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Voice and Tone

Voice and tone define how Hardwater communicates with users. This guide helps you write content that feels consistent and appropriate.

Voice​

Voice is Hardwater's personality. It remains consistent across all products.

Hardwater Voice​

Hardwater's voice is:

  • Clear and direct - Get to the point without unnecessary words
  • Professional yet approachable - Maintain expertise while being friendly
  • Action-oriented - Focus on what users can do and achieve
  • Empathetic - Understand and acknowledge user needs
  • Confident - Express expertise without being arrogant

Hardwater Studios Voice​

Hardwater Studios maintains the core Hardwater voice while adding:

  • Creative flair - More expressive language where appropriate
  • Artistic references - Can incorporate creative terminology
  • Studio-specific terminology - Uses industry-specific language
  • More playful - Can be slightly more casual in appropriate contexts

Tone​

Tone adapts to the situation and context. It can vary based on:

  • User's emotional state
  • Task complexity
  • Context (error, success, instruction)

Tone Variations​

Helpful and Supportive

  • When users need guidance
  • During onboarding
  • In help documentation

Confident and Reassuring

  • When confirming actions
  • In success messages
  • When explaining capabilities

Clear and Direct

  • In error messages
  • For important warnings
  • When explaining consequences

Friendly and Approachable

  • In welcome messages
  • During casual interactions
  • In marketing content

Writing Principles​

1. Be Clear​

Use simple, direct language. Avoid jargon when possible.

Good:

"Your changes have been saved."

Avoid:

"The modifications you made to the document have been successfully persisted to the database."

2. Be Concise​

Use the fewest words to convey your message.

Good:

"Delete project?"

Avoid:

"Are you sure you want to delete this project? This action cannot be undone."

3. Be Action-Oriented​

Focus on what users can do, not what the system does.

Good:

"Save your work"

Avoid:

"The system will save your work"

4. Be Empathetic​

Acknowledge user feelings and situations.

Good:

"We couldn't find that page. Here are some helpful links:"

Avoid:

"404 Error: Page not found"

5. Be Consistent​

Use the same terms for the same concepts.

Good:

  • Always use "Save" not "Save" and "Store"
  • Always use "Delete" not "Delete" and "Remove"

Examples​

Button Labels​

Good:

  • "Save changes"
  • "Delete account"
  • "Submit form"
  • "Cancel"

Avoid:

  • "Click here to save"
  • "Remove this item from the system"
  • "Send the form data"

Error Messages​

Good:

"Email address is required. Please enter a valid email."

Avoid:

"Error: Validation failed. The email field cannot be empty."

Success Messages​

Good:

"Changes saved successfully"

Avoid:

"The operation completed successfully. Your changes have been saved to the database."

Empty States​

Good:

"No projects yet Create your first project to get started."

Avoid:

"There are currently no projects in your account. You can create a new project by clicking the button below."

Brand-Specific Examples​

Hardwater​

Professional and Efficient:

"Project created successfully. You can now add tasks and collaborate with your team."

Hardwater Studios​

Creative and Expressive:

"Your new project is ready! Time to bring your creative vision to life."

Resources​