Grammar and Mechanics

Writing clearly and concisely helps users complete their tasks more efficiently. Clear writing is sharp, consistent and easy to comprehend. Concise writing eliminates unnecessary details, verbose language and excessive punctuation.

Basic Guidelines

Choose short, familiar words

To quote Oscar Wilde, “Don’t use big words. They mean so little.” Especially when space is limited, try to keep copy tight by eliminating unnecessarily long words.

Define unfamiliar words. If the definition gets lengthy, re-evaluate your word choice.

Be consistent. The more predictable and familiar our content is, the better.

Write in active voice

Using the active voice keeps content direct and objective-oriented

Your account is open.

Don't

Your account has been opened.

Write in short, scannable sentences

Here's what you'll need:

Don't

Here's what you will need to open your account:

Focus on a limited number of concepts or tasks at a time

Please verify your identity by answering the questions below.

Don't

Please verify your identity by answering the questions below, then continue onto the account selection page to choose your account type.

Trim unnecessary copy

Continue

Don't

Would you like to continue?

Allow readers to pace themselves

Where possible, write in bulltes or one sentence paragraphs. People tend to scroll right past big blocks of text.

Conversational Writing

Prepositions

Break the “never end a sentence in a preposition” rule if necessary. It saves space, sounds more human, and doesn’t detract from clarity.

What account type are you interested in?

Don't

In which account type are you interested?

Contractions

Use contractions to convey a more approachable tone and use less space. Just make sure they don't create confusion.

Here’s what you’ll need.

Don't

Here is what you will need.

Technical Terms and Jargon

Jargon is any “special word or expression that is used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.” It can create confusion (and more work) for people outside of the specialty group. The banking and financial services industry is rife with opportunities to include jargon-heavy content, but good UX requires ease of use. Simplify instances of jargon or technical terms wherever possible.

The exception is in instances of necessary language stipulated by legal, compliance or other bank policy-generating parties. In these instances the information is, where possible, presented in a visually discreet fashion that indicates the content has a level of import that is to be reviewed and/or preserved for a users’ records.

Addressing Users

"We" and "You"

Refer to clients and M&T with personal pronouns such as “you” and “we." This also goes for messaging related to the bank, internal systems, and how they may be affecting customer tasks. Certain input components (such as checkbox) can also be written in first person from the user's perspective where appropriate.

When referring to customers and clients:

What you'll need to open this account:

I want to receive mail for this account at a different address.

Don't

Here are the document requirements to open this account:

Check this box if you want to receive mail for this account at a different address.

When referring to M&T and the bank's internal systems:

We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but we’re experiencing an issue with our system.

Don't

The HOGAN system is experiencing an issue presently which is causing an inconvenience.

Applicants vs. Customers

Users are applicants before they become customers. After users become customers, we address them by name or with second-person pronouns.

Title Usage in Account Opening

In certain account opening scenarios, it's necessary to refer to users with more specific titles than just "applicant."

In joint account opening scenarios, always refer to users as “first” and “second” applicants, never “primary” or “secondary." This communicates the order of the application, not a user hierarchy.
In Credit Card account opening scenarios, the “primary account holder” is the person responsible for the account, and the “authorized user” can access the account. In contrast to a joint account scenario, these users do not hold the same account responsibilities. Always refer to these users as “primary account holder” and “authorized user."

Capitalization

Follow the microcopy guidelines for each component and write in either sentence case or title case.

Sentence Case

Capitalize the first word and any proper nouns in the sentence
Include end punctuation unless otherwise noted

Title Case

Capitalize all words, except articles, prepositions, conjunctions and two-letter verbs
Capitalize prepositions that are five or more letters (beyond, against, between...)
Do not include end punctuation unless otherwise noted

Bolding, Italics and Underline

Bolding and Italics

Instead of using bolding or italics to create emphasis, leverage UI elements like buttons, bullets or iconography to drive users to key messages and actions. Some components are designed with a heavier text weight by default for distinctive visual impact. Generally, any bolding or italics will be applied to a full component/block of text, rather than to select words.

Underline

Save underlining for hyperlinks and tool tips to help those components stand out in body copy. Never underline text in combination with italics, bolding or quotation marks.

Punctuation

Ampersands

Use ampersands (&) only in an official company, product or department name, otherwise spell out the word “and."

Create a pin for your new debit card and order your first checks.

Don't

Create a pin for your new debit card & order your first checks.

Oxford Commas

Do not use an Oxford Comma before “and” and/or “or". The exception to this rule is when a sentence includes a series of phrases or clauses.

Money laundering and financial crime remain serious threats to individuals, businesses and our economy.

Don't

Money laundering and financial crime remain serious threats to individuals, businesses, and our economy.

Exclamation Points

Save these for situations that are genuinely exciting and celebratory. Never use them in buttons or error messages, and try to avoid putting them at the end of user greetings. If you must use an exclamation point, limit to just one in a single layout.

Periods

Follow component microcopy guidelines to determine whether text should end in a period. Period usage in body copy adheres to the AP Guidelines standard. Never double space after a period – that is so 1963.

Question Marks

Always include question marks after questions, even if a component typically doesn't use end punctuation.