UX writing is the invisible layer of your product. When it is bad, users do not complain about the writing — they just feel confused, frustrated, or vaguely stupid. Here are the seven mistakes that cause the most damage, and exactly how to fix each one.
Mistake 1: Generic button labels
"OK", "Submit", and "Yes" tell users nothing about what happens when they click. They force users to read the surrounding context carefully and trust that clicking will do what they think. The fix is simple: make every button label a verb plus a noun that describes the outcome. "Delete account", "Send message", "Create project" — each one removes ambiguity and gives users confidence before they commit.
Mistake 2: Error messages that only describe, not solve
"Invalid email" tells the user what went wrong but not how to fix it. Users are left guessing whether they typed a space, forgot the domain, or have a banned address. The fix is to show them exactly what to do: "Your email needs to include an @ symbol — try: name@example.com." A good error message is a mini-tutorial.
Mistake 3: Technical jargon in user-facing copy
"502 Bad Gateway", "null pointer exception", and "schema validation failed" are developer messages that escaped into production. Most users have no idea what these mean, and they create anxiety rather than clarity. Translate every error into human language: "Something went wrong on our end — try refreshing the page."
Mistake 4: Blaming the user
"You did not complete the form correctly" places fault on the user, which creates defensiveness and frustration. The fix is a passive construction that does not assign blame: "The form is missing a few required fields." Same information, completely different emotional impact.
Mistake 5: Empty states with no guidance
A blank screen with no explanation is one of the most common causes of churn in new user flows. When users land on an empty state, they need to understand what belongs there and have one clear action to start. An inbox with zero messages should say "Your inbox is empty — messages from your team will appear here" and offer a button to invite teammates or start a conversation.
Mistake 6: Inconsistent terminology
Calling the same feature "archive" in one place and "hide" in another forces users to build two mental models for one action. The fix is to build a product glossary — a shared document that defines the canonical word for every concept in your product — and enforce it across every screen, tooltip, help article, and support response.
Mistake 7: Confirmation dialogs that omit consequences
"Are you sure?" is the most useless confirmation dialog in existence. It asks for confirmation without telling the user what they are confirming. Replace it with a description of the actual consequence: "Delete this project? This will permanently remove all files and cannot be undone." The more irreversible the action, the more specific the confirmation copy needs to be.