How to label links and headings - alphagov/notifications-manuals GitHub Wiki

This page describes the rules for labelling links and headings on pages that let users change their service, message and account settings.

Link text

Always use Change, unless:

• Change [name] makes more sense
• using Change doesn’t make sense
• another term is more common or widely understood

Only use Edit for edit template buttons.

Exceptions

Use Manage if the next page lets you see, add and change multiple discrete things (for example, the Reply-to email addresses page), unless it doesn’t make sense to do so.

Headings

Always use Change [name], unless:

• the inbound link was not Change
• adding Change makes the H1 confusing or hard to read

Exceptions

If the action is not self-service (for example Sign-in method and Letter branding) using Change in the H1 seems a bit misleading.

Table of examples

Example	Link	Reason for exception	H1	Reason for exception
Service name	Change		Change service name
Sign in method	Change		Sign in method	The action is not self service
Send emails	Change		Send emails	Adding Change is confusing because the next word is also a verb
Reply-to email addresses	Manage	Next page lets you see, add and edit multiple things	Reply-to addresses	The inbound link is not 'Change'
Change reply-to email address	Change		Change reply-to address
Email branding	Change		Change email branding
Send text messages	Change		Send text messages	Adding Change is confusing because the next word is also a verb
Text message senders	Manage	Next page lets you see, add and edit multiple things	Text message senders	The inbound link is not 'Change'
Change text message sender	Change		Change text message sender
Start text messages with service name	Change		Start text messages with service name	Adding Change is confusing because the next word is also a verb
International text messages	Change		Send international text messages	Adding Change is confusing because the next word is also a verb
Receive text messages	Change		Receive text messages	Adding Change is confusing because the next word is also a verb
Send letters	Change		Send letters	Adding Change is confusing because the next word is also a verb
Sender addresses	Manage	Next page lets you see, add and edit multiple things	Sender addresses	The inbound link is not 'Change'
Change sender address	Change		Change sender address
Letter branding	Change		Letter branding	The action is not self service
Team member	Change details		[team member name]	Adding Change is confusing – knowing whose profile you’re changing is the priority and we can’t account for name length
Team member’s email address	Change		Change team member’s email address
Team member’s phone number	Change		Change team member’s mobile number
Folder	Manage	Change doesn’t make sense, Manage folders feels like a common term, but we’re going with Manage to give as much space for the H1 as possible	[folder name]	Adding Change isn’t possible when the H1 is the folder structure, also, we can’t account for the length of folder names, so it could get pretty complex
Postage	Change		Change postage
Name	Change		Change your name
Email address	Change		Change your email address
Mobile number	Change		Change your mobile number
Password	Change		Change your password
Use platform admin view	Change		Use platform admin view	Adding Change is confusing because the next word is also a verb