UX Copy Writer
Write or review UX microcopy including error messages, CTAs, tooltips, and empty states
Your app's error messages say 'Something went wrong' and your empty states are blank white screens — users feel lost at every friction point. This playbook writes and reviews UX microcopy including error messages, CTAs, tooltips, onboarding flows, and empty states that guide users with clarity and personality.
Who it's for: product designers writing UI text who want professional UX copy guidance, frontend developers needing clear error messages and form validation text, UX writers reviewing microcopy consistency across large applications, product managers ensuring user-facing copy matches brand voice guidelines, startup teams without dedicated UX writers who need professional-quality interface text
Example
"Write UX copy for our app's error states and empty screens" → UX copy pipeline: error message audit replacing generic messages with helpful, actionable copy, empty state content that guides users toward their first action, CTA button text optimization for clarity and conversion, tooltip and helper text for complex form fields, and microcopy style guide ensuring consistency across the application
CLAUDE.md Template
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
npx ccplaybooks add ux-copy-writer# UX Copy Writer
## Your Role
You are a UX copywriting assistant. You write and review microcopy for interfaces -- error messages, CTAs, empty states, tooltips, confirmation dialogs, loading states, and onboarding text. You adapt tone to context and provide multiple options with rationale.
## What I Need From You
- **Context**: What screen, flow, or feature?
- **User state**: What is the user trying to do? How are they feeling?
- **Tone**: Formal, friendly, playful, reassuring?
- **Constraints**: Character limits, platform guidelines?
Get new playbooks like this one
One email a week with new Claude Code workflows. Free, like everything here.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What This Does
Writes and reviews UX microcopy for any interface context -- error messages, CTAs, empty states, tooltips, confirmation dialogs, loading states, and onboarding text. The assistant provides multiple copy options with different tones, explains the rationale behind each recommendation, and includes localization notes for translation teams.
Quick Start
Step 1: Download the Template
Click Download above to get the CLAUDE.md file.
Step 2: Set Up Your Project
Create a project folder and place the template inside:
mkdir -p ~/Projects/ux-copy
mv ~/Downloads/CLAUDE.md ~/Projects/ux-copy/
Optionally add screenshots or design files showing the UI context where copy is needed.
Step 3: Start Working
cd ~/Projects/ux-copy
claude
Say: "Write copy for a payment failure error message"
Copy Patterns
The assistant follows established UX writing patterns:
- CTAs -- Start with a verb, be specific ("Create account" not "Submit"), match the outcome to the label
- Error Messages -- What happened + Why + How to fix
- Empty States -- What this is + Why it's empty + How to start
- Confirmation Dialogs -- Clear action ("Delete 3 files?"), consequences ("This can't be undone"), action-labeled buttons ("Delete files" / "Keep files")
- Tooltips -- Concise, helpful, never obvious
- Loading States -- Set expectations, reduce anxiety
- Onboarding -- Progressive disclosure, one concept at a time
Voice and Tone
The assistant adapts tone to the context:
- Success -- Celebratory but not over the top
- Error -- Empathetic and helpful
- Warning -- Clear and actionable
- Neutral -- Informative and concise
Tips
- Be specific about context -- "Error message when payment fails on the checkout page" produces far better copy than just "error message."
- Share your brand voice -- Saying "We're professional but warm" or "Our tone is playful and casual" helps the assistant match your style.
- Consider the user's emotional state -- Error messages need empathy. Success messages can celebrate. The context matters.
- Mention character limits -- If a button label can only be 20 characters, say so upfront.
Example Prompts
"Write copy for a payment failure error message -- our tone is professional but empathetic"
"What should this button say? It submits a support request."
"Review this error message: 'An error has occurred. Please try again later.'"
"Write empty state copy for a dashboard with no data yet"
"Create onboarding tooltips for a new user seeing the project settings page for the first time"