Product Style Guides
A style guide is the rulebook for how your organisation writes. It covers grammar, punctuation, voice, and conventions specific to your product. Without one, writers invent their own rules. One writer capitalises “Dashboard,” another uses lowercase “dashboard.” One writes “sign-in,” another writes “signin.” Users notice inconsistency. It makes a service feel unfinished or confusing. A shared style guide creates coherence. It saves time in editing because everyone knows the rules. It makes onboarding new writers faster. It documents decisions so you do not re-argue the same point every quarter.
Core Sections of a Style Guide
Start with general principles. State your voice and tone. Give examples of good and bad copy in your voice. Cover grammar and punctuation. Do you use the serial comma? How do you punctuate lists? Do you use contractions? These might seem trivial, but consistency matters. Then cover product-specific language. What do you call core features? “Sign up” or “register”? “Dashboard” or “home”? “Delete” or “remove”? Write the preferred term once and stick to it everywhere. Create a list of words you use and avoid. You might always say “we” instead of “I” in your product. You might never use exclamation marks. You might avoid certain words that could feel rude to some users.
Formatting and Visual Elements
Show how you handle numbers. Do you write “1 new message” or “1new message” or “one new message”? How do you write dates? Times? Currency? Small inconsistencies add up. Show how you format headings, lists, and links. Give examples of common scenarios: how to write error messages, how to label buttons, how to write help text. Use real examples from your product. This makes the guide immediately practical. Include terminology specific to your domain. If you have technical concepts users need to understand, define them and show how to explain them simply.
Maintenance and Evolution
A style guide is not static. As your product evolves, so should your guide. Every quarter, check for new patterns that have emerged. Add them if they are good. If you spot inconsistency in the product, add a rule to the guide. Make it easy for writers to find answers. Use a searchable document. Add links between related topics. Train new writers on the guide. Do not assume they will read it cover to cover. Show them how to use it as a reference. Ask writers where the guide falls short. If someone keeps asking the same question, that question belongs in the guide.
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A strong style guide is a shared resource that saves time and builds consistency. It signals care about how you communicate. Users may not think about your style guide, but they feel its effects. They feel that your service is coherent and well-made.