clarify

Explain what went wrong in plain language, suggest how to fix it, and avoid blaming the user. Replace codes like "Error 403" with actionable text such as "You don't have permission to view this page. Contact your admin for access."

Use specific labels instead of generic placeholders, show format expectations with examples, and write button text as verb plus noun like "Save changes" instead of "OK". Put instructions before the field and explain why information is requested.

Clear UX writing is specific, concise, active, human, helpful, and consistent. It avoids jargon, passive voice, vague statements, and humor in errors, and uses one consistent term for each concept throughout the product.

Use confirmations only for risky or destructive actions, stating the specific action and its consequences, such as "Delete 'Project Alpha'? This can't be undone." Overusing confirmations trains users to ignore them.

Common mistakes include jargon without explanation, blaming users, vague messages like "Something went wrong", overly long explanations, inconsistent terminology, and relying on placeholders as the only field labels.