Language and localisation

Avoid using internal or domain-specific abbreviations for any copy read by customer users. If an abbreviation appears multiple times in the same view, you only need to provide the full version once and can then use the abbreviated version.

When giving instructions to users, ensure the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb.

Use bold text to draw the reader's eye to key phrases and statements in your email and web content.

Consistent naming conventions should be used for every capability/app in the DataGuard platform. Do not alter the name of a capability in any customer-user facing copy. Always use the official name of the capability. The name of the capability should be consistent across dashboards, menu items and copy.

Capital letters should only be used for the first word of a sentence and for all proper nouns (words that name a specific person, place, organisation, or thing). Capital letters should also be used for the names of features/apps in the DataGuard platform. Use sentence case in all titles, headings, menu items, labels, and buttons.

Use colons to introduce a bulleted list or series of steps. Don't use colons at the end of headings.

DataGuard’s tone of voice is approachable and friendly, so we encourage the use contractions.

Use em dashes sparingly to indicate an abrupt or dramatic change in a sentence — like this. Use spaces on either side of an em dash. However, em dashes should be used sparingly. Ideally, you should use shorter sentences instead of relying on em dashes.

Dates should be presented in British English format (date - month - year). You can choose to use just a day, date, month and/or year depending on the copy. Avoid using ‘st’, ‘th’ or ‘rd’ on dates. Avoid using names of seasons to refer to the time of year (e.g. summer, winter), as seasons differ between hemispheres. In addition, don’t use internal terms like terms or quarters in customer-facing copy. Instead, use a precise date.

Use these abbreviations for the days of the week:

• Monday – Mon
• Tuesday – Tue
• Wednesday – Wed
• Thursday – Thu
• Friday – Fri
• Saturday – Sat
• Sunday – Sun

Use these abbreviations for the months:

• January – Jan
• February – Feb
• March – Mar
• April – Apr
• May – leave it as May
• June – Jun
• July – Jul
• August – Aug
• September – Sep
• October – Oct
• November – Nov
• December – Dec

Quote with quotes, not italics.

Avoid exclamation marks! They should only be used for exciting or new things! Limit to just one exclamation mark per page! Better yet, no exclamation marks! Be aware that product announcements from Gainsight could also contain exclamation marks! See, it’s overwhelming!

Avoid gendered pronouns unless it’s completely unavoidable. Use they or their instead of his/he or hers/she. And yes, they can be singular - we’ve been using the single they since the 14th century in English.

When two or more words function together as a descriptor or adjective (also known as a compound modifier) we typically hyphenate those words. There are exceptions to this rule; do a Google search if you are unsure. Be aware of localisation too. Some terms (e.g. email) are no longer hyphenated in English, but may be hyphenated in other languages.

Use italics for emphasis, citations, or defining a term. You can also use it for UI elements that might change, like a field name or user input.

You can also use italics in places where you would normally use bold but the UI doesn't support it. For example, in a dialog header or UI message.

Don't use italics if the item is also a hyperlink.

Use bulleted lists to draw the user's eye and make items easier to scan and follow. Use proper punctuation in your items if they are complete sentences. If the bullets complete the introductory sentence, start the bullet fragments with lowercase and skip periods.

Try to limit lists to six items or less. If you need more items, see if you can split the list into multiple lists. Avoid lists that use alternative styles to bullets (for example, dash - lists).

Use numbered lists for tasks, or lists where the order of the items matters. Unlike with bulleted lists, always capitalise the first word in each item and end the item with a period. You don't need to create a list for tasks that have two or fewer steps.

As we are a European company, we use British English spelling. However, some of our linguistic and grammatical practices may diverge from British English traditions. Please follow the guidelines on this page.

Write out numbers one through ten. After ten, you can use 11, 12, 108, and so on.

Use only one space after a period. Avoid periods in headers, titles, tooltips, field descriptions, and menu names. Use them to complete description text in the product, messages, and notifications. Don't use them in a bulleted list unless the list item is a complete sentence.

Use ’s to show possession, even if the word ends in s.

Use double quotes (") for a direct quote. For UI elements, page titles, and other objects, use bold text or italics as appropriate. Place punctuation inside the quotation marks.

Keep sentences short and sweet. Keep messages clear and crisp.