Voice July 2026 Phase 5

Tendd Voice

Voice is rules, not a mood. Every rule has an example, an anti-example, and a reason traced to a research line, so any line of the product can be written the same way, by a person or by Claude. And the tone is set by state: an error does not joke, an empty state leads to an action, a success does not celebrate.

The document

Two living files sit behind this phase. voice.md is the binding voice: how Tendd talks, in four sections. microcopy.md is the inventory: every product line on every screen, so nothing ships outside the table.

voice.md · 1

Principles

Five rules Tendd speaks by, each sourced from a research line. Lead with calm, say who did the thing, frame money as what you signed up for, name the fear with specifics, mark the win then stop.

 voice.md · 2

Dictionary

One concept, one word. The tracked thing is a subscription, not a "thing". Plus the address and contraction rules that apply to every line.

 voice.md · 3

Forbidden

What Tendd never writes, each with the fix: generic errors, "successfully", praise interjections, exclamations, emoji, hype, jargon, alarm, vague reassurance, passive voice.

 voice.md · 4

Microcopy rules

Rules by element type (button, heading, field, alert, trust line, status, Pro gate) and by state tone (empty, error, loading, success, dangerous action).

The five principles

Two sources feed each one. The personas say how to write; the competitors' language says where to stand apart. Where every finance product sounds the same, that sameness is Tendd's opening to sound different.

Principle 1

Lead with calm and being in control, not with capability

Written to it

"See what you're paying for. Calmly."

Breaks it

"Save more, spend less, see everything, and take back control of your financial life." (Rocket Money: capability, no feeling)

Source: competitive-analysis.md ("every product leads with capability, not emotional state"); strategy.md ("Calm, not optimization").

Principle 2

Say who did the thing, in plain words

Written to it

"A payment to Amazon Prime did not go through."

Breaks it

"Payment declined." / "A price change was detected." (passive, no actor)

Source: Monzo "Say who did the thing" (benchmark-trust.md); master-research.md Key Conclusion 4 (plain language, an unclaimed differentiator).

Principle 3

Frame money as what you signed up for, never as judgment

Written to it

"a month, for what you have signed up for"

Breaks it

"Monthly recurring expenditure: $247.83." / "You wasted $215 this year."

Source: master-research.md Q2 (self-image threat, control vs exposure); jtbd.md E1 ("judgment-free. No red").

Principle 4

Earn trust by naming the fear and answering it with specifics

Written to it

"Read-only. Tendd cannot move your money."

Breaks it

"Bank-level security." / "We take your privacy seriously." (vague, backfires)

Source: benchmark-trust.md Mechanism 2 (vague reassurance raises anxiety; specifics read as honesty); CLAUDE.md ("earned, not claimed").

Principle 5

Mark the small win with a number and a next step, then stop

Written to it

"You just cancelled Netflix and freed up $17.99 a month. That is $215.88 a year back in your pocket."

Breaks it

"Congratulations! You're crushing it!" / "Cancelled successfully."

Source: jtbd.md E2 (specific numbers, not a toast); strategy.md D1 ("serves calm, not shock").

The inventory it is measured against

Step 1 transcribed every interface line on all 41 wireframe pages into one table, then flagged where the product said the same thing in different words. Those are the discrepancies the Dictionary and Forbidden sections resolve.

41
wireframe pages read
12
discrepancies flagged
5
voice principles
14
forbidden patterns
The sharpest clash the inventory found: "You're paying for 14 subscriptions" (Home) versus "You are subscribed to 14 things" (Guided Reveal). Same statement, different contraction, different noun. See the full table on Microcopy.

How it was built

The voice is not a vibe someone asserted; it was assembled in order, each step feeding the next.

  1. 1. Text inventory
    Transcribe every product line on 41 pages, mark the discrepancies. Output: microcopy.md.
  2. 2. Principles
    Five rules, each sourced from a research line. How to write (personas) and where to differ (competitors).
  3. 3. Dictionary and Forbidden
    One word per concept; a named ban list so hype and clichés do not creep back.
  4. 4. Microcopy rules
    Rules by element type and by state tone. After this, voice.md is complete.
  5. 5. Sample: rewrite Home
    Home was already in voice; two lines normalized. The bar was set for the rollout.
  6. 6. Roll out to every screen
    One subagent per screen. 37 lines changed across 11 screens; 4 screens (Alerts, Cancel Guide, Upgrade, Settings) were already in voice.
  7. 7. Verify and finalize
    An adversarial four-reviewer pass caught the last misses. voice.md and microcopy.md are locked; every changed line is in the was/became record.