Content

First-person pronouns

Using ` we ` or the first-person pronoun to refer to your entity and ` you ` or the second-person pronoun to address your user adds a personalisation element and resonates with the user on a human level.

Avoid jargons

Avoid jargon and long intimidating words. Instead, use plain English to communicate your message.

Spell out the acronym

Spell out the acronym at its first mention, followed by the acronym in parentheses, unless it is a common one. You must make a decision about the use of acronyms based on the target audience of your website.

Keep contractions to a minimum.

Avoid being witty

Avoid playful, witty, and sarcastic language. The main goal of UX writing is to clarify, not to impress.

Use idioms sparingly

Use idioms and cultural references sparingly, unless they are widely understood, such as ` ahlan wa sahlan ` or ` marhaba `. Users who are not familiar with the UAE and its culture may have trouble understanding them.

Be specific

Be specific about what you are communicating and keep it simple by keeping your content clear.

Use of British English

Follow one dictionary for consistency. Oxford, with its different versions, is the most widely used British English dictionary, though the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary remains the most popular for its free-of-charge availability.

Spell out numbers

Spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence. When used within the sentence, you may use numeric figures.

Comma with numbers

Numbers over 3 digits should be denoted with commas, e.g. 1,000 or 200,000.

Exclamation points (!)

Only use exclamation points when required to keep in line with our corporate voice.

Single quotation marks (' ')

Use single quotation marks with direct speech and quotations and double quotation marks for quotations inside quotations

Comma ( , )

Use the Oxford or serial comma with lists of three or more items.

Full stop ( . )

Enclose full stops inside quotation marks and outside brackets when the bracketed sentence is part of a larger sentence.

Colons ( : )

Use colons to start a list

A colon can also be used for elaboration.

Semicolons ( ; )

Use semicolons sparingly. Semicolons typically support long, complex sentences that can easily be broken down with a conjunction or preposition (e.g. but) or separated by an em dash (—).

Alternatively, the sentence could be simplified by splitting it into two.

Dashes and hyphens ( - )

With prepositions, however, make sure to use an appropriate conjunction or preposition instead of an en dash.

Use an unspaced em dash (—) for elaboration or to add a parenthetical sentence or phrase, e.g. Even though the snack table at the party had plates full of doughnuts and cupcakes—Joe’s favourite desserts—he turned his head away so he could resist the temptation.

Ampersands (&)

Always use ` and ` instead of ` & `, , unless the ampersand is part of a company or a brand name, e.g. Procter & Gamble or Johnson & Johnson.

Avoid unicode

Avoid unicode characters, which can be misread by screen readers and are, therefore, considered inaccessible to many users.

Be mindful

Be mindful of words that do not apply to visually impaired users.

Use ALT text

Use alternative or alt text as description to pictures and icons. Always create content that is reletive to the image to describe is more accurately.

Create transcripts and captions

For audio-only content, such as a podcast, provide a transcript. For audio and visual content, such as training videos, provide closed captions and transcripts.

Include spoken information and sounds in the audiovisual (AV) in the transcript such ‘door closingʼ or ‘end creditsʼ so the content is understood. Include peopleʼs names and indicate their actions, e.g. ‘Salah leaves the roomʼ.