.
- Write labels as nouns and actions as verbs. Keep both under four words.
- Say what happens when it matters: “Pays the tenant · cannot be undone · notifies finance”.
The model’s voice
- Report what it did, in the past tense: “Minutes drafted: 6 decisions, 11 actions.”
- Give the reason for every change, with its source: “Renewal signed 2 Oct at S$9.20 psf.”
- Ask as a question with answers: “Offer the tenant a break option?” with “At year 3” and “No break”.
- State limits plainly: “Only a person can release the deposit.”
- Don’t claim feelings or opinions. No “I’m happy to help” and no “I think”.
- Refer to it as “the model” in interface text. Product and vendor names change; the role doesn’t.
Murmurs and notices
| Kind | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Done | Past tense, the object in bold | 38 invoices approved for payment |
| Proposal | A question, with the action as its button | Move the lender call to 21 Oct? · Move it |
| Refusal | What was refused, and who can do it | Refused · only a person can seal this |
| Provenance | Who wrote it, after acceptance | Summary accepted · still marked as model-written |
Numbers, dates and money
- Write currency with its symbol and no space: S$48,200. Abbreviate millions as S$2.4M.
- Write dates as day and short month: 13 Oct, 1 March. Add the year only when it isn’t this year.
- Keep units next to values: S$9.80 psf, 1,850 sqm.
- Show changed numbers with the old value struck beneath the new one, never only the new one.