Arrows: Previous/Next
Use sentence case.
Examples:
- Click the Previous (back) arrow.
- Click the Next (forward) arrow to move to the next transaction.
Although the arrows are no longer labeled, continue to refer to them in copy as the Previous and Next arrows. For added clarification, you can add “back” and “forward” as shown in the example. These arrows are used primarily in QuickBooks for Windows and Mac.
Button names
Use sentence case.
Examples:
- Save and close
- Save and send
- Create new
- Run payroll
In copy, to make sure you’re guiding users clearly, you can add the word button after the button name. But you don’t need to do that for these standard buttons.
- Apply
- Back
- Cancel
- Continue
- Finish
- Next
- OK
- Open
- Print
- Save
Checkbox label
Use sentence case.
Example:
- This customer is a sub-customer.
Use clear instead of deselect. The term deselect causes a problem for localization.
Drop-down list names and items
Use sentence case.
Examples:
- Expense account
- Select an option
- Select a vendor
- Select a customer
User-generated names such as vendors and customers will appear the way users entered them.
In copy, to make sure you’re writing clearly you can add the word list after the drop-down list name. Example: Select Mountain View from the Location list.
If the drop-down list doesn’t have a label, or uses ghost text to describe itself, use the main word in the ghost text and tell the customer what to select. For example, if the drop-down list is “Choose a customer” you might say, “Select the customer you want to refund.” Or, “In the Customer field, select the customer you want to refund.”
Make sure the items in the list are in logical order (alphabetical, order of importance, and so on).
If no item is preselected, use text like “Select a vendor” in ghost or hint text format. If you can’t gray out the text, you can use some kind of indicator, like parentheses. For example: “(Select one).”
You might want to show None as one of the options. It should have the same text formatting as the other options in the list.
Ghost text
Use sentence case.
Use ghost or hint text to take the place of field labels or to give more information about filling out a field, such as required formatting and restrictions.
Usually, you just need a noun or noun phrase that describes what to enter in the text box. Avoid obvious verbs like enter, unless needed for clarity or to be conversational, like in first-time use.
Examples:
- Enter your bank name
- Find an employee
Headings and titles
Includes:
- Section headings
- Page headings and titles
- Help topic titles
- Run-in headings
- Subheadings
- First-time use
- Browser page titles
- Tab titles
- Buttons
- Window titles
Use sentence case.
Don’t use punctuation, unless you’re asking a question or need it for emphasis.
Examples:
- A connection you can bank on
- Ready to get started?
- Free support. Forever.
Menu names and menu items
Use sentence case.
Example:
Navigation elements
Use sentence case.
Examples:
- QuickBooks help
- QuickBooks tutorials
Radio buttons/option labels
Use sentence case.
Examples:
- Expense account
- Customer account
If needed for clarity in copy, you can add the word option after the option name.
Report titles
Use sentence case. (Depending on the interface, these titles may appear in all capital letters.)
Examples:
- Sales by customer summary
- Sales by class summary
- Sales by product/service summary
Tooltips
Use sentence case.
Example:
- Your bank routing number is usually 9 digits long.
Use tooltips to give more info about filling out a field, such as a description, required formatting, and restrictions.
Use a period at the end of a tooltip only if it’s a complete sentence.