writing-what-users-readlisted

# Writing what users read Apply `writing-for-the-reader`. Here, the reader is using the product rather than reviewing its implementation. ## Contract - **Name the user's action or current state.** Controls use the action they perform; headings name the content beneath them. - **Lead with the needed information.** Keep supporting detail close to the choice or problem it explains. - **Make recovery concrete.** An error states what happened and the next available action in neutral language. - **Use plain product language.** Prefer familiar nouns and direct verbs over promotional claims, internal terminology, and claims about quality. - **Reserve status markers for real state.** A badge or announcement needs a user-relevant meaning, a lifecycle, and product behavior that maintains it. - **Keep visible and accessible labels aligned.** The accessible name contains the visible label; existing visible text remains the source when it already names the control. ## Process-leak check Product text describes the product as the user encounters it now. Translate change narration into the stable capability or state the user needs. ## Review - Can the user predict what happens next? - Does the text help them complete or recover from a task? - Is every claim observable from their side of the product? - Will the text remain true after the implementation session is forgotten?