Getting Started
Content guidelines
How we write. Our copy reads like a field report, not a sales deck. Plain words, exact numbers, no hedging.
Voice
Direct. Specific. Calm. We do not sell — we report. The product is the evidence; the copy gets out of the way.
Do
"Hail of 1.75″ recorded at KAUS on 2024-04-26 affected 12,481 properties in Travis & Williamson counties."
Don't
"A devastating storm rocked Central Texas, leaving thousands of homeowners reeling and in need of urgent help."
Numbers
Always include unit. Always include precision. Use mono and tabular numerics for any number that could be cited.
Do
1.75″ ·2024-04-26 14:32 CDT ·$24,810.00
Don't
"about two inches" · "late April" · "around 25k"
Capitalization
Sentence case for everything except status pills (uppercase mono) and acronyms (RCV, ACV, IRC, NWS).
Buttons & CTAs
Verb-first. Specific to the action. No "Click here" or "Submit".
Do
"Open canvass" · "Reject supplement" · "Attach photo packet" · "Verify with NWS"
Don't
"Continue" · "Submit" · "Click here" · "Get started"
Empty states
Tell the user what's missing and exactly what to do next. One sentence + one button.
No photos attached yet.
Photos verify scope and survive contractor review.
Errors
Name the problem. Name the fix. Don't apologize.
Do
"Coordinates outside Travis County. Pick a property in the active jurisdiction or change jurisdiction."
Don't
"Sorry, something went wrong! Please try again later."
Date & time
- 2024-04-26 · ISO date in lists, tables, evidence
- Apr 26, 2024 · long-form in headers, narratives
- 14:32 CDT · always include zone for evidence timestamps
- 2 days ago · only in casual UX (notifications, audit trail summary)
Forbidden
- Emoji in product UI
- Exclamation marks (except "Welcome back" once)
- "Awesome", "Amazing", "Easily", "Powerful"
- "As soon as possible" — give a real timestamp instead
- Marketing speak: "best-in-class", "cutting-edge", "revolutionary"