Text guidelines for form authoring
Clear, consistent, and concise language is the guiding principle for all content in a Constellation application. Ensure that all text within your application contributes to an efficient and intuitive user experience by following these best practices:
General authoring guidelines
Capitalization
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Use sentence case as the default for most non-user generated text in UI.
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Use title case for application names, Case Types, branded product names (for example, Pega Platform), and unique Pega concepts (such as Case Designer).
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CamelCase can be used within code, but should not be exposed to or used in end-user interfaces.
Grammar and tone
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Be concise
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Avoid abbreviations and jargon, such as "leverage"
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Read aloud and test content decisions with users
Vocabulary
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Ensure that your tone is direct, and conversational, but without sounding too casual or using slang. Instead, use simple, easy to understand, common words. For example, write "describe" and “edit" instead of "elaborate” and "modify".
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Use the same words and terms in the UI for consistency, whenever possible. For example, if you instruct the user to "add a vehicle", you should also instruct them to "add a driver" instead of saying "new driver" or “additional driver".
For a complete list of content guidelines, refer to design.pega.com.
Additional text guidelines for form elements
Field labels
Avoid using verbs in field labels. Instead, use nouns and noun phrases. For example, write "Accident details" instead of "Provide accident details".
Optimize for fewer words or characters in your labels, as long as doing so doesn’t alter your meaning or make it ambiguous. For example, "Enter card details" has the same meaning as "Enter your card details", but is more concise.
Error messages
In an error message, first describe how to resolve the error. Then, if needed, describe what the error is or how it occurred. For example, write “Enter a password between 3-5 characters” instead of “The password you entered is too long.”
Use a banner error message when displaying errors that occur at the system, field group, or form level. For example, “Resubmit when you are online. You are currently offline and cannot submit your request” is an example of a high-level system error.
Use field error messages when displaying errors that are specific to one field. For example, “Date entered must be before June 2023” is an error specific to a date input field.
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