Showing posts with label schema. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schema. Show all posts

No posts for a wee while

Mike's Notes

I was on holiday for the last few weeks and am back now. There will be no blog posts, newsletters or meetings until Pipi Core is back up and running.

Update 27/05/2026

Lots of surprises. Making rapid progress. The peace and quiet are bliss.

Update 31/05/2026

The problem and solution are how things are named. Pipi auto-generates thousands of code names using multiple pattern languages, and all the naming conventions require many minor fixes for several unexpected reasons after migrating from a developer laptop to a production server environment. Everything else is absolutely fine.

Other naming problems are also being solved now, including:

  • The rapid development of Boxlang by Ortus has brought forward another challenge. Pipi 10 will be migrated to run on top of Boxlang in 2027 to support multiple languages, including C++, CFML, COBOL, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Rust, etc.
  • Future integration with cloud-based LLMs.
  • Future integrations with Office365, Google Workspace, Zoho, LibreOffice, etc.

The common solution is to create standardised naming systems that are simple, stable, robust, schema-based, versioned, self-documenting, and extensible to meet unanticipated future needs.

This is done by replacing code-based naming rules with database-driven ones that can be easily edited in the future via an admin UI.

90% of these names are internal, hidden in the closed core, and how they work and what they are will not be discussed here. The rest will be publicly and fully documented as part of the open-source workspaces for developers to work with.

Update 02/06/2026

I'm changing the disclosure boundary between the Pipi closed-core and open-source workspaces. Previously, "disclose everything unless there is a security reason not to". This is now changed to "disclose on the basis of need to know".

Closed-core accounts for 90% and open-source workspaces for 10% of lines of code, databases, etc.

This will reduce the documentation burden, given Pipi's vast scale. So, the open-source workspaces will be fully shared and documented on GitHub, etc, without restriction. This includes;

  • Standards schema
  • Ontologies
  • Parameters
  • Laws of physics
  • HTML + CSS
  • Algorithms
  • Module DDD models
  • Workflow diagrams
  • Documentation
  • API schema
  • UI code
  • etc

This also means some existing technical documentation about the closed-core will become hidden and only available internally.

Update 07/06/2026

Pipi Core is the IDE used to edit Pipi Core (AKA: which came first, the chicken or the egg?). Temporary UIs have been created and are being used across multiple engines to edit the names in use. This is much faster than directly editing data, which had to be done initially. The next step will be turning auto-generation back on. Once that's done, temporary UIs will be used to build permanent UIs. More automation will then be enabled via the UIs, and so on, as Pipi Core builds itself with a human in the loop.

Update 08/06/2026

The list of code cases available to use now for auto-generated naming, I/O translation, etc with examples, includes;

  • camelCase: userProfilePicture
  • kebab-case: user-profile-picture
  • PascalCase: UserProfilePicture
  • snake_case: user_profile_picture
  • SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE: USER_PROFILE_PICTURE
  • Train-Case: User-Profile-Picture
  • flatcase: userprofilepicture
  • UPPER-CASE-KEBAB-CASE: USER-PROFILE-PICTURE
  • Sentence case: User profile picture
  • Title Case: User Profile Picture
  • middot·case: user·profile·picture
  • dot.case: user.profile.picture
  • UPPER CASE: USER PROFILE PICTURE
  • lowercase: user profile picture

Update 12/06/20026

Checking that these changes to variable names and internal messaging do not clash with the Gödel Machine.

Update 17/06/2026

The DevOps Engine (dvp) has unexpectedly proven to be critical to solving this puzzle. Mostly fixed last night. Watching the rather excellent live Google talk, Beyond the GPU: Maximising goodput with self-healing AI infrastructure, this morning has given me valuable insights into how to fix the remaining issues by reviewing Google HPC YAML files. 😎😎 Sometimes insights come from the strangest places.

Update 01/07/2026

The main work now is rapidly configuring Pipi for production and full autonomous automation. Using Google Search AI Mode (Gemini) and then Grammarly Pro makes the work easier and 100x faster.

  • I have decided to have Pipi re-render the many Ajabbi draft public websites with the new and missing developer information. (20K pages)
  • The website's .robot.txt file will then be unlocked to enable search engines.
  • The HTML will be updated to make it easier for AI to read.
  • This blog will be imported into Pipi, cleaned up, re-exported from Pipi, and published to Blogger via the API.
  • The new posts created in Pipi will return to A Sandy Beach to discuss something already built rather than being built.

Update 02/07/2026

The DevOps and IaC engines are getting rapid data model overhauls. The IaC engine is a great test for the variable names. I'm building a capability into Pipi to autonomously and automatically run OpenTofu and Ansible, initially targeting the Pipi Data Centre, then GCP and AWS for deployments. It's going very well and making rapid progress.

Update 05/07/2026

Pipi will initially run the open-source enterprise applications on Google Cloud Run and Google Cloud Storage (GCS). The code is complete and will be very low-cost to run, giving Ajabbi, a bootstrapping-purpose startup, a very long runway.

Update 18/07/2026

The job has now shifted to configuring, networking and deploying many physical servers. Installing software, including Pipi, labelling cables and rack gear, throwing out junk, tidying, etc., leaving nothing to chance. Shipping delays are holding up part deliveries.

Update 28/07/2026

Most of the equipment has arrived, and the small data centre setup is coming together. More deliveries later this week. It's already running a lot better and is much more productive.

Update 31/07/2026

Work on Pipi has reached a tipping point or system phase change as Pipi takes over tasks using autonomous automation. Pipi now has deadlines, not me. Soon it will set the deadlines. It's now a downhill run; daily posts from me resume tomorrow, and much more will come.

In hindsight. This whole project has been systematic trial and error, spending 10 years learning how to crack a hard problem.

Resources

References

  • Reference

Repository

  • Home > Ajabbi Research > Library >
  • Home > Handbook > 

Last Updated

31/07/2026

No posts for a wee while

By: Mike Peters
On a Sandy Beach: 15/05/2026

Mike is the inventor and architect of Pipi and the founder of Ajabbi.

I was on a no-coding holiday for the last few weeks to clear my mind, and it has been great. I am back on the job today.

Suspended

Until the closed-source Pipi Core is back up and running 100% on autopilot, 10x faster, the following are suspended.

  • New posts "On a Sandy Beach
  • All newsletters, including the weekly Friday Report and the monthly Ajabbi Research Newsletter.
  • The fortnightly online Open R&D meeting.

Rapid refocus

  • A new developer area with five coding screens, designed to be more productive for hypervisual learners.
  • A better library has been set up for my A4 drawings in ring binders, the many reference books I use, and more bookshelves are on the way.
  • The server rack has been moved to a better location.
  • The light levels have been adjusted.
  • A big office tidy is almost done. An office-work-only desk has yet to be set up with a cat bed included.
  • A separate area with no screens for the happy cat, coffee, music, reading and drawing.

Less is more

Minimise screen time to be more productive at work. The new setup is also much less tiring.

Get the job done

The good thing is that, with a holiday and lots of drawing, I now have mental clarity about what needs fixing and how to fix it. Mainly, quite delicate changes here and there, organised into a list of steps. Now, I need to concentrate on one thing only: go as fast as possible, without meetings, post-deadlines, phone calls, or other distractions.

How

1. Use an AI workforce

Be the architect, and AI fills in the dots to make it happen.

Use Google Search AI mode (Gemini) to generate 99% of the code in one-page chunks (including references) to copy and paste, then manually change the variable names and SQL. Careful, test everything, resulting in 100x faster progress. Know how everything works and rapidly raise personal skill level.

2. Then build a cathedral

Make a wooden scale model of a cathedral for the builders. Google Search AI mode (Gemini) makes each brick, and Pipi Core assembles the bricks into floors, arches, walls, and vaults...

Speed is king

With the 100x coding productivity gains from Google Search AI mode (Gemini), plus the 10x10x10x speedup of Pipi Core currently underway over the next few months, what previously took a year will be done in hours and better.

Phase transitions

Once these initial migration issues from laptop to server are resolved, further transitions can be anticipated as the number of engines rapidly increases beyond 20. Increasing the number of engines slowly changes the whole system's behaviour from deterministic to probabilistic and adaptive.

Here is a partial list of transitions expected as the number of engines increases from 0 to 200. The actual numbers are a bit of a guess.

  • 20 engines enable Pipi 9 Core in a simple, deterministic structure.
  • 40 engines enable a workspace with a UI for administering Pipi Core.
  • 60 engines enable self-generation of user documentation.
  • 80 engines enable REPL and IAC (infrastructure-as-code).
  • 100 engines enable Workspaces for different user accounts.
  • Different Pipi 9 editions are made with the same engines, which recombine differently in response to the external environment.
  • And so on until...
  • 200 engines self-organise into a multi-layered complex fluid structure with probabilistic behaviour and emergent properties, as engines also act as agents.
  • 200+ engines enable Pipi 10 to interact with externally cloud-hosted LLMs, combining the very different strengths of both.

Industry workspace

Mike's Notes

Working notes, subject to change, on building the first workspaces.

This was initially a proof-of-concept thought experiment with the platform to enable the creation of any future workspace configuration. This is now being rapidly built using modular patterns.

This needs to work for users and their learning, developers and their technical documentation, and be consistent with any schema or industry standards.

These configurations are now being imported into Pipi 9, replacing the settings first created in Pipi 6 and 7.

Contact me if you would like to help with early testing.

After two weeks, the testing results have been a great success, and it was discovered that the UI created is actually a thin wrapper. One of many emergent properties exhibited by Pipi 9, found by volunteer testers.

Resources

References

  • Reference

Repository

  • Home > Ajabbi Research > Library >
  • Home > Handbook > 

Last Updated

13/12/2025

Industry workspace

By: Mike Peters
On a Sandy Beach: 13/10/2025

Mike is the inventor and architect of Pipi and the founder of Ajabbi.

Each Ajabbi account type has different SaaS applications.

Issues

  • Use nouns.
  • Singular, not plural.
  • Use standard English industry terms and then translate (i18n).
  • Organised by Account TypeApplications + Settings.

Account Type

There are 7 role-based account types, each with different workspace properties.

  • Agent. For Pipi to self-manage.
  • Developer. For configuring Plugins and building Enterprise or SME workspaces using Pipi objects that can be aliased, recombined, deeply nested, and shared.
  • Enterprise. For a feature-rich SaaS workspace. Requires an attached Developer account for admin config.
  • Personal. For everyone with a username, a password, preferences and personal information.
  • Research. For training Pipi with constraints.
  • SME. For simple sharded apps with minimal customisation and integration options.
  • Temp. For temporary anonymised interactions.

Navigation Outline

This is a very rough default outline being used to build the applications, navigation, etc. This changes most days as lessons are learned from user testing.

  • Agent Account
    • Applications
      • Agent
        • ajx
        • alg
        • api
        • apl
        • aui
        • bor
        • brs
        • cbs
        • cde
        • cfg
        • cgi
        • cmd
        • cms
        • cnd
        • cnf
        • cny
        • cor
        • cpt
        • cpx
        • css
        • cte
        • ctx
        • cui
        • dao
        • dmn
        • dob
        • doc
        • dom
        • dpl
        • dsg
        • dta
        • dvp
        • eml
        • eng
        • fac
        • ffg
        • fil
        • fld
        • fnt
        • ftp
        • fui
        • int
        • iot
        • ips
        • kwd
        • lng
        • lnk
        • lob
        • loc
        • log
        • lop
        • lui
        • mim
        • mle
        • mod
        • mpg
        • msg
        • mta
        • mtr
        • nde
        • nsp
        • nte
        • obj
        • ont
        • oop
        • par
        • pge
        • phl
        • pkg
        • pln
        • plt
        • plu
        • plw
        • prm
        • pub
        • pui
        • rbn
        • rgn
        • rle
        • rls
        • rnd
        • scl
        • scr
        • sgp
        • spt
        • ssn
        • sta
        • sys
        • tem
        • tra
        • trn
        • tsk
        • udt
        • usa
        • usi
        • usp
        • usr
        • var
        • vct
        • ver
        • vfy
        • wai
        • wbs
        • wfl
        • wki
        • wsp
      • As a Platform (v1)
        • Cloud Platform
          • Alibaba Cloud
          • AWS
          • Azure
          • Couchbase
          • Cloudflare
          • Container Hosting Service
          • DigitalOcean
          • Google Cloud
          • Hetzner Cloud
          • IBM Cloud
          • JFrog
          • Linode
          • Netlify
          • OpenShift
          • Oracle Cloud
          • OVHcloud
          • Render
          • Salesforce
          • Tencent Cloud
          • Vercel
          • Wasabi
          • Zeabur
      • Data Centre (v2)
        • Cooling
        • Fire
        • Power
          • Live Power
          • UPS
        • Security
      • Mission Control
        • Status
    • Customer (v2)
      • Bookmarks
        • (To come)
      • Support
        • Contact
        • Forum
        • Live Chat
        • Office Hours
        • Requests
        • Tickets
      • (To come)
        • Feature Vote
        • Feedback
        • Surveys
      • Learning
        • Explanation
        • How to Guide
        • Reference
        • Tutorial
    • Settings (v3)
      • Account
      • Billing
      • Deployments
        • Workspaces
          • Modules
          • Plugins
          • Templates
            • Mission Control
            • Researcher
            • Librarian
            • Training
          • Users
  • Developer Account
    • Applications
      • Config  (v.3)
        • API 

        • Component Class 

        • Design System

        • Engine
          • ajx
          • alg
          • api
          • apl
          • aui
          • bor
          • brs
          • cbs
          • cde
          • cfg
          • cgi
          • cmd
          • cms
          • cnd
          • cnf
          • cny
          • cor
          • cpt
          • cpx
          • css
          • cte
          • ctx
          • cui
          • dao
          • dmn
          • dob
          • doc
          • dom
          • dpl
          • dsg
          • dta
          • dvp
          • eml
          • eng
          • fac
          • ffg
          • fil
          • fld
          • fnt
          • ftp
          • fui
          • int
          • iot
          • ips
          • kwd
          • lng
          • lnk
          • lob
          • loc
          • log
          • lop
          • lui
          • mim
          • mle
          • mod
          • mpg
          • msg
          • mta
          • mtr
          • nde
          • nsp
          • nte
          • obj
          • ont
          • oop
          • par
          • pge
          • phl
          • pkg
          • pln
          • plt
          • plu
          • plw
          • prm
          • pub
          • pui
          • rbn
          • rgn
          • rle
          • rls
          • rnd
          • scl
          • scr
          • sgp
          • spt
          • ssn
          • sta
          • sys
          • tem
          • tra
          • trn
          • tsk
          • udt
          • usa
          • usi
          • usp
          • usr
          • var
          • vct
          • ver
          • vfy
          • wai
          • wbs
          • wfl
          • wki
          • wsp
        • Entity Class 

        • Module 

        • Plugin
          • AddThis
          • Amazon Book
          • Apple Map
          • Apple Music
          • ArcGIS Map
          • Atlassian Analytics
          • Azure Map
          • CloudConvert
          • CodePen
          • CodeSandbox
          • Confluence
          • Elfsight Weather
          • Flightradar24
          • FormBlock
          • GitHub-Embed
          • GitLab Snippet
          • Google Analytics
          • Google Calendar
          • Google Docs
          • Google Form
          • Google Map
          • Google Meet
          • Google Sheets
          • Google Slides
          • Instagram
          • IUCN Threat Status
          • Jira Advanced Roadmap
          • JSBin
          • Jupyter Notebook
          • MailChimp
          • Metservice Weather
          • Microsft Forms
          • NASA Spot the Station
          • NASA Worldview
          • NetSuite Case Form
          • NIWA CO2 Widget
          • NIWA Tide Widget
          • NIWA UV Widget
          • NIWA Weather Widget
          • Odoo Form
          • PDF
          • PostHog Analytics
          • Survey Monkey
          • Trello Board
          • Trello Card
          • TypeForm
          • Vimeo Video
          • Weather Widget
          • Wolfram Notebook
          • Yandex Map
          • Yandex Video
          • YouTube Video
          • Zapier
          • Zoho Calendar
          • Zoho Form
          • Zoom Meeting
      • Tools
        • Build
        • Code
        • Deploy
        • Document
        • Feedback
        • Monitor
        • Operate
        • Plan
        • Release
        • Test
    • Customers (v2)
      • Bookmarks
        • (To come)
      • Support
        • Contact
        • Forum
        • Live Chat
        • Office Hours
        • Requests
        • Tickets
      • (To come)
        • Feature Vote
        • Feedback
        • Surveys
      • Learning
        • Explanation
        • How to Guide
        • Reference
        • Tutorial
    • Settings (v3)
      • Account
      • Billing
      • Deployments
        • Workspaces
          • Modules
          • Plugins
          • Templates
            • Solo
            • Team
            • DevOps
          • Users
  • Enterprise Account
    • Applications
    • Customer (v2)
      • Bookmarks
        • (To come)
      • Support
        • Contact
        • Forum
        • Live Chat
        • Office Hours
        • Requests
        • Tickets
      • (To come)
        • Feature Vote
        • Feedback
        • Surveys
      • Learning
        • Explanation
        • How to Guide
        • Reference
        • Tutorial
    • Settings (v.3)
      • Account
      • Billing
      • Deployments
        • Workspaces
          • Modules
          • Plugins
          • Templates
            • Farm
            • --------
            • Art Class
            • Art Studio
            • Concert Hall
            • FX Studio
            • Set Workshop
            • Theatre
            • --------
            • (To come)
            • --------
            • Earthquake
            • Flooding
            • Volcano
            • --------
            • Club
            • Farmers
            • Union
            • --------
            • Civil
            • Housing
            • --------
            • City
            • Home
            • Hydroelectric
            • Nuclear Power Station
            • Wind Turbine
            • ---------
            • Church
            • Mosque
            • Synagogue
            • Temple
            • ---------
            • Plantation
            • Farm Forestry
            • ---------
            • Gallery
            • Library
            • Archive
            • Museum
            • --------
            • Allied
            • Animal Vet
            • Emergency
            • Family Doctor Clinic
            • Hospital
            • Public Health System
            • Patient
            • --------
            • Crop Farm
            • Plant Nursery
            • Viticulture
            • --------
            • Online
            • School
            • ---------
            • Park
            • Zoo
            • ---------
            • (To come)
            • ---------
            • Urban
            • Model Railway
            • ---------
            • Institute
            • Lab
            • Student
            • ---------
            • City
            • ---------
            • Crew
            • Studio
              • Preproduction
              • Production
              • Post Production
              • Distribution
            • Web Cast
            • ----------
            • City
            • Home
            • ----------
            • Depot
            • ----------
            • City
            • Home
            • ----------
            • To come
            • Captive Breeding
            • Wildlife Park
            • Urban Zoo
            • Marine Aquarium
          • Users
  • Personal Account
    • Applications
        • My
          • Calendar
          • Health
          • Profile
          • Task
    • Customer (v2)
      • Bookmarks
        • (To come)
      • Support
        • Contact
        • Forum
        • Live Chat
        • Office Hours
        • Requests
        • Tickets
      • (To come)
        • Feature Vote
        • Feedback
        • Surveys
      • Learning
        • Explanation
        • How to Guide
        • Reference
        • Tutorial
    • Settings (v3)
      • Account
      • Deployment (1)
        • Workspaces
          • Modules
  • Research Account
    • Applications (v.2)
      • Constraint
        • Algorithm 

        • Ontology
          • HMMS
          • SNOMED
        • Package

        • Primative
          • Space Time
        • Schema

        • Standard

    • Customer (v2)
      • Bookmarks
        • (To come)
      • Support
        • Contact
        • Forum
        • Live Chat
        • Office Hours
        • Requests
        • Tickets
      • (To come)
        • Feature Vote
        • Feedback
        • Surveys
      • Learning
        • Explanation
        • How to Guide
        • Reference
        • Tutorial
    • Settings (v3)
      • Account
      • Billing
      • Deployments
        • Workspaces
          • Modules
          • Plugins
          • Templates
            • Mission Control
            • Researcher
            • Librarian
            • Training
          • Users
  • SME Account
    • Applications
      • (To come)
    • Customer (v2)
      • Bookmarks
        • (To come)
      • Support
        • Contact
        • Forum
        • Live Chat
        • Office Hours
        • Requests
        • Tickets
      • (To come)
        • Feature Vote
        • Feedback
        • Surveys
      • Learning
        • Explanation
        • How to Guide
        • Reference
        • Tutorial
    • Settings (v3)
      • Account
      • Billing
      • Deployment (1)
        • Workspaces
          • Modules
          • Users
  • Temp Account
    • Applications
      • Today
    • Customer (v2)
      • (To come)
        • Feedback
        • Surveys
      • Learning
        • Explanation
        • How to Guide
        • Reference
        • Tutorial
    • Settings (v3)
      • Account (0)
      • Deployment (0)
        • Workspaces
          • Modules

UX Copy Sizes: Long, Short, and Micro

Mike's Notes

This definition of copy sizes from NNGroup is great. I am adding it to the Pipi Content Management System Engine (cms) internal schema.

Resources

References

  • Reference

Repository

  • Home > Ajabbi Research > Library > Subscriptions > NNGroup
  • Home > pipiWiki > Engines > CMS Engine
  • Home > Repository > Schema > NNGroup > UX Copy Sizes

Last Updated

30/05/2025

UX Copy Sizes: Long, Short, and Micro

By: Taylor Dykes
NNGroup: 16/05/2025

Summary:

Better target user needs by understanding the three sizes of copy: long-form, short-form, and microcopy.

Content terms like long-form, short-form, and microcopy are often used interchangeably, but are ill-defined and don’t mean the same thing. Knowing the differences between these types of copy and when and how to design them effectively will create written information that better supports user needs.

Content vs. Copy: What’s the Difference?

Before discussing different copy lengths, let’s define the difference between content and copy.

  • Content is everything that goes into a digital interface, regardless of media format.
  • Copy is a subcategory of content encompassing all the user-interface text written by the organization (not by the user).

Diagram of digital content types—Copy, Audio, Video, User-generated, and Images—inside a large circle. Film, Print Media, and Television appear outside.


Content is an all-encompassing term that includes copy and all the other elements of digital interfaces, such as videos, audio, and images.

While it might be easy to distinguish between copy and content along media formats, it can be harder to distinguish between user-generated content and copy. Essentially, any content not designed by the publishing platform for that platform is user-generated content.

In this definition, reviews, comments, and social posts all count as user-generated content. For example, an Amazon review is not copy because it is not created by the platform; instead, someone from outside — the user — created this content.

Now that we’ve established the differences between copy and content, let’s review how copy length impacts the user experience.

Long-Form Copy

Long-form copy is 3 or more paragraphs that form a coherent and continuous unit.

Writers should use long-form copy when additional detail, complexity, or context needs to be communicated to the user. When used correctly, the expanded word count allows writers to elaborate and include every detail users might need to know to accomplish their tasks.

When people think of long-form copy, they often think of using it for blog posts, news, or educational articles. However, long-form copy can also be used for:

  • Policy descriptions
  • Product or technical documentation
  • Help and support pages
  • Reports or case studies
  • Product pages
  • About us pages
  • Proposals and grants

Long-form content is becoming increasingly rare online, due to an ever-decreasing user attention span. But it will never go extinct, as it is the only copy type capable of delivering complex, detail-rich information on topics like multistep processes or troubleshooting advanced technical problems. In addition, users sometimes read for a more comprehensive understanding when the topic is significant to them (also called the commitment pattern). Giving bite-sized information in such a situation might create distrust.

Another reason why long-form copy will likely always have a place online is its ability to aid search-engine optimization (SEO). Long-form copy can naturally hold many keywords, increase user engagement time, and assist internal linking, which help improve a site’s SEO.

A multi paragraph page describing a hospital system's history of treating orthopedic conditions, what sets them apart, and their continued research.


This landing page for a hospital system’s orthopedic offerings uses long-form copy to insert keywords (such as Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia) to increase its  ranking on the search-engine results page.

Long-form copy doesn’t easily grab user attention. Unlike the other copy lengths, long-form copy requires time, attention, and mental energy to read thoroughly. This factor has caused long-form copy to become increasingly uncommon outside of articles.

To help users quickly get the gist from long-form copy, good content designers and writers include short-form copy and microcopy to format, structure, and break up text. For example, the long-form copy might include microcopy like headings and subheadings, or short-form copy in an accordion’s answer to a frequently asked question. While long-form copy often comprises short-form and microcopy, it still reads as a cohesive unit to users.

Short-Form Copy

Short-form copy is 2–3 paragraphs focused on communicating one main idea.

Short-form copy is used when a single idea or main point needs to be conveyed quickly, often in a way that grabs the user's attention. Writers use short-form copy to help users find information or quickly understand important ideas and messages that, if buried in long-form copy, might be missed.

Some examples of short-form copy include:

  1. Onboarding tutorials
  2. Longer summaries
  3. Product descriptions
  4. Detailed mission statements

Short-form copy has become the default way for communicating information to audiences. Since reading long-form copy requires too much user effort and attention, writers must consider how they might fit detailed information into a short-form format. Strategically breaking up text or organizing it innovatively can communicate a lot of information in scanning-friendly short-form copy.

Page showing the different types of blood donation. Under the headings for two types is a single paragraph and short blurbs of information.


The American Red Cross used short-form copy within cards to structure information that had likely been presented as a long-form article in the past.

Short-form copy is the middle ground between long-form and microcopy; it’s short enough to scan but long enough to convey a whole idea. It won’t overwhelm users but may provide enough information to help them find something or make an informed decision, so they won’t need to read long-form copy on the same topic.

However, UX writers should avoid prematurely defaulting to this happy medium. Even if users are more likely to scan or even read the short-form copy in its entirety, short-form copy won’t help them comprehend the information if the topic’s complexity is better suited for long-form.

Short-form copy is also not a replacement for microcopy, even if it can create a more complete picture of a topic. Users want specific takeaways instantly, and that’s better suited for one-to-two sentence microcopy.

Microcopy

Microcopy is the smallest copy size: fewer than 3 sentences.

Microcopy is used when a writer needs to quickly inform, influence, or encourage interaction for the user’s next step. Because of its size, microcopy is the copy that is most easily processed by users (through scanning or screen-reader voice-over). Good microcopy will prevent errors, encourage clicks, and educate users.

Examples of microcopy include:

  1. Link and button labels
  2. Form-field instructions
  3. Input-control labels
  4. Page titles and meta descriptions
  5. Error messages
  6. Tooltips

Microcopy often makes up most of the written information in the experience. Designers favor microcopy because it allows them to guide users efficiently without disrupting the flow of an interaction. Users appreciate microcopy because it’s easy to skim and scan as they navigate, helping them quickly understand what to do without being overwhelmed by large amounts of text.

The homepage of IBM. There are taglines, buttons, link labels and summaries on this page.


IBM.com:  Each text snippet in this screenshot is an example of microcopy.

While much of the copy in an interface is microcopy, microcopy alone cannot create a complete experience. Microcopy needs other UI elements, images, videos, input controls, and a mix of short- and long-form to create an effective experience. Microcopy isn’t meant to be the primary focus of a website; it’s there to guide, support, and influence users toward the main content or action.

Copy Sizes: In Brief

Long-Form Copy

Definition

  • 3+ paragraphs that form a coherent and continuous unit

When to Use

  • For detailed or complex information
  • When users want more thorough knowledge
  • To aid SEO

Examples

  • Policy descriptions
  • Product or technical documentation
  • Help and support pages
  • Reports or case studies
  • Product pages
  • About us pages
  • Proposals and grants 

Short-Form Copy

Definition

  • 2–3 paragraphs that communicate one main idea 

When to Use

  • For succinctly communicating important and relatively detailed information
  • For breaking down long copy into scannable units

Examples

  • Onboarding tutorials
  • Longer summaries
  • Product descriptions
  • Detailed mission statements

Microcopy

Definition

  • Fewer than 3 sentences

When to Use

  • To guide users in an interface
  • To quickly communicate a critical point

Examples

  • Link and button labels
  • Form field instructions
  • Input control labels
  • Page titles and meta descriptions
  • Error messages
  • Tooltips

Conclusion

There are so many types of text in digital interfaces that it’s easy to confuse their definitions or forget how they differ. Taking the time to learn or refresh the scopes of UX copy can help writers choose the best approach for the experiences they’re designing.