Product voice and tone

Learn about Reckon's voice and tone, and how we use it when writing in our products.

Voice

WIP: This section is a work in progress.

Voice is the undercurrent of all writing that appears in our products. We sound smart and sharp, but never pretentious or too technical. We value being accessible and friendly for seasoned users and newbies alike. Our audience wants to use our product effortlessly, without reading language that’s too formal or unnatural. So we speak to our users like a friend.

Tone

While our voice should remain consistent, our tone can, and should, adapt to fit the audience or product.

Any time we connect with our users we aim to be clear, concise and supportive. Our communications need to be human and friendly, without rambling or getting chummy.

Discuss the “how” first and, if necessary, the “why” second, as support for or explanation of the “how.”

Tips

General rules for good copy:

Try saying it out loud to a friend. Is there a simpler, more accessible way to say it without jargon or tech-specific words? Can you cut any words, or be more specific?
Sound like a human. Just because you’ve seen technical-sounding language in other software doesn’t mean you need to write that way. How can you make your writing sound like a person, not a system, is saying it?
Use terminology that everyone can understand. Your audience shouldn’t have to ask “what do they mean by ___?”. Try asking an uninvolved colleague to read your copy to see if they understand it.
Consider the flow. What happens before and what happens after your user reads the text? If they have another step in their process, a button that says “Next” or “Continue” makes more sense than a button that says “Done.”