Comb

Voice and tone

KiBee writes like a calm colleague who knows the product: plain verbs, sentence case, no filler. Every word on a screen should help someone understand it or act on it.

Three voices

The voice stays the same; the tone shifts with who is reading.

Who reads what
ReaderWhereHow we write
AgentsDesk, HiveShort pro-tool language. They read it hundreds of times a shift.
AdminsSettings, Automation, InsightsPrecise language. Name the setting and what changes when it changes.
CustomersThe widget, the help centerWarm, plain language at about a 7th-grade reading level. They are often mid-task and a little stuck.

Writing rules

  • Sentence case everywhere, including buttons, tabs, tooltips and headings.
  • Buttons are a verb and a noun: Resolve request, Add rule. The confirmation uses the same words: Request resolved.
  • Say you and your. Never My projects.
  • Use the fixed KiBee words: request (not ticket), queue, handed off, Desk, Hive. Product names match the tab names exactly.
  • Write 6 of 10, not 6/10. Use relative time up to seven days, then a date.
  • An ellipsis means the action needs more input. It never means loading.
  • At most one exclamation mark per page.

Errors

An error says what happened and what to do, next to the thing to fix. It never says invalid and never blames the reader. After a failed save, focus moves to the first error.

DoName the problem and the fix, under the field.
Don'tSay invalid and stop there. The reader still does not know what to change.
DoSay what failed and the next step, without apologising.
Don'tHide the cause behind a cheerful line. Errors don't apologise and are never vague.

Buttons

DoSay exactly what happens when it is pressed.
Don'tUse a generic label like Submit or OK.
DoWrite labels in sentence case.
Don'tCapitalise every word. It reads louder and slower.