The voice is who Maggioli is when it speaks: it does not change. The tone is how it speaks in a
given moment: it changes with the situation, as it does for a person. The products speak to
people who work with laws, deadlines and money, so their words must be as reliable as their
data.
The voice
Authoritative. We know the rules our users work with, and we speak with the confidence
of those who know them, without the jargon of those who want to show it.Empathetic. Direct and kind. When something goes wrong we say so plainly, without
blaming anyone, and we help to put it right.Unambiguous. One meaning per sentence. In this field an ambiguous sentence becomes a
wrong deed.Specific. The exact information: “by 30 June”, “3 files”, not “soon” or “some”.
Writing decisions
The user’s words, not those of the law or of the code: “Upload the document”, not
“Proceed with the acquisition of the documentation”.Short sentences, the important part first. One idea per sentence; what the user has to
do before why.The same word for the same thing. If an action is called Save, it is Save everywhere,
not Save in one place and Confirm in the next.Actions say what happens. A button is a verb with its object, “Send the PEC”, not “OK”
or “Proceed”.No internal codes. A message never shows an error code or the name of a system, unless
the user needs it to ask for help: then it is a reference to quote, not the explanation.No promises of ease. “Just”, “simply”, “in a few clicks” say nothing to those who find
it hard, and make them feel it is their fault.In Italian, “tu”. The products address the user as “tu”: it is shorter and more direct,
and the same in every product.
The tone, situation by situation
At work
Most of the time people are doing their job, and the product should stay out of the way: few
words, the ones that are needed. A routine task gets a short confirmation, not a celebration.
Invoice saved.Great job! Your invoice has been saved successfully!
Learning something new
A new user, or a new feature: explain why before how, one step at a time, and let those who
already know skip ahead. Never assume they want to go on.
Sign many documents at once: select them, then choose Sign. You enter your PIN only once.Discover the amazing new bulk signature! Try it now!
A mistake that can be fixed
A field filled in wrong, a missing document: say what happened and how to fix it, in the
user’s words, without blame and without alarming words.
A tax code has 16 characters, this one has 15. Check the last ones.Invalid input.
A problem on our side
A service down, data late: say it, say what it means for the user’s work and what we are
doing about it, and when it will be solved if we know. Apologize once, and mean it.
We cannot send PECs right now because of a problem on our side. Your messages are saved, and
they will leave on their own as soon as the service is back.Error 500. Please try again later.
Something changes
A new feature, a change to a procedure: say what changes for the user, from when, and what
they have to do, if anything. Let them put it off when they can. The news is about them, not
about us.
From 1 March the protocol register is signed automatically every night. You no longer need to
sign it by hand.We are thrilled to introduce our brand new automatic signature!
A milestone
Rarely, the user reaches something that matters: the last deed of the year filed, a long
procedure completed. Acknowledge their work, briefly; do not take credit for it, and do not
celebrate what only matters to us.