Buttons
Writing button text
- Use a verb whenever possible to suggest the user take an action
- Define what the user will learn, and/or where they will go when clicking the button
- Create a sense of urgency for key CTAs (like "apply now" or "sign up today") where appropriate and where there's room. NOTE: it's OK to leave off "now" or "today" when there's multiple buttons like our degree CTAs, to avoid redundancy. UX always comes first.
- Use "Learn more" sparingly, and only if it's clear in the context of the page what the user is going to be learning more of, and can deduce the value of clicking the button to learn more
- Do not use phrases like "click here" or "next" or "more"
- If the button is leading to a download or resource, it's OK to use the name of the download on the button (see example) and not use a verb. It's also good practice for accessibility to indicate the file type.
- When in doubt, ask!
Choosing a button color style
- Degree pages: main CTA on degree pages are gold, so generally, button styles should be black, white, or outline
- Non-degree pages: any color button can be used throughout the site based on these guidelines
To determine the color:
- Consider the makeup of the page (are there lots of the same colors, too much variety in color, existing buttons from the template, etc.)
- Consider the importance of the action. If the action is something driving toward a main CTA, consider using bolder colors (black or gold). If it's taking you offsite or to something of less importance than the main CTA, consider using a more subtle style (outline or white, depending the background).