Principles

Who this guide is for#

Content designers, UX writers, product designers, developers, researchers, product managers, and the government and fintech teams shipping digital services to Nigerian users. You don't need a writing background to use it — that is the point.

The principles#

1. Clarity is a form of respect#

Writing plainly is not "dumbing down"; it is meeting people where they are. If a sentence makes a user feel unintelligent, the sentence has failed, not the user.

2. Words carry trust#

In financial services especially, copy is the product's handshake. Vague messages about money create panic; precise, honest ones build the confidence that financial inclusion depends on.

3. Nigerian English is a standard, not a mistake#

Airtime, BVN, POS, recharge — this is the vocabulary of Nigerian digital life. The guide standardises it so teams can use it consistently and confidently, rather than reaching for foreign terms users don't recognise.

4. Design for the constrained case#

Write for the person on a low-cost Android phone, on metered 3G data, in bright sunlight, with one bar of battery. Content that works in these scenarios works everywhere.

5. Evidence over opinion#

Recommendations should trace back to user research, support tickets, usability testing, or established accessibility standards. Where the guide expresses a preference rather than evidence, it says so.

6. Open by default#

The guide improves through use. Anyone can propose a change; decisions and their reasons are public.

How to use this guide#

• Settle a debate: search for the term and link your team to the page.
• Start a project: read Plain language and the UI patterns relevant to your flows.
• Disagree with something: good — open a proposal with your evidence.

Related guidance#

• Plain language
• How to contribute