When to Use 'Your' vs 'My' in UI (and When to Drop Both)

Prefer no pronoun when the context makes ownership clear. When needed, use 'your' in UI copy that addresses the user and 'my' in form inputs where the user states their own intent. Avoid 'my' in navigation to prevent confusion in guidance and support.

Key Points

• Often omit pronouns entirely; simple labels like 'Account', 'Orders', or 'Cases' are clear enough in context.
• 'My' in navigation causes confusion across channels (onboarding, help, support) where instructions naturally say 'your'.
• Use 'your' when the product speaks to the user (nav labels, headings, instructions).
• Use 'my' when the user is speaking through inputs (form options like radios and checkboxes).
• A radio-button example shows why 'my' clarifies user intent, while 'your' sounds incorrect in that context.

Sentiment

Mixed but leaning positive: many endorse the article’s rule-of-thumb and the idea to omit pronouns where possible, while a sizable group argues for pronounless, objective UI and flags localization, tone, and grammar concerns.

In Agreement

• Adopt the Microsoft-style rule: use second person (“you/your”) when the system talks to the user and first person (“I/my”) for user-initiated controls.
• Drop pronouns entirely when context already makes ownership clear (e.g., Account, Orders, Cases).
• Using “your” in navigation aligns with support/help copy that naturally says “Go to your …”, avoiding cognitive dissonance with “My …”.
• Keep UI copy concise; prefer clear imperatives and avoid bloated repetition (e.g., a single checkbox “Share your profile photo”).
• Consistency helps support, onboarding, and documentation; quoting/capitalizing literal labels (“Click ‘My Cases’”) resolves spoken/written ambiguity.
• Following simple copy rules improves localization; structured strings (ICU MessageFormat) and early involvement of UX writers make translation accurate and scalable.

Opposed

• Avoid both “my” and “your” entirely; pronouns feel patronizing or childish and are often superfluous.
• “My” in Windows-era UIs wasn’t a blooper; it taught early multi-user distinctions and indicated user-owned, editable space.
• Quoting or capitalizing UI labels (“Click the ‘My Cases’ tab”) is enough—no need to rewrite navigation around pronouns.
• Prefer robotic, objective tone; avoid faux-familiar phrasing like “Let’s get you signed in” or “You’re 90% there.”
• Some consider article-less imperative labels like “Share profile photo” ungrammatical and prefer including “your.”
• Localization varies (formality, grammar, pluralization); prescriptive English-only rules can mislead. Alternatives like “This PC,” “Private/Shared,” or “[Username]’s Documents” may be clearer.