101 UX Principles – 2nd edition - Second Edition

#89

Be Consistent with Terminology

The words (or copy) that you write in your product have a dual purpose. The first is the most obvious: they label items and views and tell the user which elements are which.

The second is less obvious, but more important: the words you use become a very precise and descriptive language for your product. Understanding and parsing this language is essential to a user forming a mental model of how your product works.

• If you call your e-commerce shopping cart a “cart,” then call it “cart” everywhere
• If you call your user’s profile page “profile,” then call it “profile” everywhere
• If you call your user’s email settings “email settings,” then call them “email settings” everywhere

Mix these up and it will take your ...