UX writing basics

About this 5-minute guide

This is a 'cheat sheet' of UX writing basics. You'll find further guidance in the UX writing section, as well as within each component. These cover:

• The 'why' behind these guidelines
• Specific rules for components like buttons and alerts
• How we write financial terms (our style guide)

UX writing basics

Use everyday language

Also called 'plain English'.

For example, write 'top up your pension' rather than' make additional pension contributions'.
Use contractions (we'll, don't) whenever you'd use them in speech.

Cut words wherever you can

Too much text creates cognitive overload. The simplest way to make most written content more effective is to reduce it.

Always ask: Does this truly help users complete a journey? If not, cut it.
Content bloat is common in:

• Introductions – are you just repeating the heading?
• Helper text – would users be confused or unsure without it?
• Legal and regulatory warnings – are these simple and relevant?
• Next steps and other resources – do these reflect real user needs, or organisational pressure?

Use simple sentences and short paragraphs

This makes text easier to read for all users – particularly people with cognitive disabilities such as dyslexia.

• Sentences around 5–15 words, and no more than 25 words
• Paragraphs of 1–2 sentences
• Line length of 80 characters or less (this makes text more scannable)

Target a readability score over 70

We target a Flesch–Kincaid reading ease score above 70 for all content. That's a 'reading age' of about 13.

This isn't a perfect measure, but it's available in most software, so it's easy to check.

In Microsoft Word 365:

1. Go to Home > Editor > Document stats
2. Check Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease

Write for scanners

People don't read the web. They scan it – as decades of behavioural research shows.
People follow an 'F' pattern when scanning web content: they read along the top line or two, then down the left-hand side. They also jump to headings, bullets and buttons, skipping whole blocks of text.

This means there's a simple formula for scannable content:

• Short, bite-sized information
• Frontloaded – so the key bit comes first
• Broken up with subheadings, paragraph breaks, bullets or numbers
• One topic per page or stage

Write in pyramids

Newspaper articles are normally written in a pyramid. The ‘need to know’ information goes in the headline and first paragraph. Further down, you get more ‘nice to know’ information.

We write longer content in the same way. It means people get the key points at a glance, and only need to read further if they want more detail:

25% of your pension is normally tax free
Most people can take 25% of their pension tax free from age 55 (rising to 57 in 2028).
The maximum tax free amount is normally £268,275 (which is 25% of £1,073,100).
You may get more tax free cash if:

• Your pension has protected tax free cash
• You’re under 75 and in serious ill health
• You’re receiving a ‘lump sum death benefit’ from someone else’s pension

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Make headings work harder

Move key information into headings so people don't miss it.

Use direct, active language and imperatives

We prefer active language. Compare these two sentences:

Active: You can open a pension online
Passive: A pension can be opened online 

The active version (where a subject acts on an object) is shorter and more direct. It also feels more personal and less corporate.

Imperatives are commands that begin with a verb: ‘Open a pension’ ‘Contact us’. Using imperatives is a good way to write clear, direct headings, buttons and labels.

Cut jargon, explain terminology

Pensions come with a lot of complex terminology. But removing terminology doesn't always help.

People often need to understand this terminology because it's used in other places – like on gov.uk or in the contract we're asking them to sign.
This means we have two jobs:

1. Remove terms that people don't need to understand
2. Introduce and explain terms that people do need to understand

Use sentence case

We use sentence case for all headings, buttons and other interface elements.
This is because:

• It looks cleaner
• It's easier to use consistently
• It's easier for some people to read (e.g. people with dyslexia)

Only the first letter is capitalised in sentence case – unless it's a proper noun (like a product or company name).

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Use 'your', not 'my'

In a user interface, 'your' and 'my' often mean the same thing:

• 'See your projection' vs 'See my projection'
• 'Your account' vs 'My account'

Because we generally talk to users as 'you', it's simpler to use 'your' in all cases.

Using AI writing tools

Writing doesn't come naturally to everyone. There are many writing tools that can help you create clear, simple content:

• Writing assistants such as Grammarly and Hemingway can improve the spelling, grammar, tone and clarity of your writing.
• Generative AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot, can create content from scratch – and can even help you stick to these guidelines.

When using writing tools…

Put data security first

Only use AI tools approved for our network, and pay attention to what you're putting into them. Never enter sensitive information or personal data into an AI tool.

Avoid AI bloat

Generative AI tools (Copilot, Gemini, ChatGPT) are trained on the internet, and the internet is often full of long-winded and repetitive writing (because this helps search rankings).

AI tools also have no way of knowing which information is important and which isn’t.

This means AI-generated output is often 'bloated', covering every point and using more words than necessary.

Tips for better AI output

When using AI tools in your workflow:

1. Edit first
   It’s your job to decide what is and isn’t important. (An AI tool will never ask you: 'Do you really need to mention that?')
2. Be clear about the kind of output you’re looking for
   Ask the tool to keep things simple and concise, referencing these guidelines.
3. Refine the output
   Use secondary tools – and your own judgement – to simplify the output.