Permission note: Screenshots and copy mockups are reproduced with explicit permission for portfolio use.
Case 03 · UX Writing
A learning app that
forgot to sound human.
Office 365 Engage was a gamified learning platform with badges, points, and journeys, but the copy read like a corporate training memo. I built the voice system first, then rewrote everything against it.
The Foundation
Built the voice system first.
Three qualities the product had to hold simultaneously. Every copy decision after this had a framework to refer to.
Lively
Friendly
Smart
Engage
Voice
Lively
Energetic and encouraging, but never gimmicky. Every completion is worth acknowledging, not celebrating.
Friendly
Warm and direct, like a colleague who wants you to succeed. Not casual, not slangy.
Smart
Precise and credible. Says exactly enough. Respects the user's time and intelligence.
The Fix
Then rewrote the language against it.
The same product, with copy that actually sounded like the voice we'd defined.
Fix 01 · Onboarding & journeys
From mandatory framing to personal invitation.
Before
A
Your assigned learning journeys
Mandatory courses for your role.
"Assigned" carries the weight of obligation. Sounds like compliance training, not learning.
After
A
Your custom journeys
Curated for your role. Pick where to start.
"Custom" carries the weight of relevance. The user gets agency back in one word.
Fix 02 · Gamification copy
From passive system output to active achievement.
Before
★
Status
Your Office 365 Score: 45
Badges will be awarded upon completion of assigned learning activities.
Static number, passive verb. The score doesn't tell you if you're improving. The badges happen to you, not because of you.
After
★
Your progress
You've grown 20 points since last month
Earn badges as you keep learning. Three more lessons until your next one.
Momentum, not state. The user earns. Active voice puts them at the centre of their own progress, and tells them what's next.
Fix 03 · Empty states & system messages
From placeholder text to a voice that's still on duty.
→
After
Burning the midnight oil for you. Tune in soon.
There's a human behind this. Even the empty state shows it.
Before
No new courses available.
→
After
You're all caught up. Nice work.
Reframes "nothing here" as completion. A small win instead of a dead end.
Before
Profile data could not be loaded.
→
After
We're having trouble loading your profile. Try again?
Owns the failure, gives the user a clear next step.
Gamification doesn't work without
a voice that earns it.
Badges, points, leaderboards: none of it lands unless the words around them feel earned, human, and intentional. The voice came first; everything else followed.