NoRedundantCopy [rule] v1.0.0

Every word in a UI must earn its place. Heading text must not be restated in the first paragraph. Button labels must not repeat what the heading already says. Intro copy that explains what a page already shows through its content is redundant and should be removed.

Label

UI Copy Must Not Repeat Information the User Can Already See

Detection

• An intro paragraph immediately below a page heading that restates the heading topic
• A modal title and modal body that express the same sentence in two formulations
• A button label that duplicates the action already described by the form heading it submits
• A tooltip on a self-descriptive icon button that only says the button's label text
• A card header and card description that describe the same feature with different words

Remediation

• Apply the 'say it once' rule: if the heading already communicates X, the body should communicate Y, not X again.
• Delete intro paragraphs on pages with clear headings — test if the page loses information. It usually does not.
• For button labels: 'Save changes' is already the entire information — a tooltip saying 'Save your changes' is noise.
• Check every modal: if the title says 'Delete project?', the body should explain consequences, not rephrase the question.

NoRedundantCopy [rule] v1.0.0

Every word in a UI must earn its place. Heading text must not be restated in the first paragraph. Button labels must not repeat what the heading already says. Intro copy that explains what a page already shows through its content is redundant and should be removed.

Label

UI Copy Must Not Repeat Information the User Can Already See

Detection

• An intro paragraph immediately below a page heading that restates the heading topic
• A modal title and modal body that express the same sentence in two formulations
• A button label that duplicates the action already described by the form heading it submits
• A tooltip on a self-descriptive icon button that only says the button's label text
• A card header and card description that describe the same feature with different words

Remediation

• Apply the 'say it once' rule: if the heading already communicates X, the body should communicate Y, not X again.
• Delete intro paragraphs on pages with clear headings — test if the page loses information. It usually does not.
• For button labels: 'Save changes' is already the entire information — a tooltip saying 'Save your changes' is noise.
• Check every modal: if the title says 'Delete project?', the body should explain consequences, not rephrase the question.

Sources

Rationale

Redundant copy doubles the reading burden without adding information. In a dashboard with a 'Projects' heading, an intro paragraph reading 'Here you can see all your projects' adds no value — the heading already communicates this. This pattern emerges from a habit of writing for print (where context must be established in text) rather than for UI (where visual structure provides context). Every redundant sentence dilutes the signal-to-noise ratio of the page and slows the user's path to action.

Label

UI Copy Must Not Repeat Information the User Can Already See

Detection

• An intro paragraph immediately below a page heading that restates the heading topic
• A modal title and modal body that express the same sentence in two formulations
• A button label that duplicates the action already described by the form heading it submits
• A tooltip on a self-descriptive icon button that only says the button's label text
• A card header and card description that describe the same feature with different words

Remediation

• Apply the 'say it once' rule: if the heading already communicates X, the body should communicate Y, not X again.
• Delete intro paragraphs on pages with clear headings — test if the page loses information. It usually does not.
• For button labels: 'Save changes' is already the entire information — a tooltip saying 'Save your changes' is noise.
• Check every modal: if the title says 'Delete project?', the body should explain consequences, not rephrase the question.