Buttons and links

Buttons are primarily used for task-based navigation, and links are primarily used for site navigation.

However, both buttons and links can function as calls to action (CTAs). Whether button or link, a CTA is used to encourage a user to take an action. CTA labels use title case and active verbs, should be short, and should use labels consistently across the Admin panel.

For more details, see Title Case standards in Capitalization.

Examples:

No – "Free Demo"
Yes – "Sign Up for Free Demo"
No – "New Rule"
Yes – "Add Rule"

Buttons

Buttons are calls to action, and their labels should be limited to three words (four words maximum, if including a short verb or word).

Buttons can be used for:

Calls to action for task flows: to begin, continue, or submit a task
Navigation in featured modules of content, like banners and content teasers

Button types are primary, secondary, and tertiary. Each page should have a maximum limit of one primary button. Split buttons include multiple actions. Button counts in a Button Bar or any array of buttons should be limited to four buttons, maximum.

For design specs, see Buttons and Button Bar patterns.

Links

Minimize the amount of words — within 2-5 words, ideally — in a link label and use best practices in finding optimal keywords.

Accessibility

Never use "click here" as a label. Labels should identify and describe the target of the link.
Avoid using file names or URLs as link labels.
Clearly identify file download links. Indicate in the label that the user is about to "download" a file.
For anchor links, use "Jump to" before the link. This identifies the link as an anchor and that it won't navigate users to another page.
Use linked icons with care. Users may not know what the icon means, so for icons that aren't globally recognized, pair a linked label with a linked icon. See Iconography standards.

Labels best practices

Parallelism. When linking to a page with a direct reference, match the exact wording of the page title or, for anchor tags, the section heading title.
PDFs and other file formats.
- Append the document-type acronym after the link label and link only the document title.
- Use all caps case and do not add a period to the acronym. See All Caps case standards in Capitalization.
- Do not use the file name or URL in the content — use the title of the document. For example:
  - No — "Download FAQs (.PDF)"
  - No — "Download FAQs (.pdf)"
  - No — "Download faqs-bh-v1.pdf"
  - Yes — "Download FAQs (PDF)"

When to verify a call to action

For actions like "Delete" and "Cancel", always consider the possibility that the user took the action by mistake.

If the user will lose a lot of work — or if the user's task is not easily recoverable — after taking the action, create an interstitial verify step that happens first when the action is selected.

Label and content format

Use the following template to create content for a verify step:

Title: Before you [ Task Label ]
Explainer content: [ Specify the full implications for the action the user wants to take. ]
Verification content: Are you sure you want to continue?
Calls to action: [ Task Label ], Cancel ... Note: The "Task Label" is the primary call to action and matches the Title's Task Label.

Button labels used in Admin

Specify actions in buttons: Appending a specific label to a call to action's verb clarifies the action that the user is taking. ... Example: "Add Row" is more contextual and understandable than "Add".

The following labels are the standards for Admin labels. Refer to these footnotes for call-to-action hierarchy:

* — A primary call to action.
** — In specific contexts, can be used as a primary call to action.

Label

Usage Guideline

Add* Add [ + Label ]*

Use to create a new object or to add an existing object. As a primary call to action, the label usually matches the page title. "Create [ + Label ]" is also used, but only as an action for creating a new object, not adding an existing one.

Cancel Cancel [ + Label ]

In Admin, "Cancel" is used as a link in the Button Bar. Use "Cancel" to end a task flow, with changes unsaved. If the cancellation is not easily recoverable, then include a verify step.

Clear Form

Use to erase all entries on a form, not to be confused with "Reset [ + Label ]". For actions that are not easily recoverable, include a verify step.

Delete Delete [ + Label ]

Use to permanently remove an object. If the removal is not easily recoverable, then include a verify step.

Edit Edit [ + Label ]

When to use "Edit" vs. "Change":<br/>Use "Edit" when an object's information is edited.<br/>Use "Change" when switching from one object to another.<br/>What's the difference? When users want to change a payment method, they don't want to "Edit" the information for the specified payment method.

Continue*

Use to navigate linear task flows.

Filter Apply Filter

For "Filter", use to select categories to narrow a data set. For "Apply Filter", use to activate the selected filters in the data set. Do not confuse with "Sort".

Get Started*

Use for a task-entry step (setting expectations and providing prerequisites), before a user has entered a task.

Reset [ + Label ]

Indicate to users what data is being reset and how the data will reset. For actions that are not easily recoverable, include a verify step. Example: "Reset to Defaults". Do not confuse with "Clear Form".

Save** Save [ + Label ]**

Use to capture changes or to submit an entry. "Save" is usually use a secondary task, when a user wants to save changes and not continue, but "Save" can be used as a primary call to action, in Admin.

Search*

Use for search tasks, not filter tasks.

Sort

Use to select a category from which to sort data, not to be confused with "Filter".

Submit* Submit [ + Label ]*

Use to complete a task or to submit it for completion. Insert the specific name of task as the label to clarify for users what they are submitting.