Numbers can be confusing for users. And at Smart, we have to use a lot of numbers.
That’s why we’ve adopted these Plain Numbers guidelines.
They are a set of guidelines to give you ways of presenting numbers to make them easier for users to understand.
Source: Plain Numbers Research Report
Write out the number as a word for one to ten, and use digits for 11 and above. The exception to this is if it would look really weird to write "one". For example, when we're telling people how many messages they have in their inbox, or items on their to-do list – in this case we would use digits ("5 messages in your inbox").
When writing a number range, we use digits. For example, 1 to fifteen. See Number ranges, below.
For numbers over 1 million, style as X.XX million. For numbers over 1 billion, style as X.XX billion.
We use short scale billions, a one followed by nine zeroes.
Use digits for ordinal numbers when referring to days ("the 1st Monday of the month", "the 25th of each month"), but write them out (first, second, third, etc) if it makes more sense to do so in context. For example, "the first thing this statement will show you is..."
Number ranges should always be two digits, with the word 'to' between them ("1 to 15", not "one to 15" or "1-15") as this is the most accessible way to style them. The exception is when a number range appears in a table, in these cases we separate them with a dash.
Use these when describing a process. Each item in a numbered list should end in a full stop. Use digits to label steps, even if there are less than ten.
If you're referring to a specific step, or telling people how many steps there are as part of a sentence, the normal rule of one to ten as written numbers, and digits for 11 and above applies ("This is a three step process.", "Refer to step five for more details.").
For currencies, always use decimals. For example, £6.00, £6.47 or £6.10.
Where the amount is less than £1.00, numbers should be styled as 20p (or local equivalent)
Where the amount is £1 million or more, style as £X.XX million. Where the amount is 1 billion or more, style as £X.XX billion.
This applies to all currencies.
Use the format DD Month YYYY. For example, "on 4 January 2019" or "on Friday, 14 January 2019".
The genius component in the platforms and the member app home screen cards use the format D MMM YYYY or DD MMM YYYY where the day has two digits. For example 1 Oct 2022 or 11 Oct 2022.
When using a date range, use 'to' to separate days. For example, "4 to 6 January 2019".
You can use "th/st/nd/rd" when referring to a date alone with no month. For example, "your pension contributions are paid on the 25th of each month".
When using a date range, use "to" instead of a hyphen. For example, "if you opted out between 23rd to 25th of the month".
Use the format DD MM YY, for example, 04 01 2019, as this is the format they will have entered the date in the form.
Make sure the date is formatted in the most conventional way for that country. For example, when writing for an American audience, the month comes before the date, so "January 4, 2019", "January 4 to 6 2019", or "01-04-2019".
We always use the symbol - never write out "percent" or "per cent". Don't put a space between the number and the % symbol.
Use 12 hour time, and style as H.MMam/pm or HH.MMam/pm.
For example, 11.00am or 1.30pm.
Use "midday" and "midnight", unless using them as part of a time range – in which case, use 12.00pm and 12.00am.
If giving a time range (such as the duration of an event), separate with "to" – for example, 2.00pm to 3.00pm.
If writing for an audience that could be international – such as on social media – add the time zone (for example, the webinar is at 11.00am BST).
Shown in pence and goes to 2 decimal places. For example, 123.45p.
Goes to three decimal places. For example, 123.456.
Write the first instance out in full, with the abbreviation in brackets. Then use the abbreviation for all other instances on the page.
Examples:
Abbreviations, such as Doctor (Dr), or London Drive (London Dr).
Acronyms such as for your information (FYI).
Initialisms, such as Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
This is an accessibility guideline, meeting Success Criterion 3.1.4 Abbreviations, level AAA.
We use active voice most of the time. This is where the agent, or 'doer', comes before the verb. For example:
Sometimes, the passive voice can make your content read more naturally, so there's no need to avoid it every time. It can also be used in error messages caused by user error, as it's less accusatory. For example, "your password was entered incorrectly" is in the passive voice, but it's friendlier and less accusatory than "you entered an incorrect password".
A good rule of thumb to help you identify passive voice is to add the phrase "by monkeys" to the end of your clause ("Your account will be closed... by monkeys"). If it still makes sense, you're probably writing in the passive voice.
We format addresses and label data entry fields as follows
Address line 1
Address line 2
Town
County (optional)
Postcode
We don't use them, unless they're part of a brand name, like Legal & General.
If you're replying to a tricky letter or a complaint, or are dealing with a difficult problem, put yourself in the reader's shoes. Be professional, not emotional.
You may have to give a firm, unwelcome answer, but be as helpful and polite as possible. If you are going to apologise, do so early. If the problem is your fault, say so.
Apologise completely and concisely, sympathetically and sincerely. And whether it is your fault or not, try to emphasise what you can do for the other person.
With content that’s audio-only, like podcasts and voice-only presentations, we need to include a link to the transcript of the recording.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded), level A.
"Back" and not "Previous" or "Go back".
Use to indicate actions/buttons in instructional content. For example, "press Continue".
You can also use bold sparingly to emphasise important information.
Stick to British English – avoid Americanisms.
You can use bullet points to make text easier to read.
There are two ways to format bullet points. Avoid switching between these two ways of formatting within one page or document.
Short list bullets
When you're listing short information, you can use a bulleted list like this. Make sure that:
Full sentence bullets
This in an alternative way of formatting bullets, for when you're listing longer points.
Buttons should be simple and direct "Start now", "Continue" and "Back" are the standard buttons for our transactional user journeys.
More specific button text should be used when you're asking a user to complete a single action. Customise this text to describe the action as accurately as possible. The resulting label should complete the sentence “I want to…” from the user’s perspective.
People find capital letters harder to read. Always use sentence case – even for titles and headings – except when using brand or product names (for example, "Smart Pension", "Legal & General", "MacBook Pro").
Don't use title case in URLs (smartpension.co.uk, not SmartPension.co.uk). The only exception to this is when you're referring to the Smart Pension Master Trust – as this is the official name of the trust.
It's not commonplace to use capital letters in email addresses, and we don't do it.
We avoid writing anything in all caps, as it's not accessible and doesn't fit in with our tone of voice.
Only use to introduce bulleted lists, or to introduce examples which include numbers.
A good rule of thumb is – if you want to use a colon, use a dash instead.
We don't use Oxford commas, also known as serial commas. An Oxford comma is when you use a comma in a list before the word "and".
For example, it should be: "I went to the beach with my dog, Auntie Jill and David". Not "I went to the beach with my dog, Auntie Jill, and David".
You can use a comma before "and" if the context isn't a list, and it will introduce a new clause or break up a long sentence.
A conjunction is a "joining word", that links different parts of a sentence together – such as "and" or "but". And they can be used to start sentences.
Should say "Continue" rather than "Next" or "Proceed".
Use "Continue" where it's not necessary to explain to the user exactly what the button does. For example, if the button submits the information they've entered and takes them to the next step in an application, "Continue" is better than "Submit details and continue".
A contraction is a shortened version of two words, written as one word. Often, they use apostrophes to signify missing letters ("didn't", "can't", "shouldn't")
Use these to make your content informal and friendly, but don't overdo it. Too many contractions can make content hard to read.
Dashes work well when used in place of colons. Use en dashes (–), not em dashes (—). A hyphen doesn't count as a dash – it's a hyphen.
On a Mac, type an en dash by selecting the Option + Minus keys at the same time.
Don't use dashes in lists or tables of numbers or financial information, as they can look like a minus sign.
Don't use these – use "For example," instead.
Use "Edit" and not "Change" or "Amend".
Should be all lower case for readability. For example:
We use two types of error messages – alerts (boxes that pop up out of the form or page) and inline errors (error messages that appear by the incorrectly filled form field).
Alerts
Alerts should lead in with a simple statement of fact, followed by a broad description of the options available on the page. For example, "It looks like your income could run out when you're 78.”
If you want your income to last longer, you could lower your monthly income or move more money into this pot".
Avoid stating whether an alert is positive or negative. In the example above, it would be wrong to say "There's a problem - your money might run out when you're 78. To fix this, (...)" – as it's impossible to know the user's future plans or overall financial situation.
Inline errors
Unlike regular error messages/alerts, inline error messages don't necessarily need to explain what went wrong. Telling the user the solution is often enough to prompt them to correct the error, especially in simple forms. For example, "Please enter your name" is enough to prompt a user to fill in a form field they accidentally missed.
Explaining the error can make the message unnecessarily long and harder to read. For example, "You didn't enter your name. Please enter your name" is overkill for a simple to understand and easy to fix error.
Don't use it. If you find yourself in a situation that calls for the use of something like this use "and more" instead.
Use them sparingly – they may be useful in specific cases (such as celebration moments) when there is less need to be formal!
Use "Quit". Can be more specific, like "Quit transaction".
We have a "no-FAQs" rule. Our existing content and products should be written and structured in a way that the user does not have to ask questions in order to find out what they need to know or complete a task.
If there is no other solution than to use a question as a subheading, write the question in the first person.
Use upper-case when referring to file extensions in body copy. For example, "PDF" and not "pdf".
If a link opens a file, then tell the user by specifying the file extension in brackets after the CTA copy. Use lower-case and a stop before the file extension. For example, "Download statement (.pdf)".
Two words, no hyphen. Use "first name" rather than "forename", etc. Only capitalise if at the beginning of a sentence.
You should follow the VID (Visual Identity) design guidelines on which fonts to use and how to present them.
Use normally in sentences and paragraphs. Don't use them to end headers.
The exception to this is error messages, which should have a full stop at the end of the header. If there are two sentences to the error message, use to end the first sentence.
Where there is a sentence that ends with something in quote marks, the full stop should go "outside the quotation marks like this". It's the other way around for US English.
Don't use full stops:
We never ask a user for their sex or gender unless it is absolutely essential. If we do have to ask for it, we must tell them why we need the information.
The main case for asking for a user's gender is when we have to ask a member for their legally recognised gender. This is because it is a requirement from the government on any RTI (real time information) data that's submitted to do with PAYE. More information can be found here on the government website.
Where we must ask for the member's gender for this reason, we say:
"Select your legally recognised gender. HMRC uses this for tax services."
Or, if the information was already supplied by their employer:
"Your employer told us your legally recognised gender when you joined Smart Pension. HMRC uses this for tax services."
All external emails should start with "Hi [first name]" and end with "The Smart Pension Team" (or whatever team is most appropriate)
All page titles, headings and subheadings should be written in sentence case (not Title Case).
Use a heading that is specific enough to tell the user exactly what the page or form field does. For example, "Reset your password" not “I don’t know my password”.
People reading just the header, subheader, label or page title should know what to expect.
If the page is part of a collection of pages, we should also make that clear from the title.
Where there is only one action a user can take in a section, use the format "[Verb] the [noun]" or "[Verb] your [noun]".
Where a user can take multiple actions on a page, or for section headers and landing page headers, use a noun that covers all of the actions where possible. For example, "Contributions".
For platform content, we do not use questions as subheadings. Where it is completely unavoidable we use the first person for questions.
Text content should be organised with headings, wherever possible, to make it easier to navigate. For example in long form content, information articles and content that can be organised, like a ‘Setting’ menus.
Some bits of content, like long letters, may not be suitable.
We should also use headings in the right way if we have control over them. For example, if there are sub-topics, we should use H3s under the relevant H2 and so on.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterions 2.4.2 Page Titled, level A, 2.4.6 Headings and Labels, level AA, and 2.4.10 Section Headings, level AAA.
Use when creating compound adjectives. For example, "long-term investment".
When you're using content like images, charts, graphs, or thumbnails, these need to have text alternatives.
For simpler content, like images or thumbnails, you must write a short caption that describes what it is. You must also use the alt text feature of the content management system (CMS) you’re using, This should be a descriptive sentence explaining the information conveyed in the image as the alt text. Alt text is what appears on a page if the content does not load. It is also what screen readers read.
For example, your caption could be ‘Andrew Evans and Will Wynne opening the Smart Building office’. Your alt text could be ‘Andrew Evans and Will Wynne surrounded by Smart colleagues on the ground floor celebrating the opening of the new Smart Building office’.
With content that’s more complicated, like graphs or diagrams, it’s not possible to give the same experience with just a short description. There needs to be more information.
There must be both a short description and a long description. The aim is to create the same experience with your text as you get from the content.
The long description should be on the same page, and close to the content it is detailing.
For example, a graph showing Smart’s growth could say “This graph shows Smart’s growth”.
The long description could say ‘This graph shows that since 2019 Smart has grown almost 2,000%, with growth accelerating. In 2019 growth was 200%, 2020 growth was 250% and growth in 2021 was 330%’.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content, level A.
Two words, no hyphen. Use "last name" rather than "surname". Only capitalise if at the beginning of a sentence.
Use the phrase "learn more" rather than "find out more" or anything else. "Learn more" should usually be followed by "about...". For example, "Learn more about tax".
Links should be followed by a full stop if they appear at the end of a full sentence, but the full stop should be outside of the link.
If the link appears in isolation, no full stop is necessary.
Links are used for navigating to a new page or going to an external page or document.
You should use buttons where the action causes a change to a page, for example submitting a form or opening a pop-up or panel on a page.
Use links in body text, but not in titles, summaries or subheadings. Use a full stop after a link if the link ends a sentence. For links that lead a user to a screen where they can start an action, start your link with a verb.
For links that lead to an information page, put the link in context. You can do this by using the title of the destination page. If the page title does not give context, describe where the link goes.
Tell the user if you’re linking to an external website. For example, "Pension Wise has more information on the lifetime allowance”. Generally avoid using generic links like "Click here”. Generic links don’t make sense out of context and don’t tell a user where the link will take them. Remember, one word links can be hard for users with reduced mobility to use.
Links should be followed by a full stop if they appear at the end of a full sentence, but the full stop should be outside of the link.
If the link appears in isolation, no full stop is necessary.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context), level A.
A nominalisation is where you turn a verb (process, technique, emotion) into an abstract noun.
For example:
Like passive verbs, too many of them make writing very dull and heavy-going. Avoid them.
Sentence case – not Participation Agreement.
Avoid the passive voice – it's wordy, difficult to follow, and often alienates us from our reader.
You can easily move most instances into the active voice.
A good rule of thumb to help you identify passive voice is to add the phrase "by monkeys" to the end of your clause ("Your account will be closed... by monkeys"). If it still makes sense, you're probably writing in the passive voice.
Find more details on the passive voice and how to spot and avoid it on the Smart names page.
Always style with upper case P and S, including in the acronym (as above).
We want to make sure we're always being inclusive when talking to or about our users. This means using appropriate pronouns.
When talking to a user always use second-person pronouns. When talking about Smart always use first person pronouns. For example, "We'll send you an email".
When talking about a user, always use they/them pronouns unless you know their pronouns.
Never address anyone by or refer to anyone by she/he pronouns unless you definitely know which ones they use.
Use single quotes when paraphrasing something. Use double quotes in all other instances.
Where there is a sentence that ends with something in quote marks, the full stop should go "outside the quotation marks, like this". For US English, it's the other way round and the full stop should go "inside the quotation marks, like this."
Don't use them. Ever.
You can capitalise the words "team", "practice" or "discipline" if it forms part of a name. For example, Team Awesome, the Design Practice, or the Marketing Team.
You shouldn't capitalise it if it doesn't form part of a name. For example:
We capitalise PEG names as though they are proper nouns. For example, the Savings and Administration PEG. Or the Retirement and Member Payments (RAMP) PEG.
For any online content (on the platforms, in emails, on websites), avoid URLs – link with some descriptive anchor text (Read about the annual allowance on the Pension Wise website, not www.pensionwise.gov.uk). The exception to this is PDFs, where you need to write the URL out.
When you do need to write a URL out, always use www. at the beginning. Don't use title case in URLs (www.smartpension.co.uk, not www.SmartPension.co.uk), as this makes them harder to read.
Whenever we hyperlink text, there must be a description of what the link is or where it goes. The simplest way to do this is to describe the purpose of the link in the hyperlinked text or using the page title. We can also use icons (pdf icon describes the type of document), and alt text.
For example, visit our support site to find out how to sign in on our How do I sign in article.
On the platform, we will use aria tags, due to space limitations.
This is an accessibility guideline, meeting Success Criterion 2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only), level AAA.
Unusual words and difficult words, including idioms and jargon, need to have definitions, so users know what they mean. An unusual word is one that’s not used in everyday conversation,
The first time an unusual word or phrase is used we should write an inline definition.
If the word or phrase has multiple meanings in the same page, then we should write an inline definition each time there is a new meaning.
This is an accessibility guideline, meeting Success Criterion 3.1.3 Unusual Words, level AAA.
For video-only content, like silent movies, silent demos and animations, there needs to be a text description that describes what’s happening on screen.
The aim is to create the same experience with your text as you get from the video.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded), level A.
For videos that have dialogue, there needs to be accurate and complete captions. These can be always on (open captions) or hideable (closed captions).
Using YouTube’s automatic captions isn’t enough as the accuracy can’t be guaranteed.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded), level A.
If the video is a live webcast or broadcast, we can use real-time text translation in captions, such as on YouTube.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 1.2.4 Captions (Live), level AA.
Videos also need to have a specific audio track that includes audio descriptions. Users must be able to select whether to use this audio track or not. You can do this by having a separate video that includes only the audio description soundtrack.
Live videos do not need audio descriptions.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded), level AA.
We adapt our tone depending on whether the situation is positive, negative, or neutral. Here are some examples:
You've successfully uploaded your PAPDIS file. Take a look below at what's been imported.
You're just a few clicks away from launching your new pension scheme.
You've updated your contribution percentage. Take a look at how much you already have in your pot.
You've finished everything on your checklist. Let's get started with your first upload.
Your PAPDIS upload was successful!
Your email address has been updated. Good job!
You've uploaded your PAPDIS file. Smart's just helped you keep your employees happy.
Your password has been updated securely thanks to Smart's innovative security technology.
Smart products are built with the latest technology and security, so you can set up your pension scheme quickly and securely.
Thanks for your email. We typically respond within 3 working days.
You can change how much you put into your pension each month. To do this, sign into your account and click on 'contributions', then adjust the slider.
We use the best technology for our Keystone platform to make us faster and more secure than anyone else.
Thanks for your email. We typically respond within 3 working days. Please note that in some exceptional circumstances it may take up to 7 days for an initial response, and then a further 5 working days for a full response if consultation is required from elsewhere in the company.
As per your request, please find instructions on how to change your password within this email.
We weren't able to import your PAPDIS file. This is because the 'contribution' column is blank.
We're sorry we sent your employers a postponement letter by mistake. We’ve identified what caused this to happen, and have taken steps to rectify it and ensure that it doesn't happen again.
We've cancelled your invoice payment due to a problem with your account details. Sign into your account to edit your details and we'll retry the payment shortly.
Your account is disabled. Don't worry, it's only temporary.
Error 2394 - Invalid line item 'GQE'.
You've failed to meet the eligibility criteria for enrolment in this pension scheme. To be eligible you must be in reckonable service with gross qualifying earnings of over £XX,XXX per annum.
You've uploaded your PAPDIS file with missing data.
Your payment has failed because you haven't updated your account details.
You've entered your password incorrectly.
Here are some examples of our tone of voice in action:
Field 'Date of Birth' is invalid.
Please enter a valid date of birth.
Whoops! Looks like that date of birth isn't quite right.
Invalid password entered. Try again.
Your password is incorrect. Please try again.
Oh dear! That password doesn't seem to match what we've got here. Let's have another go.
You are now registered with Smart Pension
Your account is activated. Log in to evaluate and alter your current monthly contribution levels. You may also use the navigation tools to review the latest valuation of your pension funds.
Welcome to Smart Pension
Get started by checking on how much you're contributing to your pension. Don't forget to check back often and see how your savings are growing.
Yay! You're all signed up
Come on over to the website now to check how much cash is going into your pot and see how it's doing.
This is to notify you of changes to your company pension scheme.
<Company name> has made some changes to your pension scheme.
Heads up! There's some new stuff happening.
We're contacting you to notify you that your password has been changed. If you did not request this change please contact us.
Your password has been changed. If this wasn't you, let us know.
You've got a shiny new password. If you didn't choose it, drop us a line and tell us.
Employee Engagement is acknowledged as crucial to success in modern companies.
Keeping your employees happy and engaged is key to the success of your company.
No one likes a grumpy employee. To be successful you need to keep all the folks in your company happy.
No results. Please try a different search.
If there's something you think should be included, email us (this could be to a new content guild email address, or possibly to an email that notified the #writesmart slack channel. OR just have this encourage people to talk in the slack channel).
Don't use (a) large number of – use many, most, or just say how many.
Don't use (a) percentage of – use some, or say what percentage.
Don't use (an) absence of – use no or none.
Don't use (have) regard to – use take into account.
Don't use (it is) compulsory – use (you) must.
Don't use (it is) mandatory – use (you) must.
Don't use (it is) obligatory – use (you) must.
Don't use (please find) enclosed – use we have enclosed.
Don't use (the) tenant– use you.
Don't use (to) liaise with – use to meet with, to discuss with, to work with (whichever is more descriptive).
Don't use (to) progress something – describe what is going to happen.
Always capitalise it.
Write the first instance out in full, with the abbreviation in brackets. Then use the abbreviation for all other instances on the page.
Examples:
Abbreviations, such as Doctor (Dr), or London Drive (London Dr).
Acronyms such as for your information (FYI).
Initialisms, such as Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
This is an accessibility guideline, meeting Success Criterion 3.1.4 Abbreviations, level AAA.
This is how we refer to the account name a user signs in with.
We use active voice most of the time. This is where the agent, or 'doer', comes before the verb. For example:
Sometimes, the passive voice can make your content read more naturally, so there's no need to avoid it every time. It can also be used in error messages caused by user error, as it's less accusatory. For example, "your password was entered incorrectly" is in the passive voice, but it's friendlier and less accusatory than "you entered an incorrect password".
A good rule of thumb to help you identify passive voice is to add the phrase "by monkeys" to the end of your clause ("Your account will be closed... by monkeys"). If it still makes sense, you're probably writing in the passive voice.
We format addresses and label data entry fields as follows
Address line 1
Address line 2
Town
County (optional)
Postcode
We use adviser unless writing for a US audience, when it's advisor.
We don't use them, unless they're part of a brand name, like Legal & General.
Sentence case. Not "Annual statement".
We say "Guaranteed income (also know as an annuity)" in the first instance, and "guaranteed income" in all other instances. The exception to this is if we're referring to a specific annuity product – in which case we would say "annuity".
If you're replying to a tricky letter or a complaint, or are dealing with a difficult problem, put yourself in the reader's shoes. Be professional, not emotional.
You may have to give a firm, unwelcome answer, but be as helpful and polite as possible. If you are going to apologise, do so early. If the problem is your fault, say so.
Apologise completely and concisely, sympathetically and sincerely. And whether it is your fault or not, try to emphasise what you can do for the other person.
With content that’s audio-only, like podcasts and voice-only presentations, we need to include a link to the transcript of the recording.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded), level A.
Two words, no hyphen. Enrolment should have two L's (enrollment) if writing for a US audience.
"Back" and not "Previous" or "Go back".
Not BACS. Full name is Bacs Payment Schemes Limited.
Use to indicate actions/buttons in instructional content. For example, "press Continue".
You can also use bold sparingly to emphasise important information.
As in 'request your pension breakdown’.
Stick to British English – avoid Americanisms.
You can use bullet points to make text easier to read.
There are two ways to format bullet points. Avoid switching between these two ways of formatting within one page or document.
Short list bullets
When you're listing short information, you can use a bulleted list like this. Make sure that:
Full sentence bullets
This in an alternative way of formatting bullets, for when you're listing longer points.
Buttons should be simple and direct "Start now", "Continue" and "Back" are the standard buttons for our transactional user journeys.
More specific button text should be used when you're asking a user to complete a single action. Customise this text to describe the action as accurately as possible. The resulting label should complete the sentence “I want to…” from the user’s perspective.
Our preferred CTA for cancelling an action.
People find capital letters harder to read. Always use sentence case – even for titles and headings – except when using brand or product names (for example, "Smart Pension", "Legal & General", "MacBook Pro").
Don't use title case in URLs (smartpension.co.uk, not SmartPension.co.uk). The only exception to this is when you're referring to the Smart Pension Master Trust – as this is the official name of the trust.
It's not commonplace to use capital letters in email addresses, and we don't do it.
We avoid writing anything in all caps, as it's not accessible and doesn't fit in with our tone of voice.
In running copy or headings use "charges" and avoid "fees". For example, don’t use "Our charges and fees" in a heading when "Our charges" does the job.
The exception is when referencing the specific name of a charge, such as "Monthly flat fee" - a charge applied to Smart Pension Master Trust members.
We say:
“Monthly flat fee – we charge this fee to cover the time spent and technology used in administering your pension. If you no longer contribute to your Smart Pension account and your savings are worth less than £100, we won’t charge this fee.”
For Annual Management Charge, we say:
“Annual Management Charge (AMC) – we charge a small amount as a percentage of your investments each month for managing and investing your pension. Some investments have extra operating costs which we add to the AMC. This total charge is called the Total Expense Ratio (TER).”
Click only applies to users who have a mouse that will click a button or a navigation item. It doesn't apply to users on mobile, trackpads or using voice command.
Use 'Select' instead.
For example, 'Select the Pay Now button', not 'Click the Pay Now button.'
Only use to introduce bulleted lists, or to introduce examples which include numbers.
A good rule of thumb is – if you want to use a colon, use a dash instead.
We don't use Oxford commas, also known as serial commas. An Oxford comma is when you use a comma in a list before the word "and".
For example, it should be: "I went to the beach with my dog, Auntie Jill and David". Not "I went to the beach with my dog, Auntie Jill, and David".
You can use a comma before "and" if the context isn't a list, and it will introduce a new clause or break up a long sentence.
A conjunction is a "joining word", that links different parts of a sentence together – such as "and" or "but". And they can be used to start sentences.
Our preferred CTA for continuing an action.
Should say "Continue" rather than "Next" or "Proceed".
Use "Continue" where it's not necessary to explain to the user exactly what the button does. For example, if the button submits the information they've entered and takes them to the next step in an application, "Continue" is better than "Submit details and continue".
A contraction is a shortened version of two words, written as one word. Often, they use apostrophes to signify missing letters ("didn't", "can't", "shouldn't")
Use these to make your content informal and friendly, but don't overdo it. Too many contractions can make content hard to read.
In the first instance on a page or document style as "Coronavirus (COVID-19)" at the beginning of a sentence, or "coronavirus (COVID-19)" in the middle of a sentence. In any further instances, just say "coronavirus".
How we refer to our customer service department ("If you need help, our customer support team is happy to help")
Dashes work well when used in place of colons. Use en dashes (–), not em dashes (—). A hyphen doesn't count as a dash – it's a hyphen.
On a Mac, type an en dash by selecting the Option + Minus keys at the same time.
Don't use dashes in lists or tables of numbers or financial information, as they can look like a minus sign.
Technical term for a very small pension pot. Translated from Latin the term means "pertaining to minimal things".
Not 'de minimus'. Use sparingly.
Always a small 'r', even if forming part of a name like the Smart De-risking Fund.
It's a proper noun and needs to be capitalised.
We say "flexible income (income drawdown)" in the first instance, and "flexible income" after this. An exception is when referring to the legal or financial process of drawdown – in this instance, say "drawdown" (for example, "your pension fund is now in drawdown").
Don't use these – use "For example," instead.
Use "Edit" and not "Change" or "Amend".
For example, "please can I have your email address so I can email you that document" or "I received your email at my email address."
Should be all lower case for readability. For example:
We use two types of error messages – alerts (boxes that pop up out of the form or page) and inline errors (error messages that appear by the incorrectly filled form field).
Alerts
Alerts should lead in with a simple statement of fact, followed by a broad description of the options available on the page. For example, "It looks like your income could run out when you're 78.”
If you want your income to last longer, you could lower your monthly income or move more money into this pot".
Avoid stating whether an alert is positive or negative. In the example above, it would be wrong to say "There's a problem - your money might run out when you're 78. To fix this, (...)" – as it's impossible to know the user's future plans or overall financial situation.
Inline errors
Unlike regular error messages/alerts, inline error messages don't necessarily need to explain what went wrong. Telling the user the solution is often enough to prompt them to correct the error, especially in simple forms. For example, "Please enter your name" is enough to prompt a user to fill in a form field they accidentally missed.
Explaining the error can make the message unnecessarily long and harder to read. For example, "You didn't enter your name. Please enter your name" is overkill for a simple to understand and easy to fix error.
Don't use it. If you find yourself in a situation that calls for the use of something like this use "and more" instead.
Use them sparingly – they may be useful in specific cases (such as celebration moments) when there is less need to be formal!
Use "Quit". Can be more specific, like "Quit transaction".
We have a "no-FAQs" rule. Our existing content and products should be written and structured in a way that the user does not have to ask questions in order to find out what they need to know or complete a task.
If there is no other solution than to use a question as a subheading, write the question in the first person.
Should be capitalised as it's a proper noun – it's a service offered by Pay.UK.
Use upper-case when referring to file extensions in body copy. For example, "PDF" and not "pdf".
If a link opens a file, then tell the user by specifying the file extension in brackets after the CTA copy. Use lower-case and a stop before the file extension. For example, "Download statement (.pdf)".
Two words, no hyphen. Use "first name" rather than "forename", etc. Only capitalise if at the beginning of a sentence.
Smart Retire's drawdown pot. Sentence case.
You should follow the VID (Visual Identity) design guidelines on which fonts to use and how to present them.
Should always be written out in full, not eg or e.g.
Use normally in sentences and paragraphs. Don't use them to end headers.
The exception to this is error messages, which should have a full stop at the end of the header. If there are two sentences to the error message, use to end the first sentence.
Where there is a sentence that ends with something in quote marks, the full stop should go "outside the quotation marks like this". It's the other way around for US English.
Don't use full stops:
Should only be used to refer specifically to investment funds. For a sum of money in a scheme/pot use "pension savings" and not "pension funds".
Only capitalise the word "fund" if it forms part of a proper noun (name). For example, "Your savings are divided up between four funds, including the Smart Sharia Fund and the Smart Future Fund".
We never ask a user for their sex or gender unless it is absolutely essential. If we do have to ask for it, we must tell them why we need the information.
The main case for asking for a user's gender is when we have to ask a member for their legally recognised gender. This is because it is a requirement from the government on any RTI (real time information) data that's submitted to do with PAYE. More information can be found here on the government website.
Where we must ask for the member's gender for this reason, we say:
"Select your legally recognised gender. HMRC uses this for tax services."
Or, if the information was already supplied by their employer:
"Your employer told us your legally recognised gender when you joined Smart Pension. HMRC uses this for tax services."
Not glidepath, glide-path or Glide Path.
Refers to how a user's savings, when using an investment strategy managed by the pension provider, are moved into different investments the closer the user is to their nominated retirement age. This is often done to reduce risk.
The full definition is in progress. This term is used rarely in client-facing comms. This may change in early 2023.
Remember that glidepath is all one word, not glide path.
Lowercase G. For example, "In a series of indicative votes, the UK government failed to find a consensus on Brexit."
All external emails should start with "Hi [first name]" and end with "The Smart Pension Team" (or whatever team is most appropriate)
We say "Guaranteed income (also known as an annuity)" in the first instance, and "guaranteed income" in all other instances. The exception to this is if we're referring to a specific annuity product – in which case we would say "annuity".
All page titles, headings and subheadings should be written in sentence case (not Title Case).
Use a heading that is specific enough to tell the user exactly what the page or form field does. For example, "Reset your password" not “I don’t know my password”.
People reading just the header, subheader, label or page title should know what to expect.
If the page is part of a collection of pages, we should also make that clear from the title.
Where there is only one action a user can take in a section, use the format "[Verb] the [noun]" or "[Verb] your [noun]".
Where a user can take multiple actions on a page, or for section headers and landing page headers, use a noun that covers all of the actions where possible. For example, "Contributions".
For platform content, we do not use questions as subheadings. Where it is completely unavoidable we use the first person for questions.
Text content should be organised with headings, wherever possible, to make it easier to navigate. For example in long form content, information articles and content that can be organised, like a ‘Setting’ menus.
Some bits of content, like long letters, may not be suitable.
We should also use headings in the right way if we have control over them. For example, if there are sub-topics, we should use H3s under the relevant H2 and so on.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterions 2.4.2 Page Titled, level A, 2.4.6 Headings and Labels, level AA, and 2.4.10 Section Headings, level AAA.
Use when creating compound adjectives. For example, "long-term investment".
When you're using content like images, charts, graphs, or thumbnails, these need to have text alternatives.
For simpler content, like images or thumbnails, you must write a short caption that describes what it is. You must also use the alt text feature of the content management system (CMS) you’re using, This should be a descriptive sentence explaining the information conveyed in the image as the alt text. Alt text is what appears on a page if the content does not load. It is also what screen readers read.
For example, your caption could be ‘Andrew Evans and Will Wynne opening the Smart Building office’. Your alt text could be ‘Andrew Evans and Will Wynne surrounded by Smart colleagues on the ground floor celebrating the opening of the new Smart Building office’.
With content that’s more complicated, like graphs or diagrams, it’s not possible to give the same experience with just a short description. There needs to be more information.
There must be both a short description and a long description. The aim is to create the same experience with your text as you get from the content.
The long description should be on the same page, and close to the content it is detailing.
For example, a graph showing Smart’s growth could say “This graph shows Smart’s growth”.
The long description could say ‘This graph shows that since 2019 Smart has grown almost 2,000%, with growth accelerating. In 2019 growth was 200%, 2020 growth was 250% and growth in 2021 was 330%’.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content, level A.
Capitalised as a proper noun, according to the way that gov.uk uses it.
A pot in Smart Retire where the user can set aside some money to leave to loved ones or a charity when they die. Write it in sentence case.
A pre-built investment offering available to our members instead of choosing their own funds. You can say "pre-built investment strategy" if you'd like. We never say "model strategy" or "model investment strategy".
As per how they refer to themselves. Space before the last name. Not JPMorgan or JP Morgan or J.P.Morgan.
Not surname or second name.
Two words, no hyphen. Use "last name" rather than "surname". Only capitalise if at the beginning of a sentence.
A pot in Smart Retire where a user can leave some money to pay for an annuity. Sentence case.
Avoid unless put in context. For example, "Learn more about the later life pot". If you have to use learn more/find out more anchor text, make sure the link is correctly tagged for screen readers.
Use the phrase "learn more" rather than "find out more" or anything else. "Learn more" should usually be followed by "about...". For example, "Learn more about tax".
Links should be followed by a full stop if they appear at the end of a full sentence, but the full stop should be outside of the link.
If the link appears in isolation, no full stop is necessary.
Legal & General - Investment Management (LGIM) is the part of Legal & General (L&G) that handles Smart Pension's funds.
As per our guidelines on acronyms, both of these should be referred to by their full name in the first instance, with their acronym in brackets, before you refer to them by acronym.
Not life time allowance or Lifetime Allowance.
Links are used for navigating to a new page or going to an external page or document.
You should use buttons where the action causes a change to a page, for example submitting a form or opening a pop-up or panel on a page.
Use links in body text, but not in titles, summaries or subheadings. Use a full stop after a link if the link ends a sentence. For links that lead a user to a screen where they can start an action, start your link with a verb.
For links that lead to an information page, put the link in context. You can do this by using the title of the destination page. If the page title does not give context, describe where the link goes.
Tell the user if you’re linking to an external website. For example, "Pension Wise has more information on the lifetime allowance”. Generally avoid using generic links like "Click here”. Generic links don’t make sense out of context and don’t tell a user where the link will take them. Remember, one word links can be hard for users with reduced mobility to use.
Links should be followed by a full stop if they appear at the end of a full sentence, but the full stop should be outside of the link.
If the link appears in isolation, no full stop is necessary.
This is an accessibility requirement, meeting Success Criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context), level A.
Don't use. Use "sign in" instead.
Don't use. Use "sign out" instead.
(as in "please provide your login details) Don't use. Use "account details" instead.
Instead of looking to, say have you thought about or would you like to, instead.
Two separate words. In a sentence it is written as "master trust" as it is not a proper noun. Only use capitals if the two words for part of a brand name, for example, the Smart Pension Master Trust.
The Money Purchase Annual Allowance is the amount of pension contributions you get tax relief on if you have already started taking an income from a defined contribution pension.
We write it out in title case in the first instance, followed by the acronym in brackets – "Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA)". Further instances on the same page can be expressed as an acronym only.
Title case as it's a proper noun.
A nominalisation is where you turn a verb (process, technique, emotion) into an abstract noun.
For example:
Like passive verbs, too many of them make writing very dull and heavy-going. Avoid them.
