Basics
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Intro
The words in our products matter. They help professionals navigate complex business processes and carry out mission-critical tasks. The right words can ensure success while the wrong words can cause confusion and error.
To meet this challenge, SAP's product writing is precise, clear, and consistent. We craft content that demonstrates our respect for the professionals who rely on our suite of products. Our words enable them to run their businesses on SAP software. We call our product voice the approachable expert. This persona balances technical expertise with empathy and respect.
These guidelines lay the foundation for achieving this voice and creating clear and consistent experiences across the SAP suite of products.
Using These Guidelines
Audience
These guidelines are for anyone who handles product content at any stage of the content lifecycle.
At SAP, User Assistance Developers (UADs) lead the development of UI text and other in-product content. UADs partner closely with UX Designers, Product Managers, Engineers, and Translators to design, build, translate, and ship the final product.
Scope
These guidelines apply to product content, which includes user interface text, conversations in Joule, and onboarding and enablement content. Product content complements the product documentation on SAP Help Portal.
Make sure that you’re familiar with these related content standards:
- SAP Style Guide for Technical Communication on SAP Help Portal (link)
- SAP Brand voice and marketing copy (link)
- Joule conversational design (link)
- WalkMe content design (link)
Working with these guidelines
- Apply these principles in every product you work on. Aim to create one voice across the suite.
- Ensure accessibility, inclusivity, and translation readiness.
- Follow product-specific guidelines as needed.
- Ensure that your Empowered Product Team (EPT) follows standard processes for all aspects of content planning, creation, and maintenance.
Definitions
We use the following terms throughout these guidelines:
Suite First, AI First, People-Centric
Our product content supports SAP's strategic priorities: suite-first, AI-first, and people-centric. These three priorities guide all our content decisions.
- Suite first: The entire suite of products is consistent, using shared terminology and writing patterns. When customers navigate from one area of the suite to another, the experience remains consistent.
- AI first: Precise language on the UI enables AI systems and agents (like Joule) to retrieve information and navigate interfaces accurately. Controlled terminology is essential to successful AI systems. We use SAP-approved terms, with each term mapping to a single, well-defined concept.
- People-centric: We design product content to meet the practical and emotional needs of the professionals who use SAP software. Product content is culturally neutral, accessible, inclusive, and translation-ready.
Voice and Tone
Voice
Voice is who we are as SAP – our consistent personality across all user interactions.
SAP calls its brand personality the Approachable Expert. This personality is reflected in brand materials, within our products, in Joule conversations, and in WalkMe content. The approachable expert is clear, informative, approachable, and optimistic.
To help you apply the SAP personality to product content, we have identified five core principles: consistent, precise, professional, process-oriented, and trustworthy.
Consistent
(note: supports “suite first”)
Follow the product standard UXC-015: Terminology and Standard Formulations.
Apply established content patterns.
Precise
(note: supports “AI first”)
Precision in language means that every word maps to one exact meaning, leaving no room for misunderstanding.
Precise language benefits both humans and AI systems like Joule, helping to prevent mistakes and machine-learning errors.
Use SAP-approved, consistent terminology for all actions and objects. Maintain all essential terms in the SAP terminology database.
Make nouns as specific as possible (for example: “the S/4HANA customer database” and not just “the database”).
Avoid unclear pronouns (it, this, that). Disambiguate where possible.
Professional
(note: supports “people-centric”)
Maintain a professional tone that is appropriate for a high-stakes business context. Keep in mind that SAP products are used globally across many cultures.
Avoid trendy buzzwords, colloquialisms, idioms, or humor. Prioritize inclusive language, accessibility, and translation readiness.
Every word on the interface helps to guide the user through complex, multi-step processes across the SAP suite.
Text is clear and concise, designed for action and momentum. Content either drives a necessary action or informs a critical decision.
When possible, we use language that tells the user what is happening, why it is happening, and what happens next.
Write for clarity and action, speaking as briefly and concisely as possible.
Design UI text that reduces cognitive load, prevent confusion, and empower success.
Provide the minimum information required for confident decisions.
State exact outcomes. Provide the most critical information first.
In a high-stakes environment, the SAP product voice conveys trust and stability. We demonstrate our expertise and deep domain knowledge without sounding pedantic or flaunting industry jargon.
In situations where we anticipate that users are experiencing stress, frustration, or uncertainty, our language remains calm. We offer reassurance and actively reduce anxiety through competent guidance.
Keep in mind that professionals might be working under tight deadlines, managing multiple demands, or experiencing decision fatigue. Design content that remains clear, scannable, and actionable even when attention and energy are limited.
Avoid language that is alarming, blaming, or apologetic. When an error occurs, write in a tone that is factual and calm. Create content that provides a clear path forward. Avoid words that signal uncertainty, such as "might," "could," "perhaps," "should," or "we think."
Use confirmations to build confidence that a critical action has been completed successfully.
Tone
Although the SAP brand voice is always constant, we adapt our tone to the situation, context, and user persona. For instance, a celebratory tone is appropriate for a success message, while an error message should be direct and helpful.
Use this opportunity to briefly acknowledge an accomplishment or guide the user to the next step.
The tone should be positive and encouraging while remaining concise to respect the user’s workflow.
These messages must be short, professional, and direct.
Clearly state the issue and provide a constructive solution to help the user resolve it.
The tone should correspond to the severity of the situation.
In scenarios where more space is available, adopt a conversational and helpful tone.
The content should guide the user through the product’s features and functionality, making them feel supported and confident.
This content provides detailed, critical information that could affect system health or have business, financial, legal, or other implications.
The tone must be professional and objective.
Present all necessary information completely, accurately, and without embellishment.
Inclusive Language
We design our content to be inclusive for everyone. This is not a separate activity; it is a core part of creating clear, effective user experiences. Inclusive language builds trust and ensures that our software is intuitive and respectful for a diverse, global audience.
This means writing for people of all ages, abilities, cultures, ethnicities, genders, and beliefs. Our commitment to inclusion is a commitment to a better product.
Principles of Inclusive Language
Here are the principles for crafting inclusive content:
Focus on specific tasks and goals. Avoid language tied to specific cultures, national holidays, religious beliefs, or political viewpoints that could alienate or distract users.
Example: Use "Year-end promotion" instead of "Christmas promotion."
Address users directly with "you" and "your."
For third-person references, use neutral terms for roles ("the administrator," "the user"). If you must refer to a hypothetical person, rephrase the sentence to avoid gendered pronouns.
Example: Instead of "The admin must update his settings," write "The administrator must update the settings."
Use gender-neutral job titles such as “salesperson” or ‘sales representative’. Avoid gendered titles such as salesman or chairman.
Write in clear, direct English. Avoid idioms, slang, and jargon that are not universally understood and do not translate well.
Example: Use "Contact the representative" instead of "Reach out to the rep."
Never use language that blames, shames, or patronizes the user. Be mindful of microaggressions and avoid making assumptions about a user’s technical ability or background. The voice should always be a helpful partner, not a critical judge.
Example: Use "Enter the password" instead of the patronizing "You simply enter your password here."
Inclusion in the age of AI: preventing AI-amplified bias
The principles of inclusive writing are even more critical as AI agents like Joule begin to operate our software on behalf of users. An AI learns from our UI content, including the buttons, labels, instructions, and examples. AI interprets this language as a set of rules for how to operate. If our language contains unintentional bias, the AI system will learn this bias and apply it throughout the system.
By writing inclusively, we are creating a clear, ethical, and reliable foundation for both human and machine users. Inclusive, non-biased language is a prerequisite for successful and responsible AI automation.
Additional resources:
Inclusive Language at SAP