ACT-01

Pass example

Create account

Fail example

Account creation

Relevant content types

• Button or CTA
• UI label

Weighted in these moments

This standard behaves differently depending on the reader's moment. Moment-aware evaluation picks one of these adjustments when the moment matches.

• task_execution — emphasize
  Labels and instructions must start with clear action verbs.
• confirmation — relax
  Confirmations describe what happened, not what to do next.
• error_recovery — emphasize
  Every error must suggest a clear next action.
• empty_state — emphasize
  Empty states should guide the user to a first action.
• interruption — emphasize
  Dismiss and action buttons must be unambiguous.
• trust_permission Permission-gated — emphasize
  Permission actions must be unambiguous ('Allow' vs 'Deny').
• wayfinding — suppress
  Nav labels are nouns, not verbs: 'Settings', not 'Go to settings.'

Example pairs

Concrete before/after pairs observed in public style guides, each with inline attribution. See /sources for the full source list and licensing.

• destructive_action · button_ctaall-rights-reserved

  Not this. OK

  But this. Delete

  Apple HIG: prefer specific verbs over generic affirmatives, especially on destructive confirmations. — Apple HIG · Buttons

• decision_point · button_ctaCC-BY-4.0

  Not this. Continue

  But this. Choose plan

  Material: name what comes next, not the act of proceeding. — Material Design · Buttons — Writing

• task_execution · button_ctaall-rights-reserved

  Not this. Submit

  But this. Save changes

  Polaris: start with a verb that describes the specific action — 'Submit' is too generic. — Shopify Polaris · Buttons — Copy

• empty_state · button_ctaall-rights-reserved

  Not this. Get started

  But this. Import products

  Polaris: empty-state CTAs should be specific — what CAN the user do right now? — Shopify Polaris · Empty states — Next action

• task_execution · button_ctaCC-BY-4.0

  Not this. Yes

  But this. Download

  Microsoft: 'Yes' buttons rely on the reader remembering the question; action verbs survive standalone reading. — Microsoft Writing Style Guide · UI text — Button labels

Sources

Style guides that shaped this standard. Each is listed on /sources with its license and opt-out path.

• Apple HIG
• Material Design
• Shopify Polaris
• Microsoft Writing Style Guide

Influences — how the sources relate

ContentRX's standards are syntheses, not weighted averages of external guides. Where the influence is worth naming explicitly — because the sources disagree, or because the standard deliberately takes a third position — it's recorded here. Aligns with, diverges from, and synthesizes are the three relationships the model uses.

• Aligns withShopify Polaris

  Polaris's 'start with a verb that describes the specific action' is the same call at the same specificity. Polaris is the closest phrasing match in the sources set.

• Aligns withApple HIG

  HIG's preference for specific verbs over generic affirmatives on alerts (e.g. 'Delete' over 'OK' for destructive confirmations) is the same judgment applied to destructive buttons; ACT-01 generalizes it to all buttons, not just alerts.

• Diverges fromMaterial Design

  Material's button guidance accepts OK/Cancel as a standard pair for confirmations. ACT-01 rejects that pair — OK carries no information about what comes next. When a confirmation needs a button, name the action. This is a deliberate divergence, not a disagreement with Material's broader system.

Version history

1. v4.7.0 · 2026-04-24

   Session 35 — added `influences` metadata naming how ACT-01 relates to Apple HIG, Shopify Polaris, and Material Design. Rule text unchanged.

2. v4.6.1 · 2026-04-23

   Per-standard version tracking introduced. Every standard starts at the library version current at introduction; bump per-standard when the rule text, examples, or content_type_notes change.

Related standards

Other standards in the Action-oriented writing category.

• ACT-02 — Use specific verbs over vague ones. Prefer 'save,' 'send,' 'export' over 'submit' or 'process.'
• ACT-03 — When communicating a limitation, lead with what the user can do or offer an alternative path. Don't leave users at a dead end. Stating a restriction is acceptable when it's paired with a next step or workaround.
• ACT-04 — Make the next step obvious. Every screen should have a clear primary action.