UX writing
The words inside your product: buttons, errors, empty screens and onboarding.
GradaxEuropean companyOrder outright
Founded 2014·Built and operated in Europe·1 to 5 weeks
About this service
Interface text is what users read when they are stuck. We walk your flows, rewrite the labels, error messages and empty states, and deliver them as strings your developers can drop in, with the rules that keep the next screen consistent. We work in Figma or directly on your string files.
Error messages are where users decide to leave
A user who hits 'Something went wrong' at checkout has no way forward except trying again or giving up. Most give up. The message was written by a developer at the end of a sprint, as a placeholder, and it has been in production for two years.
Every error we rewrite answers two questions: what happened, in the user's terms, and what they can do about it now. 'Your card was declined. Check the number or try another card.' says more in twelve words than a paragraph of apology. Where the system cannot tell the user what went wrong, we flag it to your developers, because the copy cannot fix missing information.
Consistent words, room to grow
Products drift into inconsistency one screen at a time. The settings page says 'team', the billing page says 'organisation', and the invitation email says 'workspace', all for the same thing. Users notice, and many assume they are three different things.
The terminology list fixes one word per concept and is short enough to keep open while designing. The microcopy rules go further: how buttons are phrased, when to use sentence case, how confirmations differ from warnings, what tone a failure message takes. Each rule comes with a real example from your product.
We also write with translation in mind. A German string can be a third longer than its English source, and sentences assembled from separate fragments break in languages with different word order. Getting this right before localisation is far cheaper than fixing it in eleven languages afterwards.
What you get
Everything below is in the price. Nothing here is an upgrade.
- Audit of the flows in scope, with issues ranked by impact
- Rewritten copy in Figma or a string file (JSON, XLIFF or spreadsheet)
- Terminology list
- Microcopy rules with examples
What changes
- Error messages that say what happened and what to do next
- One term per concept across every screen
- Buttons that name the action instead of 'Submit' or 'OK'
- Empty states that tell a new user their next step
How it runs
Walk through
Every flow used as a new customer would, including the wrong turns.
Audit
Each string logged with the problem it causes and how often users meet it.
Rewrite
Labels, errors and states rewritten, checked against the space each one has.
Hand off
Strings in the format your developers already ship, keys unchanged.
Compare the sizes
The standard price for each size. Extras are priced beside it, not hidden behind a call.
| Included | One flow€2901 week | Core product€5003 weeks | Content design system€1,0505 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walkthrough and audit of one flow | Included | Included | Included |
| Every string rewritten | Included | Included | Included |
| Error and empty states included | Included | Included | Included |
| Delivered in Figma or a string file | Included | Included | Included |
| Terminology list | Not included | Included | Included |
| Microcopy rules with examples | Not included | Included | Included |
| Two rounds of revision | Not included | Included | Included |
| Pattern library for errors, confirmations and notifications | Not included | Not included | Included |
| String file structure ready for translation | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Workshop with designers and developers | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Order | Select | Select | Select |
Add what you need
Choose the size
Add what you need
Your total€500
ContinueThe standard price, plus whatever you add. Confirmed in writing before anything starts; nothing is charged until you accept it.
Questions
Is this the same as copywriting?
No. Copywriting persuades somebody to arrive; UX writing helps them finish once they are inside. It is shorter, plainer, and judged by whether people complete the task.
Do you write for translation?
Yes. Strings avoid idioms, leave room for German, which runs longer, and never build sentences from fragments that break in other grammars.
Can you test the copy?
We can write variants for a usability test or a simple comparison in your analytics. Running sessions with users is the user testing service.
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Related work
One-timeUser testingReal people from your audience try your site or app on camera while we note every point they get stuck.from €290one-time
One-timeMobile app designiOS and Android app screens designed in Figma, with flows, states and a component library ready for build.from €420one-time
One-timeTechnical writingManuals, guides and documentation a user can follow without calling support.from €420one-time
Order it
Standardised enough to order on its own. The price is confirmed in writing before anything starts.