Every error message, tooltip, and button label is a tiny piece of documentation embedded in your product. Bad UX copy creates support tickets. Good UX copy prevents them. These skills focus on the microcopy that shapes how users experience your software — the words that show up at the exact moment someone is confused, frustrated, or trying to make a decision.
Key takeaway
ClaudeVault's UX writing skill gives Claude Code a structured workflow for the microcopy embedded in your product — error messages that tell users what went wrong, where, and how to fix it, tooltip text that explains without patronizing, button labels that describe the action instead of saying Submit, form instructions that prevent errors before they happen, and empty state copy that guides instead of leaving users staring at a blank screen. Changing a CTA from Submit to a specific action phrase has increased click-through by 18 percent in documented cases.
When error messages say 'Something went wrong' without telling the user what failed, why, or how to fix it
When CTA buttons say Submit, Continue, or OK and nobody has tested whether specific action language converts better
When empty states show a blank screen or a sad illustration instead of guiding users toward the first action they should take
The error message writer skill covers the full spectrum of UX writing. This workflow applies it across three phases — proactive copy that prevents errors, reactive copy that helps users recover, and action copy that drives conversions — showing how one skill serves multiple UX writing needs.
Start with proactive microcopy. Claude generates form instructions, file upload requirements, input constraints, and password rules that appear before the user makes a mistake. The principle is prevention over correction — showing 'Upload PDF or JPG, max 5MB' before the upload field prevents the error message that would follow a 20MB PNG.
For errors that do occur, Claude writes messages following NN/g guidelines: tell the user what went wrong in plain language, where the problem is on the page, and what specific action fixes it. No jargon, no user blame, no 'Error 422' without context. Each error message is self-contained and actionable.
Finally, Claude rewrites generic button text into specific action labels. 'Submit' becomes 'Send invoice.' 'Continue' becomes 'Start free trial.' 'OK' becomes 'Got it, dismiss.' Each label describes what happens when the user clicks, removing ambiguity and improving click-through rates — documented cases show 18 percent improvement from this single change.
Outcome
Proactive copy that prevents errors, recovery-focused error messages that guide users instead of blaming them, and CTA labels that describe specific actions — three layers of UX writing from one skill, turning microcopy from an afterthought into a conversion and retention tool.
| Skill | Best for | Complexity | Primary use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Error Message Writer | All in-product microcopy and UX text | Intermediate | Error messages, tooltips, button labels, form instructions, and empty states |
Writes user-facing error messages with the three-part structure: what happened, why, and what to do next. Use when writing or improving error text for products. i18n-safe, tone-calibrated, actionable.
Writes error messages that reduce support tickets — each one tells the user what happened, why, and exactly what to do next, in language safe for internationalization.
Yes. The error message writer skill covers the full spectrum of in-product text — error messages, tooltips, button labels, form instructions, empty states, and confirmation dialogs. Claude follows UX writing principles: be clear, be concise, be useful. Every piece of copy is designed to help the user take the right action, not just fill a text field.
Three rules from Nielsen Norman Group: tell the user what went wrong in plain language without jargon, show where the error is on the page with high-contrast formatting, and provide a specific action that fixes the problem. Never blame the user, never show raw error codes without context, and never use color alone to indicate the error — accessibility guidelines require additional visual indicators.
Proactive microcopy prevents errors before they happen. Instead of showing an error after a user uploads a 20MB file, proactive copy shows 'Upload PDF or JPG, max 5MB' before the upload field. It includes password requirements shown before input, character limits displayed in real time, and form field instructions that set expectations upfront.
In a documented B2B case study, changing a CTA from the generic 'Submit' to the specific 'Send invoice' increased click-through by 18 percent. AI tools can now generate and test hundreds of microcopy variants in the time it takes a human writer to produce three, making systematic optimization practical even for small teams.
No. WCAG accessibility guidelines require that error indication never relies exclusively on color or animation. The error message writer skill generates messages with multiple indicators — text description, high-contrast border, icon, and positioning — so the error is perceivable regardless of color vision capability.