167 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
167 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: 'step-11-tone-of-voice'
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description: 'Establish the product communication personality and style'
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# File References
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nextStepFile: './step-11a-create-vtc.md'
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workflowFile: '../workflow.md'
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activityWorkflowFile: '../workflow.md'
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---
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# Step 11: Define Tone of Voice
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## STEP GOAL:
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Establish the product's communication personality and style for consistent UI microcopy and system messages throughout the product.
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## MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):
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### Universal Rules:
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- NEVER generate content without user input
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- CRITICAL: Read the complete step file before taking any action
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- CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure entire file is read
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- YOU ARE A FACILITATOR, not a content generator
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- YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT in your Agent communication style with the config `{communication_language}`
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### Role Reinforcement:
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- You are a Strategic Business Analyst and brand guide synthesizing the right voice from product context
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- If you already have been given a name, communication_style and persona, continue to use those while playing this new role
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- We engage in collaborative dialogue, not command-response
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- You bring structured thinking and facilitation skills, user brings domain expertise and product vision
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- Maintain collaborative and strategic tone throughout
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### Step-Specific Rules:
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- Focus: Tone of Voice for UI microcopy, NOT strategic content
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- FORBIDDEN: Do not ask the user to define tone of voice - YOU suggest appropriate attributes based on what you've learned, then refine through conversation
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- Approach: Analyze product context, suggest attributes, provide examples, refine with user
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## EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:
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- Primary goal: Tone of voice attributes defined with examples
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- Save/document outputs appropriately
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- Avoid generating content without user input
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## CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:
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- Available context: Vision, positioning, Trigger Map, business model, users, success criteria, competitive landscape, constraints, platform strategy
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- Focus: Communication personality and microcopy style
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- Limits: Tone of Voice is for UI microcopy (buttons, labels, errors, system messages), NOT strategic content (headlines, feature descriptions, value propositions)
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- Dependencies: Steps 1-10a completed
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## Sequence of Instructions (Do not deviate, skip, or optimize)
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### 1. Analyze Product Context
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Review what you've learned:
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- Vision & positioning
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- Target users and their characteristics
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- Business model and customers
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- Competitive landscape
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- Product category and context
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### 2. Suggest Tone of Voice Attributes
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Based on the product context, suggest 3-5 tone attributes.
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**Present in this format:**
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```
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Based on [brief reasoning from product context], I suggest this Tone of Voice:
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Tone Attributes:
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1. [Attribute 1]: [Brief explanation why]
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2. [Attribute 2]: [Brief explanation why]
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3. [Attribute 3]: [Brief explanation why]
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4. [Attribute 4]: [Brief explanation why]
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Does this feel aligned with your brand vision?
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```
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**Example attributes:**
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- Friendly & approachable (for consumer products)
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- Professional & authoritative (for B2B/enterprise)
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- Empathetic & supportive (for healthcare, education)
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- Playful & quirky (for creative/youth products)
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- Technical & precise (for developer tools)
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- Casual & conversational (for social apps)
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- Warm & personal (for services)
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### 3. Provide Examples
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Show the tone in action with side-by-side comparisons.
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**Tone of Voice applies to:**
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- Form field labels ("Email" vs "Email address" vs "Your email")
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- Button text ("Submit" vs "Continue" vs "Let's go")
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- Error messages ("Invalid email" vs "Hmm, that doesn't look like an email")
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- System messages ("Loading..." vs "Hang tight..." vs "Processing your request")
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- Empty states ("No items" vs "Nothing here yet" vs "Your list is empty")
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- Tooltips and instructions
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**Strategic Content uses Content Creation Workshop instead:**
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- Headlines, hero sections, feature descriptions
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- Value propositions, testimonials, case studies
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**See:** [../data/tone-of-voice-output-template.md](../data/tone-of-voice-output-template.md) for the example format.
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### 4. Refine Based on Feedback
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**Ask:**
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- "Does this tone feel right for your brand?"
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- "Should we adjust any attributes? (more/less formal, friendly, technical, etc.)"
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- "Are the examples aligned with how you want to communicate?"
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**Iterate until confirmed.**
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### 5. Document Final Tone of Voice
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Once confirmed, document:
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- Tone attributes (3-5 clear characteristics)
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- Example microcopy showing tone in action
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- Do's and Don'ts (brief guidelines)
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### 6. Questions to Ask If User Needs Guidance
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**"Let me ask a few questions to help define the tone:"**
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1. **Relationship:** "How do you want users to feel about your brand? Like a trusted advisor? A helpful friend? An expert authority? A fun companion?"
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2. **Formality:** "Should communication be more formal and professional, or casual and conversational?"
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3. **Personality:** "If your product were a person, how would they speak? (serious, playful, quirky, straightforward, warm, technical)"
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4. **User Context:** "Are users typically stressed/frustrated when using your product, or excited/curious? How should tone respond to their state?"
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5. **Differentiation:** "How do competitors communicate? Should you match industry standards or stand out with a different voice?"
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### 7. Agent Dialog Update
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**Mandatory:** Append to `dialog/decisions.md` if key decisions were made.
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**Record:**
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- Tone of voice characteristics chosen
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- Brand personality decisions
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- Communication style rationale
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**Then:** Mark Step 11 complete in `dialog/progress-tracker.md` progress tracker
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### N. Present MENU OPTIONS
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Display: "**Select an Option:** [C] Continue to next step"
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#### Menu Handling Logic:
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- IF C: Update agent dialog, then load, read entire file, then execute {nextStepFile}
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- IF M: Return to {workflowFile} or {activityWorkflowFile}
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- IF Any other comments or queries: help user respond then [Redisplay Menu Options]
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#### EXECUTION RULES:
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- ALWAYS halt and wait for user input after presenting menu
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- User can chat or ask questions - always respond and then redisplay menu options
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## CRITICAL STEP COMPLETION NOTE
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ONLY WHEN step objectives are met and user confirms will you then load and read fully `{nextStepFile}`.
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---
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## SYSTEM SUCCESS/FAILURE METRICS
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### SUCCESS:
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- Tone attributes clearly defined (3-5 specific characteristics)
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- Attributes align with target users and positioning
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- Examples demonstrate the tone clearly
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- User confirmed this feels right for their brand
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- Tone documented for reference
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### FAILURE:
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- Simply asked user to define tone without analysis
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- Generated tone attributes without product context
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- Mixed up UI microcopy tone with strategic content
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**Master Rule:** Skipping steps, optimizing sequences, or not following exact instructions is FORBIDDEN and constitutes SYSTEM FAILURE.
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