Microcopy Audit: AI Skill for UX Design
Microcopy Audit is an AI skill that reviews interface copy against UX-writing standards. It inventories every string, including hidden error and empty states, and pairs each finding with a severity rating and a rewrite.
npx skills add Uxcel-Lab/product-skills --skill ux-microcopy-audit
What this skill does
Turns impressionistic copy review into a full content inventory with a rewrite for every weak string.
- Inventories all copy in a flow, including hidden errors, empty states, and tooltips.
- Judges each string against named criteria: clarity, concision, action, consistency, tone, inclusivity.
- Pairs every finding with a rewrite, not just a flag.
- Runs a consistency pass across the whole flow, which single-screen review misses.
- Rates each finding Critical, Major, or Minor by user cost.
- Flags manipulative copy and routes it to the dark-patterns audit.
- Ends with consistency notes and the top three rewrites.
- Runs standalone or as a validation step on any generated screen.
When to use it
Use it when you need an AI assistant to:
- audit the copy on a screen, flow, or whole product;
- review error messages for clarity, blame, and dead ends;
- check button labels for action and specificity;
- catch inconsistent terms across a flow;
- fix empty states that teach nothing;
- match tone to the moment, from welcome to payment failure.
What this audit checks
| Criterion | What it catches |
|---|---|
| Clarity & plain language | Jargon, high-register words, copy that needs re-reading |
| Concision | Filler words, multi-sentence labels, 20 words doing the work of six |
| Action & specificity | Generic "OK", "Submit", and "Start" labels, CTAs that hide what happens next |
| Consistency | Different names for one concept, platform-mismatched terms like "click" on mobile |
| Tone fit | Jokes on payment errors, robotic welcomes, hedging on security actions |
| Error, empty & success states | Errors with no path forward, blank empty states, unacknowledged success |
| Inclusivity | Gendered pronouns, "click here" links, placeholders standing in for labels |
| Honesty | Confirmshaming, manufactured urgency, confusing double negatives |
How the skill works
1
Inventory the copy
The skill lists every string in the flow, including hidden errors, empty states, tooltips, and confirmations.
2
Judge against criteria
It checks clarity, concision, action, consistency, tone fit, and inclusivity, then rates each finding by severity.
3
Rewrite and rank
It pairs each finding with a rewrite, adds flow-wide consistency notes, and names the top three fixes.
Try it with
Related skills
1.0.0
MIT
UX Design
Audits
