Words I removed from the UI
A short audit of the vocabulary that made the product feel less like itself.
I spent a Sunday reading every word in my product's interface out loud. Most of them passed. A short list did not. I removed them, replaced them, or rewrote the screen around their absence.
What I removed#
"Awesome." "Effortlessly." "Powerful." "Beautifully." Any adverb whose job was to assert a quality the product would have to demonstrate on its own. The product is either powerful or it is not. A word does not help.
"Welcome back!" — particularly with the exclamation mark. The product should not be performing enthusiasm at me on a Tuesday morning.
"Please" — used as a verbal apology before a system message. "Please try again later" became "Try again later." Politeness is in the design, not in adding the word.
What I replaced#
Verbs that did not match the action. "Get started" became the actual action: "Add your first ___." "Continue" became the destination: "Open settings." "Submit" became the result: "Send invite."
What the screen looks like now#
Most of the labels are now under four words and most of the buttons name the verb the user is about to do. The screens are quieter. Nothing has broken. Two users mentioned it felt "faster," which it is not — just shorter.