# Microcopy Clarity Test

Test whether labels, buttons, hints, errors, confirmations, and warnings communicate meaning, consequence, status, and the appropriate next action.

## Usage note

Test microcopy inside the real or realistic interface state where people encounter it. A phrase that looks clear in a spreadsheet may be ambiguous beside other controls or after an error. Use representative participants and non-production data. Do not expose personal information, manipulate participants into consequential actions, or treat a small usability session as a statistical performance claim.

## How to use this template

1. Inventory the target string, interface state, user goal, consequence, and expected interpretation.
2. Create realistic tasks and states without revealing the answer in the prompt.
3. Observe predictions, actions, hesitation, errors, recovery, and participant explanations.
4. Diagnose copy versus interaction problems and draft focused variants.
5. Retest high-risk changes and record the approved string, rationale, owner, and locale implications.

## Blank template

### String and scenario

- **String ID:** [Design-system or product identifier]
- **Current copy:** [Exact text]
- **Component and state:** [Button, hint, error, warning, confirmation]
- **User goal:** [What the person is trying to do]
- **Required meaning:** [What they must understand]
- **Consequence:** [What happens after action or inaction]
- **Surrounding context:** [Labels, values, status, or help]
- **Risk if misunderstood:** [Low, medium, or high with reason]

### Test plan and observation

- **Participant profile:** [Relevant experience and access needs]
- **Task prompt:** [Neutral, realistic scenario]
- **Prediction question:** [What do you expect this will do?]
- **Success behavior:** [Observable action and explanation]
- **Observed hesitation:** [Where and how long]
- **Wrong interpretation:** [Participant's words]
- **Recovery behavior:** [Could they proceed safely?]
- **Accessibility observation:** [Order, announcement, focus, or input]

### Decision checks

- [ ] The task prompt does not reveal the intended label meaning.
- [ ] Testing occurs in realistic visual and system context.
- [ ] Consequential and error states are included.
- [ ] Copy problems are separated from interaction problems.
- [ ] The revised verb and object describe the action.
- [ ] Destructive effects are explicit before commitment.
- [ ] Terminology remains consistent across the journey.
- [ ] Retest, translation, and ownership decisions are recorded.