---
title: "Buttons and Menus"
canonical: "https://documentation.chaos.com/space/DOCSGUIDE/697499653/Buttons%20and%20Menus"
format: markdown
---
This page provides details on writing microcopy for buttons and menus.


## **What are Buttons and Menus?**

---

**Buttons **and **menu items** are texts or icons that users interact with by tapping, clicking, or speaking in order to get to the next step in their user experience. They are the point when a decision becomes an action.


## **Rules**

---

- Buttons and Menus must contain recognizable words and must be specific.  
*Example: “Sign in” button instead of “Enter the website”.*


- Buttons and Menus must be one or two words long. Shorter names outperform longer names. Three words are also possible.  
*Example 1: The Asset library button in Envision is two words long.*  
*Example 2: In Max, there is a Submit to Chaos Cloud rendering button. The button name is too long, even though it is very detailed. It could be shortened to Submit to Cloud, Render in Cloud, or Submit to Chaos Cloud. Such long button names should be used only when the shorter ones are not clear or self-explanatory.*


- Buttons and Menus must contain words that the user would use in a conversation.  
*Example: “Sing in” button instead of “Enter the Website”, “Lock/Unlock Camera” instead of “Make camera parameters modifiable”, etc.*


- Options in a menu or a button group that appear as sets, must be designed as sets.  
*Example: Envision and Vantage top menu bars contain sets of menus.*

<details>
<summary>Click here to display an example...</summary>

![TechGuide_Buttons_Menus.png](media://784dfcc6-f449-46e2-997d-b0d28c5a8fd8)
</details>


- The text should be appropriate for screen reading (by AI tools).


- When an icon is used instead of text for a button, the tooltip text that indicates the name of the icon should respect the same conventions as stated above.  
*Example: See the Scatter button in Envision below.*


**Note: **If you're writing microcopy for websites rather than apps, focus on the value the button provides rather than the action users must take. For example, if you're naming a button that downloads free licenses for Chaos products, instead of simply writing “Download,” use “Get your free license.”


## **Examples**

---

Some common examples include the standard Cancel button, the Asset library button in Envision, or the Create menu in Vantage, etc.