Using tone of voice when writing design guidelines

Using tone to ease your readers through your guidelines

Guidelines don’t need to be dry. And they shouldn’t make the reader want to drag their feet. Guidelines should ease your reader through a tricky process.

Imagine someone’s teaching you how to assemble a chest of drawers. It wouldn’t feel natural if they spoke like they were reading from a manual — this is why tone of voice is important.

Tone: How you change your voice to suit a purpose or mood.

Using tone with purpose

When writing a design guideline, the tones we might use are friendly, matter-of-fact, authoritative and encouraging.

We use different tones for different purposes. Throughout a guideline, purpose changes. And you’ve guessed it — tone should too.

Friendly

Use a friendly tone to ease readers into the content.

Where might you use it?

When introducing and explaining complex information.

Example

Tabs are great for breaking up content and filing it away into sections. And, it only takes two parts.

How to use it

• Be conversational and write how you might talk.
• Use ‘you’ and ‘we’ to make the reader feel like you’re there, walking them through it.
• Simplify complicated words where you can, such as ‘expose’ to ‘show.’
• Invite the reader along with you. For example, ‘let’s look at’, ‘to do this we need’ and ‘you can do this by.’

Authoritative

Use an authoritative tone to stipulate the importance of the content.

Where might you use it?

When stating important rules and requirements.

Example

You should always place tabs above the content panel.

How to use it

• Use active rather than passive sentences, from ‘text should be aligned centrally’ to ‘align text centrally.’
• Keep it short and to the point. This will have more impact.
• Use frontloading. This is when you put the most important information first. For example, ‘it must always be clear which tab is the selected tab’ to ‘make the selected tab clear.’
• Start sentences with ‘make sure you’, ‘you should’ or ‘it’s important you’. Or, begin with verbs.

Matter-of-fact

Use a matter-of-fact tone to simplify the content.

Where might you use it?

When breaking down a long process into small bitesize chunks.

Example

To navigate with a keyboard, or a screen reader with Javascript on, use:

• the tab key to move through tab labels
• the return key to select a tab

How to use it

• Break up information into bulleted or numbered steps.
• Strip out waffle. You don’t want to confuse people.

Encouraging

Use an encouraging tone to motivate the reader to take action.

Where might you use it?

When you want to give the reader a nudge to consider, explore or contribute information.

Example

When thinking about navigation, help people answer these questions:

• Which tab am I on?
• How many tabs are there?
• How do I change the tab?

How to use it

• Use positive verbs such as ‘help’ or ‘consider.’
• Make suggestions such as ‘we recommend’, ‘why not try’ or ‘you might want to.’
• Don’t put unnecessary pressure on the reader.

Conclusion

Think of a guideline as a way to advise, rather than to instruct. Doing this is a combination of four purposes; to ease, to stipulate, to simplify and to motivate.

Watch your tone, and you’ll write a guideline that feels like a conversation rather than a rulebook.

*Thank you to BBC GEL for providing some of the content for this article.