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ux-writingby content-designer

UX Writing Skill.

A Claude Code and Codex skill for interface writing: buttons, labels, errors, forms and onboarding copy.

  • UX & Research
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content-designer/ux-writing-skill · SKILL.mdSKILL.md
--- name: ux-writing description: Create user-centered, accessible interface copy (microcopy) for digital products including buttons, labels, error messages, notifications, forms, onboarding, empty states, success messages, and help text. Use when writing or editing any text that appears in apps, websites, or software interfaces, designing conversational flows, establishing voice and tone guidelines, auditing product content for consistency and … --- ## When to Use This Skill ## Core UX Writing Principles ## UX Text Patterns ## Voice and Tone ## Editing Process ## Workflow
Front matter and section headings read from the upstream file on 2026-09-14 · 15,313 characters in full

01 What it does

What the ux-writing Skill Does in Claude Code and Codex

Summary, workflow and outputs, all read from the skill's SKILL.md.

From the SKILL.mdRead 2026-09-14 · not a recorded run

In the Skill's Own Terms

A working guide to writing and editing microcopy for digital products: buttons, labels, messages, forms and onboarding. It uses four editing passes—purposeful, concise, conversational and clear—and patterns such as verb plus object for buttons and problem, context and recovery for errors.

Voice describes the product’s consistent personality; tone changes with the user’s situation and stakes. The source adds accessibility guidance, length and readability targets, and references for voice charts, content review and Figma integration. Its numerical comprehension claims are not independently validated by this page and should not be treated as guaranteed outcomes.

What it produces

  • The interface copy itself across buttons, labels, error messages, notifications, forms and related elements.
  • A product voice chart, built with references/voice-chart-template.md, mapping brand concepts to voice characteristics and do/don't examples.
  • Error messages written from templates/error-message-template.md, a fillable template for effective error messages.
  • An onboarding flow designed from templates/onboarding-flow-template.md, the framework for clear onboarding experiences.
See the example prompt ↗

How It Works

  1. 01
    Start from Context

    Step one is understanding user goals, business objectives, technical constraints and the emotional state of the user before any drafting begins.

  2. 02
    Draft from Speech

    Begin with what you would say out loud, apply the element's pattern, weigh voice and tone, then front-load the important information.

  3. 03
    Edit in Four Ordered Passes

    The file prescribes four phases, run in order: purposeful, concise, conversational, clear, each with its own checking questions.

  4. 04
    Match Tone to the Moment

    Tone is adapted per user emotional state — frustrated, confused, confident, cautious, successful — while voice stays constant.

  5. 05
    Test and Measure

    Review with the team, test with users when possible, then measure task completion and comprehension rather than opinion.

02 Find your fit

When to Use the ux-writing Skill

Use this skill to draft and improve interface text, adapt tone or review content consistency. It is not a substitute for testing whether users understand the result.

Good Fit

  • Writing fresh copy for interface elements: buttons, labels, titles, messages and forms.
  • Editing existing UX text that already shipped but reads badly.
  • Auditing a product's content for consistency and usability across screens.
  • Writing error, notification and success messages that explain and recover.
  • Establishing a product's voice and tone, or designing onboarding and conversational flows.

Know the Boundaries

  • The reviewed entry targets agents that support skill files, including Codex CLI/IDE and Cursor. Check installation support in the actual host; a historical product-compatibility note is not a current capability test.
  • Vague failure explanations such as "Something went wrong" are listed as things to avoid.
  • Overly clever humor is out in serious contexts.

What to Provide

  • Interface context and actual product behaviorShare the screen, user goal, existing strings, brand voice and character limits. For failures or irreversible actions, provide the known cause, valid recovery path and actual consequences.
  • The user's emotional state and stakesTone is picked from how the user feels and how much is at risk — a low-stakes theme change reads differently from deleting an account.
  • Accessibility constraintsWhether visual context is enough for an element, or explicit labels and ARIA labels are needed for assistive technology.

03 Inside the skill

Rules the ux-writing Skill Gives Claude Code and Codex

8 concrete instructions, defaults and limits the SKILL.md sets for the agent — the part of the file that changes the result.

  1. Lines of 40-60 Characters

    Interface text lines should run 40-60 characters, the maximum readability range the file sets.

  2. Buttons: 2-4 Words

    Button and CTA labels should be 2-4 words, with 6 words as the absolute ceiling.

  3. Plain Language by Audience

    Write to a 7th grade reading level for a general audience and 10th grade for professional contexts.

  4. Active Voice 85% of the Time

    Roughly 85% of the copy should be in active voice.

  5. Errors Follow a Fixed Order

    Error copy states what failed, then why or the context, then what to do — in that order.

  6. Never Blame the User

    Error copy acknowledges the problem without blaming the person reading it.

  7. Never Color Alone

    Meaning is never carried by color by itself; visual indicators are paired with text.

  8. Error Messages: 12-18 Words

    An error message, including its solution, should land between 12 and 18 words.

04 Put it to work

Install ux-writing in Claude Code or Codex

One npx skills add command, then a first task in your agent and a checklist for the result.

Add ux-writing to Claude Code, Codex or Your Agent

Run in your project; the installer asks which agent to add it to.

Terminal
npx skills add https://github.com/content-designer/ux-writing-skill --skill ux-writing

Generic skills CLI form for SKILL.md; the repository may document its own path.

Give the Skill a Microcopy Task

Written in the skill's own terms; replace the bracketed parts with your material.

Starter prompt
Write the microcopy for our [checkout] flow: the payment button label, the field labels, and the message a user sees when their card is declined. The user will be frustrated, so keep the tone empathetic and give a clear next step. Then run the four-phase edit and flag any line over 60 characters.

Editorial example based on the reviewed source; not an executed task or an upstream quotation.

Check the First Result

What the SKILL.md itself says a correct result looks like:

  • Read the copy aloud and ask whether you would actually say it that way.
  • Run strings through a readability tool; the file names Hemingway Editor and Flesch-Kincaid scoring.
  • Treat length and readability targets as drafting aids, not comprehension scores. Test with the intended audience; do not report the source’s 100% or 90% figures as measured results.
  • Work through references/content-usability-checklist.md, the shipped checklist for evaluating UX text quality.
  • Have the team review and test with users, measuring task completion and comprehension rather than taste.
  • For accessibility, confirm errors are structured so the error and the field label are announced together by a screen reader.

OpenDesign provides a local workspace for coding agents. Check the installed version for skill availability and setup; this source review does not verify bundled skills or include external tools and services.

Download OpenDesignRead the quickstart

05 Open source, traceable

Source, License and Verification

Where this page's facts come from, and when they were last checked.

Author
content-designer
Repository
github.com/content-designer/ux-writing-skill Branch main
Skill file
SKILL.md Content checksum recorded at verification; commit 98cacde
License
MIT From LICENSE.
Repository stars
168 GitHub snapshot taken 2026-09-14 for the whole content-designer/ux-writing-skill repository. Not a rating or usage count for ux-writing.
Verified by OpenDesign
2026-09-14 Source file, path, license text and star count were checked. Not bundled in OpenDesign main (checked 2026-08-28); a live run has not been recorded on this page.

Inside the SKILL.md

  1. When to Use This SkillSix triggers: writing or editing interface copy, messages, conversational flows, voice, auditing content.
  2. Core UX Writing PrinciplesThe four quality standards plus conciseness, clarity, conversational tone and user-centered practices.
  3. UX Text PatternsFormats and examples for titles, buttons, four error types, success messages, empty states, forms and notifications.
  4. Voice and ToneBuilding a constant voice; shifting tone by user emotional state and by content type.
  5. Editing ProcessFour ordered passes — purposeful, concise, conversational, clear — each with its checking questions.
  6. WorkflowUnderstand context, draft, edit iteratively through the four phases, then test and measure.
  7. Accessibility in UX WritingScreen reader, cognitive, multi-modal and plain language requirements, with poor and good pattern examples.
  8. UX Text BenchmarksSentence and character targets by element, comprehension rates, and reading levels with testing tools.
  9. Common Mistakes to AvoidEleven anti-patterns, from passive voice and generic labels to inaccessible link text.
  10. Quick ReferenceOne-line reminders on sentence case, imperative buttons, user focus, specific verbs and front-loading.
  11. ResourcesNine shipped files: accessibility guide, voice chart, usability checklist, pattern examples, templates and Figma integration.
The Skill's Own Description
“Create user-centered, accessible interface copy (microcopy) for digital products including buttons, labels, error messages, notifications, forms, onboarding, empty states, success messages, and help text. Use when writing or editing any text that appears in apps, websites, or software interfaces, designing conversational flows, establishing voice and tone guidelines, auditing product content for consistency and usability, reviewing UI strings, or improving existing interface copy. Applies UX writing best practices based on four quality standards — purposeful, concise, conversational, and clear. Includes accessibility guidelines, research-backed benchmarks (sentence length, comprehension rates, reading levels), expanded error patterns, tone adaptation frameworks, and comprehensive reference materials.”

Front-matter description from SKILL.md. The full file is about 15,313 characters. Read the full file on GitHub.

06 Before you install

Questions About the ux-writing Skill

Answers come from the SKILL.md as read on 2026-09-14, not from a recorded run.

Which agents can run this skill?

The reviewed entry names Claude, Codex and Cursor and targets agents that can load skill instructions. Install the complete skill through the host’s supported mechanism and check its current capabilities; this page does not verify every host or product version.

Can I use it on copy that already exists?

Yes. The skill covers editing existing UX text, reviewing UI strings and auditing product content for consistency and usability, not just writing from scratch.

Does it cover accessibility?

It covers descriptive labels and links, error wording, plain language and avoiding color-only meaning. Those are writing guidelines, not a full accessibility audit. Check actual semantics, announcements, contrast and user comprehension in the implemented interface.

UX Writing

Run ux-writing on Real Interface Copy.

Download OpenDesign, import ux-writing from its SKILL.md link, paste the prompt above, and read the plan before the result.

Download OpenDesignBrowse all skills
Terminal
npx skills add https://github.com/content-designer/ux-writing-skill --skill ux-writing