The Microcopy I Obsess Over

Every product I have audited has the same set of overlooked microcopy problems. Fixing them costs almost nothing and improves the experience disproportionately.

1. Empty States

"You have no items" is a wasted opportunity. The empty state is the first impression of every feature. It should explain what the feature does, why the user might want to use it, and what they should do next. One sentence. One button.

2. Error Messages

"An error occurred" is an abdication. Tell the user what happened, in their words, and what they can do about it. "We could not save your draft because you are offline. Try again when you are back on Wi-Fi."

3. Submit-Button Labels

"Submit" is a bureaucratic verb that has no place in a consumer product. The button should say what will happen. "Publish article." "Send invitation." "Save changes." Never "Submit."

4. Confirmation Dialogs

"Are you sure?" is the laziest possible confirmation. Tell the user what they are confirming, what the consequences are, and what the alternatives are. "Delete this draft? It will be permanently removed and cannot be recovered. You can also save it for later."

5. Onboarding Placeholders

"Search…" is a wasted prompt. "Search articles, people, and topics" is twice as informative and barely longer. Placeholder text is one of the cheapest tutorials in your product. Use it.

Twenty minutes per item. Five items. Two hours of writing. Better product.