{"pages":[{"name":"Framework","page":"index.html","template":"styleguide/templates/simple.tpl","section":"brand","content":"
That’s why we’ve made these guidelines really simple. They inform the way we look, feel, behave and sound as a company. They help ensure we remain consistent, impactful and recognisable across all of our communications.
\nUsing our expansive market knowledge and customer insight, we want to provide a simple, relevant service allowing customers to switch with minimal hassle.
\nTo be the UK’s leading comparison site for all consumers who wish to make their money go further.
\nWe are the comparison service of choice – because we make it relevant, personal and simple to use for consumers and partners.
\nWe help our customers feel like life just keeps on switching for the better, allowing their time and money to be spent on what really matters.
\nWe are connected to the individual needs of our customers. In fact, we work to understand them better than anyone. We use masses of customer data, constantly capturing more and more to continually improve the relevance of our advice. Add that to our commitment to ensure ours is the most simple and comprehensive switching service available, and our customers can find clarity in a confusing marketplace and build confidence in our brand.
\nWe know what we’re talking about because we’re experts in what we do. We can demonstrate an unparalleled in-depth and connected understanding of our customers, the economy, household finances and the industries in which we operate. We’re always frank. We fight for what we believe is fair. And we do what we believe is right to build respect and trust.
\nWe are a human brand that talks to our customers, not preaches. We treat them like knowledgeable peers. Always consistent in our tone, look and customer experience across all touch points. To make things easy to understand, information is visualised and brought to life, enabling our customers to see how they can save money or get better value for money.
\nWe are pro-active, always adapting and pre-empting changes in customer mood and wider markets in which we exist. It lets our customers connect and interact with us with confidence.And we are proud of our BETA mindset. We stay agile, but we never look unpredictably experimental. Rather, we are open, current, honest, committed and consistent with our advice
\n","subNav":[]},{"name":"Introduction","page":"index.html","template":"styleguide/templates/simple.tpl","section":"pattern-library","content":"\n Our pattern library comes as an easily distributed package, ready to use in multiple programming environments. It contains our basic CSS components and correct usage, as well as JavaScript components that are widely used across the website.\n
\nView on GitHub\nuStyle was initially created as a gem. Some of the Sass functions rely on Ruby to run. You can install it via any Gemfile and it will install the required dependencies.
\ngem 'ustyle', git: "git@github.com:uswitch/ustyle.git"
\n Install it as a bower package. This will pull down the original .scss
files and compiled static CSS + JS.
\n "dependencies": {\n "ustyle": "git@github.com:uswitch/ustyle.git#~0.19.1"\n }\n
\n Every time uStyle gets a new version, the version gets updated across our Cloudfront distributions.\n
\n <!-- get latest -->\n <link href='//assets0.uswitch.com/s3/uswitch-assets-eu/ustyle/ustyle-latest.css' media='all' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' />\n <!-- get versioned -->\n <link href='//assets0.uswitch.com/s3/uswitch-assets-eu/ustyle/VERSION/ustyle-latest.css' media='all' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' />\n
\n \n "devDependencies": {\n "ustyle": "git@github.com:uswitch/ustyle.git#~0.19.1"\n }\n
\n We use Autoprefixer + Browserlist to decide what vendor prefixes to apply to our Sass
files. We have a slightly wider browser support than the default (here). Currently we support all the way to IE9.
Below is what we support. Each line is the minimum version or % use based on CanIUse metrics
\nBrowser | \nMinimum version supported | \n
---|---|
Safari, Chrome | \nLast 5 versions | \n
Firefox | \nESR | \n
Opera | \n18 | \n
Internet Explorer | \n9 | \n
Global usage | \n> 1% | \n
See our GitHub for documentation on installing this across applications.
\n\n The sum of our efforts towards style guidelines, a pattern library and an automated front-end. Made with ❤ at uSwitch.com\n
\nuStyle includes documentation and guidelines relating to our core design principles. It is where we document everything that happens within our brand, UX and front-end development.
\nuStyle is a gem, a bower package, a npm package and static assets. This allows our team setup to choose how they wish to implement the core front-end of uSwitch. We've tried to be as accessible as possible.
\nAt its core, uStyle is a pattern library. It contains all current components and elements of the uSwitch UI. These are documented in the pattern library section.
\nDelivering designer + developer happiness is very important to us. uStyle provides a base for all our design and development work and allows our designers and developers to focus on the things that matter, whilst making their lives easier when prototyping.
\nThere is no reason for this logo other than it's funny and unicorns are all the rage just now.
\n\nDisclaimer: uSwitch is not a unicorn company.\n
Want to help us build more things like uStyle? We're constantly trying to deliver a better experience for customers and developers, and we're looking for passionate people to join our team.
\nFire us an email at jobs@uswitch.com with your CV and tell us a bit about yourself.
\nWe use imagery to relate and engage with our customers, to support our message, and to aid in understanding. These guidelines are here to help you chose images that reflect our brand values and personality. If you’re questioning whether an image is suitable, ask a designer – they’ll be happy to help.
\n\nImages are more interesting when they have a point of focus.
\n\nPeople and objects should be properly contextualised. Avoid cropping an image so severely that it’s setting is lost.
\n\nMake sure clothing, architectural features, light and style have a UK feel.
\n\nRelatable, genuine, optimistic, affirmative.
\n\nOur preference is for natural light where possible. Colours should be warm, vibrant and saturated where possible – avoid images that are “washed out”. Do not use dramatic filters, colourisation effects, or black and white.
\n\nLifestyle shots should be reportage in style, documenting people in their day-to-day lives. Subjects should be unposed, and within their natural environment. People should never be cut out or appear over solid backgrounds. Images should be relatable and feature real, everyday people. Avoid fake or forced emotions as it can seem ingenuine. A range of gender, race, and age should be represented.
\n\nObject focused imagery may be cut out and appear over our brand colours or on white. When cut out, the whole object must be appear – edges must never be cut off.
\n\nWhen objects aren’t cut out, they should be realistic in their setting and not appear staged. Images should be straightforward, not overly metaphor based, and should not appear noticeably manipulated.
\n\nIllustrations may be used to add understanding and delight to an experience.
\n\nOur illustrative style is simple and geometric. Our brand colours should be used predominantly, although variations in shades and saturation may be necessarily. Illustrations should generally appear over solid colour or white backgrounds. Avoid using illustrations that are clichéd or overly metaphor based.
\n\nWe generally try to avoid commissioning photography unless completely necessary as it can prove to be extremely expensive. Before commissioning new photography, carefully consider:
\n\nWhere we do shoot our own (product shots, staff portraits etc being examples of where this may be necessary) we follow these guidelines.
\nImages will often need to be cropped to fit various size requirements. When cropped, images should still follow all guidelines.
\nThe following sites are our preferred resources as images are royalty-free, reasonably priced, and generally good quality. There are shared uSwitch logins for these sites – get in touch with the Service Desk if you don't have access.
\n\nMonthly subscription which allows us to download 750 images per month
\n\nMonthly subscription which allows us to download 10 signature images per month
\n\nImages are purchased individually.
\nStock sites often allow you to purchase images in Small, Medium and Large sizes. Purchasing the largest option is recommended as this will cover most of our online use cases and allow for flexibility when it comes to cropping.
\n\nMost photography that you purchase from stock sites will be either JPG or TIFF format. Either is fine, but if it’s a TIFF, it will need to be converted to a JPG before using online.
\n\nGraphics and illustrations are usually available in EPS, SVG, or PNG format. When available, EPS or SVG files are preferred as they can be scaled to any size. EPS files will need to be converted to an SVG or PNG before using online.
\nRights-managed images often have limitations in regards to the following:
\n\nRoyalty-free images can generally be used on multiple projects for an unlimited amount of time. They should not be confused with “free”. You must still pay a one-off cost to use them.
\n\nWe prefer royalty-free images as there’s fewer restrictions around using them. However even with this type of licence, there may be some usage restrictions, so it’s important to read the licence agreements and act accordingly.
\n\n \n\nCreative Commons means the owner of an image has made it available for use under certain restrictions. Restrictions often include that you must attribute the image to the owner, that you may not use it for commercial purposes, or that you may not alter the image.
\n\nFlickr is a good resource for images that have been made available through Creative Commons, but make sure you understand and comply with any restrictions they’re being offered under.
\n\nPublic Domain refers to images that do not have a copyright and therefore free for anyone to use. It can apply to images that are very old or where the creator has given up their copyright.
\n\nKeep in mind that manipulating an image that isn’t yours (adding a filter, cropping etc) doesn’t give you the right to use it.
\nPurchased images should be added to our shared Google Drive storage within the appropriate category. This should be the original, full-sized, uncropped and uncompressed image only. This allows for cross vertical sharing as well as usage in other mediums such as email.
\n\nWhile the shared library exists so images can be reused, try not to overuse images to the point that they lose their impact.
\n\nImages should be named with a few descriptive words, with words separated by hyphens. Images that are an illustration should have the prefix of "illustation-".
\n\nFor mobile phones, image names should be formatted as follows:
\nyyyy-mm-dd-manufacturer-phonename-phoneversion.png
\nFor example: 2015-04-10-samsung-galaxy-s6.png
\nThe date refers to the date of the phone release.
\n\nFor searchability, it's important to include descriptive tags for each image you add to Google Drive. You can do this under the "Description" field. The first two tags should be the stock site you got the image from, as well as the image number. Include any other tags that might be useful, separating each tag with commas.
\nRetina display refers to monitors and devices that have a very high pixel density, making screen content appear very crisp and sharp.
\n\nTo take advantage of these high-quality displays, we must use Retina images. That simply means that we need to double the intended size of our images.
\nBelow are the minimum required sizes for our images in various materials. If an image does not meet this size, it can’t be used and an alternate image will need to be sourced. An image must not be scaled up in order to meet the minimum required size.
\n\nAlt text is an important aspect of web accessibility. All images on our site should include meaningful alt text. See here for best practices.
\n\n Do
\n Images feel natural and authentic.\n
\n Don't
\n Images appear staged.\n
\n Do
\n Subject is contextualised.\n
\n Don't
\n Image is too closely cropped.\n
\n Do
\n Houses are a typical UK style.\n
\n Don't
\n Houses feel american style.\n
\n Do
\n Image has warm tones.\n
\n Don't
\n Image is too cool.\n
\n Do
\n Image does not appear altered.\n
\n Don't
\n Image is noticeably manipulated.\n
\n Do
\n Image is realistic and relatable.\n
\n Don't
\n Image is cliché and metaphor based.\n
\n Tip
\n Images where subjects are placed to the left/right and top/bottom are more interesting than those placed centrally.\n
\n Do
\n Illustrations are simple, geometric and consist primarily of brand colours (or shade/tones of brand colours).\n
Usability testing can be used to establish problems that need solving, validate a hypothesis or to test a solution. Depending on what's required, there are different types of testing availability.
\n\nHowever, not every change needs to be tested. This page is deisgned to highlight when should and shouldn't use testing, and how we should do it when we do.
\n\n\nPlenty of design changes don’t require upfront hypothesis validation. If the design change is due to any of the following it may not need validation from users:
\n \n\n \nColour, font, shading, button types, and anything in uStyle is a given. We want to achieve site consistency for brand reasons.
\nFunctionality, UI, hierarchy are not 'look and feel' consistency.
\nMoving the first two Broadband designs ('Oldest stlye' and 'Old style') to be more ‘in line’ with the third design ('New style') is an on-going project of consistency.
\nChanging the colours of the first design or moving to a consistent layout would not require testing.
\nSimilarly, changing the row-data presentation in the second example to be more consistent with the third example would not require testing.
\nThere are certain web-design standards, and in our aim for a consistent user experience, maintaining web consistency is an important part of that.
\nThe following is a non-exhaustive list of design conventions:
\nA basic UI convention is the distinction between active elements and inactive elements, with inactive elements being 'greyed out'.
\nThe below car insurance has an overlay that must be interacted with to continue with the page below, but only part of the page is greyed out.
\nFive clickable elements on this page aren’t greyed out, despite not being clickable:
\nThe ten basic usability heurisitcs, like basic design rules, give us a number of usability principles that must be sense-checked against. Designs that do not meet these requirements give us a clear problem to be solved without the requirement of validation.
\n\nKeep users informed about what is going on through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. In the example below the user cannot see what impact selecting a dropdown option has because the overlay covers the results table:
\n\n "Did updating those filters do anything?"\n
\nSpeak the users' language with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
\n\n "Large as in size of people or house? Doesn’t it depend what they’re doing? What’s a Plusnet safeguard?"\n
\nIf a user makes a mistake, let them undo, redo, go back, etc...
\n\n "I wanted more details...and now i've left the site....how do I get back?”\n
\nUsers should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing.
\n\n "Is a plan and a tariff the same thing?”\n
\nEven better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place.
\n\n "No deals, why did you present it as an option?"\n
\nMinimise the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part to another.
\n\n "I’ve filtered these results, but by what?"\n
\nllow users to tailor frequent actions. 1-button checkout via Amazon, or Add to my wishlist via Airbnb.
\n\n "I personalised all these details yesterday, why has it just reverted?"\n
\nEvery extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.
\n\n "What am I supposed to do on this page?"\n
\nError messages should be expressed in plain language, precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
\n\n "Ahhhh....the ol' requested format..."\n
\nAny such help information should be easy to find, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too wordy.
\n\n \nSometimes design is dictated - commercial or regulatory or business.
\nIf there is flexibility around how these are implemented we can enter the design process. Sometimes there isn’t though, and they have to be implemented.
\n\n "The brand red clashes with this provider's red."\n
\nIf our change isn’t down to one of the above then it’s problem solving, so we need to structure our approach to design differently - we need to understand the problem first.
\n \nA problem statement is the design brief, but first we need a good problem.
\nData tells us about results, not causes. It tells us that it looks like there is a problem, but now what the problem is. Data comes from:
\nSimilarly business objectives are things we desire to happen. They tell us what we want to the outcome to be. Objectives sound like:
\nThese tell us there is a problem, but we don’t know what it is.
\nA real problems is something we’ve observed a significant number of occasions.
\n\nTesting designed to steer design, or validate assumptions about what problems users are encountering, is known as ‘formative’ testing. It’s open-ended, and the tasks are simply to run a comparison, or to go through a journey start to finish.
\nAny type of testing, whether it be face-to-face, guerilla, remote, or interviews, can help define the problem. This allows us to frame the problem with a problem statement. A problem statement is:
\nA concise description of the issues that need to be addressed - it is specific, measurable and explains what it impacts. There are no assumptions or solutions.\n\n
Once the problem is clearly defined, start trying to solve it (one problem at a time), but remember to validate the solutions as soon as possible.
\n'Summative' usability testing can help validate. Summative testing gives the user a particular task to complete that tests the solution against the problem. Again, any type of testing can perform this function.
\n\nUser testing is great to validate flows, designs and interactions, but it's not exhaustive. There might be bugs, or solutions that don't work in certain scenarios. This is where in-house testing and the device lab comes in.
\nSo what type of testing should we use, and when?
\n This article by Nielsen Norman Group is a great starting point to understand testing methods and when to apply each. \nThere are over 20 types of validation, including quant methods, but here at uSwitch we predominantly use the following:
\n \n \n \nInterviews are designed to understand behaviours, needs and pain-points around a particular task.
\nThey are open-ended and can help define design personas - archetypes that can be used as a reference point for any design changes for that product.
\nSee the interview checklist
\nInterviews are most commonly used at the earliest stage of product development to determine the needs/problems that the product will address.
\n\n \nFace-to-face testing can be used in a formative or summative sense, and can be combined with an interview and simple exercises, like card sorting.
\nThis is the highest-fidelity form of validation. The feedback you receive will be of the highest quality, but it will also take you the most time.
\n \nFace-to-face testing consists of preparing a particular task, putting it in front of real users, and seeing how they get on.
\nAs it’s face-to-face, you can also interview users in this format, or ask them to complete exercises such as:
\nSee the testing checklist for a step-by-step guide to setting up and running a test. The most crucial components are:
\nAnytime. For an existing product where the objective is to discover problems, an open-ended test asking users to complete the most common journey. This should be done at least once a year.
\nFor a new product or feature face-to-face testing is always a good idea. The objective here is to test the solution against the problem using particular tasks.
\n\n \nA lower-fidelity version of face-to-face testing, guerilla testing sacrifices quality for speed. The feedback you receive will be of lower quality as the participants may not fit user types, and the testing environment is more ‘ad-hoc’ (think coffee shops, sandwich places).
\nJust like face-to-face testing, guerilla testing involves preparing a particular task, putting it in front of real users, and seeing how they get on. You can also do interviews and get quant feedback but again, the feedback will be lower quality.
\nSee the guerilla testing checklist for a step-by-step guide to setting up and running a test.
\nThe number of participants should be at least 5 for guerilla testing, but you can use your discretion.
\nGuerilla testing is perfect at the early stage of a design, when you want to sense check a particular flow, component, or wording.
\nAny fidelity of design can be used. Guerilla testing works best when kept relatively informal, and the participant feels at ease.
\n \n \nAsking your colleagues in the office for feedback. This is the quickest but lowest quality form of validation.
\nLike guerilla testing this is an informal type of testing, but the quality is considerably lower owing to familiarity with the product, bias based on personal relationships and a mismatch between persona types and testers.
\nIn-house testing is perfect for bug testing, seeing if anyone can ‘break’ your design, and last-minute tweaks. It is not for designed to surface flow or interaction changes.
\nSee the bug-testing checklist
\nA few days before release
\n \nThe default heading styling across all uSwitch pages.
\n We allow extending the sizes of these headings with %heading-{$i}
so that we don't repeat similar font sizes across the site.
Default paragraph styling with a margin bottom.
\n","state":[{"name":".us-standfirst","escaped":"us-standfirst","description":"Used for heros and introductory paragraphs.","markup":{"example":"\n Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean vel arcu non magna varius sagittis vel at elit.\n Vivamus et orci pretium, commodo eros vitae, tincidunt purus. Nunc consequat condimentum porttitor.\n Cras at mi sed quam hendrerit bibendum ac a lorem. Mauris a sapien vitae massa lacinia malesuada.\n
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","escaped":" <p>\n Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean vel arcu non magna varius sagittis vel at elit.\n Vivamus et orci pretium, commodo eros vitae, tincidunt purus. Nunc consequat condimentum porttitor.\n Cras at mi sed quam hendrerit bibendum ac a lorem. Mauris a sapien vitae massa lacinia malesuada.\n </p>"},"path":"vendor/assets/stylesheets/ustyle/basics/_typography.scss","file":"_typography.scss","link":"paragraphs"},{"page":"Pattern Library/Typography","name":"Lists","description":"Normal list styling.
\n","markup":{"example":"Default blockquote.
\n","markup":{"example":"\n","escaped":" <blockquote>\n <p>\n Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.\n Aenean vel arcu non magna varius sagittis vel at elit.\n Vivamus et orci pretium, commodo eros vitae, tincidunt purus.\n </p>\n </blockquote>"},"path":"vendor/assets/stylesheets/ustyle/basics/_typography.scss","file":"_typography.scss","link":"blockquote"},{"page":"Pattern Library/Typography","name":"Numbered list","description":"\n Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.\n Aenean vel arcu non magna varius sagittis vel at elit.\n Vivamus et orci pretium, commodo eros vitae, tincidunt purus.\n
\n
Our default numbered list styling.
\n","state":[{"name":".us-custom-list-alt","escaped":"us-custom-list-alt","description":"Allows us to use the lists on hero/blue backgrounds.","markup":{"example":"Our default ticked list styling.
\n","state":[{"name":".us-custom-list-alt","escaped":"us-custom-list-alt","description":"Allows us to use the lists on hero/blue backgrounds.","markup":{"example":"These utility classes allow for some basic CSS properties to be applied across elements. The classname applies to the property that is getting set, with the value as the modifier.
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\ncontent
\ncontent
\ncontent
\ncontent
\ncontent
\ncontent
\ncontent
\ncontent
\ncontent
\nHelpful image classes for making images full width or floating within content.
\n","state":[{"name":".us-img--full","escaped":"us-img--full","description":"Full width image.","markup":{"example":"\n \n Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas mattis sit amet magna porta mollis. Pellentesque id pretium quam. Proin nec blandit ligula. Sed lectus orci, mattis ac hendrerit at, ultrices eget metus. Vestibulum dignissim venenatis malesuada. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Praesent eget convallis urna, at ultrices ligula. Donec bibendum, lectus at consequat feugiat, nisi leo tincidunt purus, et condimentum lorem diam scelerisque neque. Nam imperdiet aliquet arcu a rhoncus.\n
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"}},{"name":".us-img--right","escaped":"us-img--right","description":"Right floated image.","markup":{"example":"\n \n Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas mattis sit amet magna porta mollis. Pellentesque id pretium quam. Proin nec blandit ligula. Sed lectus orci, mattis ac hendrerit at, ultrices eget metus. Vestibulum dignissim venenatis malesuada. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Praesent eget convallis urna, at ultrices ligula. Donec bibendum, lectus at consequat feugiat, nisi leo tincidunt purus, et condimentum lorem diam scelerisque neque. Nam imperdiet aliquet arcu a rhoncus.\n
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","escaped":" <p>\n <img src=\"https://assets0.uswitch.com/s3/uswitch-wp-cms-assets/money/guides/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/DB2011AU01018_SMALL.jpg\" width=\"400\">\n Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas mattis sit amet magna porta mollis. Pellentesque id pretium quam. Proin nec blandit ligula. Sed lectus orci, mattis ac hendrerit at, ultrices eget metus. Vestibulum dignissim venenatis malesuada. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Praesent eget convallis urna, at ultrices ligula. Donec bibendum, lectus at consequat feugiat, nisi leo tincidunt purus, et condimentum lorem diam scelerisque neque. Nam imperdiet aliquet arcu a rhoncus.\n </p>"},"path":"vendor/assets/stylesheets/ustyle/utilities/_images.scss","file":"_images.scss","link":"images"},{"page":"Pattern Library/Utilities","name":"Responsive","description":" Responsive classes to allow display of elements across devices. You have the option of displaying them as block
, inline-block
or inline
elements.
You can also hide elements by .us-{DEVICE}--hidden
and will hide those elements above that breakpoint.
Allow control of spacing around an element. You can set margin or padding for an element without creating an extra class.
\n An example of this .us-margin-top
, .us-margin-top--small
, .us-margin-top--large
where margin
can be replaced by padding
and top
can be replaced by bottom
, left
or right
.
Default space for margin and padding is 1em, small
modifier uses .5em and large
modifier uses 1.5em.
Our colours (with a "u", we're a UK company) are divided into primary, secondary and tertiary palettes. The primary and secondary are core to all our design work and supported by the tertiary which we use in infographics, graphs and the like. CMYK equivalents are available for print work.
\n","variable":[{"name":"c-cyan","description":"Hero banners","value":"#99e2ff"},{"name":"c-navy","description":"Text with emphasis","value":"#1c1f4e"},{"name":"c-blue","description":"Logo","value":"#002396"},{"name":"c-typecyan","description":"Text links, icons","value":"#008fe9"},{"name":"c-typegrey","description":"Body text","value":"#2f353a"},{"name":"c-typegrey-2","description":"Text without emphasis","value":"#65717b"},{"name":"c-bggrey","description":"Backgrounds","value":"#f4f5f6"},{"name":"c-red","description":"Primary buttons","value":"#d64226"},{"name":"c-green","description":"Action buttons, USPs","value":"#2aaa5b"}],"path":"vendor/assets/stylesheets/ustyle/basics/variables/_colors.scss","file":"_colors.scss","link":"primary_palette"},{"page":"Brand/Colours","name":"Secondary palette","partial":"colour","variable":[{"name":"c-inputgrey","description":"Dropdowns, icons","value":"#84909a"},{"name":"c-bordergrey","description":"Borders","value":"#b0b8bf"},{"name":"c-keylinegrey","description":"Keylines, separators","value":"#e9ebed"},{"name":"c-blue-light","description":"","value":"#0c72bf"},{"name":"c-typecyan-light","description":"","value":"#4cc0f4"},{"name":"c-cyan-light","description":"","value":"#e4f8ff"},{"name":"c-yellow","description":"USPs","value":"#ffd32f"},{"name":"c-orange","description":"USPs","value":"#f27930"},{"name":"c-purple","description":"USPs","value":"#9c55b8"}],"path":"vendor/assets/stylesheets/ustyle/basics/variables/_colors.scss","file":"_colors.scss","link":"secondary_palette"},{"page":"Brand/Colours","name":"Tertiary palette","partial":"colour","variable":[{"name":"c-red-dark","description":"","value":"#b53820"},{"name":"c-green-dark","description":"","value":"#23904d"},{"name":"c-red-lightest","description":"","value":"#eeb3a8"},{"name":"c-green-lightest","description":"","value":"#adebc5"},{"name":"c-yellow-lightest","description":"","value":"#ffedab"},{"name":"c-orange-lightest","description":"","value":"#f9c9ac"},{"name":"c-purple-lightest","description":"","value":"#d7bbe2"}],"path":"vendor/assets/stylesheets/ustyle/basics/variables/_colors.scss","file":"_colors.scss","link":"tertiary_palette"}]},{"name":"Tone","page":"tone.html","template":"styleguide/templates/simple.tpl","section":"language","content":"At uSwitch we deliver a simple, helpful and reassuring comparison site. The way we speak to our users reflects that.
\n\nPlease consider these general principles when writing copy.
\nExpert
\nWe have a deep understanding of people, household finances and the industries in which we operate.
\nBe confident and authoritative. We know what we’re talking about and we’re not afraid to be out in front of the news and industry happenings.
\nWhy the smartphone world needs a stronger Nokia OS
\nWhy we feel the smartphone world could benefit from a stronger Nokia OS
\nHuman
\nWe always talk on the same level as our customers. Be friendly and conversational, never patronising.
\nWe want to make sure customers realise there are real, live people at uSwitch. So, we speak in a familiar language and in a colloquial manner, and we’re always friendly and inclusive.
\nHaving snagged voice recognition company Ivona back in January, it’s not too much of a leap to imagine that Amazon is prepping its own smartphone.
\nIn January, Amazon acquired Ivona, a voice-recognition company. It would seem the next logical step for the company is to create a smartphone using this technology.
\nConnected
\nWe are seamlessly synchronised with the wider world and financial one. Be timely, knowledgeable and accurate.
\nWe’re experts because we listen (but not just to the industry leaders) and are involved in the industry. But we don’t just listen — we also look out for consumers, who are most impacted by any changes (or lack of).
\nWhat Ofgem’s big announcement means for you
\nOfgem ‘opening up the market’ to boost energy competition
\nAdvisory
\nWe make a positive impact on the lives of our customers. Be empowering and informative.
\nWe don’t just tell people what to do. We guide them into the best decision for them, and we do that by providing accurate, easy-to-understand and relevant information. We make it clear that they are in the driving seat, and we’re just here to support them when they’re unsure.
\nFrank
\nWe speak truthfully and with insight. Be honest and transparent. We’re open and direct. We don’t hide relevant info or intentionally mislead our customers.
\n","subNav":[]},{"name":"Grammar","page":"grammar.html","template":"styleguide/templates/simple.tpl","section":"language","content":"The rules of the game. Consistent grammar and punctuation make good copy easier to read and understand.
\n\nAbbreviations
\nFor names of companies or organisations, if an abbreviation is more familiar than the full form (e.g. BBC, IBM) use that. If not, write the name in full the first time you mention it, followed by the abbreviation in brackets. The next time you refer to it, use only the abbreviation.
\n\nAcronyms
\nWrite out in first use, noting the acronym in brackets; then use just the acronym going forward. Familiar acronyms such as WiFi, HTML, HMRC and BT are exempt from this rule.
\n\n The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) has warned that the campaigns being led by lobbies could lead to higher household bills. Matthew Sinclair, director of the TPA ... \n\n\n
\nAmpersand
\nDo not use the “&” symbol unless it is part of a company or product name.
\n\nApostrophes
\nAvoid common misuse of apostrophes:
\n\nBritish English
\nUse the British ‘s’ in words such as ‘realise’, and ‘specialise’, rather than the American ‘z’.
\n\nBullet points
\nBullet points are a good way to make web copy easier to scan for readers. Bullet points should always be round, and limit bullets to six or fewer. Make sure they are grammatically logical.
\n\nCapital letters
\nNever use all capital letters. Headlines follow usual sentence structure, with only the first word and proper nouns utilising capitals.
\n\nCompany names and references
\nFollow punctuation and capitalisation of company names and products as they are branded.
\n\n E.ON, iPhone, iSaver\n\n\n
When referencing a company in a news or guide, remember to always keep them in the singular.
\n\n BT is launching a new ... (not BT are launching a new ...)\n\n\n
\nContractions
\nOur tone of voice is friendly and familiar, so it’s fine to use contractions like ‘they’ll’, ‘it’ll’, ‘isn’t’.
\n\nDashes and hyphens
\nIf you use a dash within a sentence to create emphasis, then use a long em dash – rather than a hyphen (-).\nCompound adjectives before a noun generally use a hyphen (e.g. ‘the well-organised energy provider’). After a noun, they should be separated (e.g. ‘the energy provider was well organised’).
\n\nDates
\nAlways write out the date, using day, month, year format in news and guides:
\n\n 9 December 2013. When using dates in tables, this may be shortened for space reasons to 9/12/13\n\n\n
In forms when asking for a date we always use the DD/MM/YYYY format.
\n\nExclamation marks
\nUse sparingly, never in headers or intro copy, best suited for marketing/promotional material or news/blogs.
\n\nFull stops
\nDon’t use full stops at the end of headlines.
\n\nGovernment
\nDo not capitalise unless starting a sentence. The abbreviated Gov’t can be used in headlines and desk heads/straplines.
\n\nLegals, disclaimers and caveats
\nSuperscript numbering should be used when there is more than one caveat, however, when there is only one caveat in a communication, an asterisk (*) should be used.
\n\nLess vs. Fewer
\nUse “less” when the subject is something that cannot be counted
\n\nShe wants to have less clutter on her desk.\n\n\n
Use “fewer” when the subject is something that can be counted
\n\nHe sent fewer texts after getting a £100 phone bill.\n\n\n
\nNumbers
\n\nOK
\nNot Ok or okay.
\n\nPercentages
\nAlways use the “%” symbol; only use “per cent” at the start of a sentence. Always use numerals when talking about percentages (54%), unless it starts a sentence. We never use abbreviation “pc” when talking about percentages.
\n\n Fifty-five per cent of the population own an iPhone.\n\n\n
\n Of those surveyed, 55% said they had been denied a credit card. \n\n\n
\nPlans vs tariffs
\nPlans is the preferred term, only switch to use of tariff when trying to avoid repetition within one email or guide.
\n\nQuotation marks
\nAlways use double quotation marks (“) when placing a direct quote in body copy.
\nUse single quote marks (‘) in headlines, standfirsts/dek heads and when quoting within a quote:
\n\n Super-fast broadband uptake ‘reaches 20% in UK’\n\n\n
\n “Super-fast broadband will be the engine for growth for the broadband future of Britain," he said. \n\n\n
\nTitles and Names
\nProfessional titles are not capitalised unless it directly precedes a name:
\n\n Director of Consumer Policy Jane Smith said that the news was a shock.\n\n\n
\n Jane Smith, director of consumer policy at the company, said the news came as a shock.\n\n\n
On first reference, use the person’s first and last name. On subsequent references, last name only is used.
\nMr/Mrs/Miss/Ms is never used.
\n\n Energy Secretary Ed Davey was on-hand to field questions about the news. Davey arrived late, citing a long-running meeting.\n\n\n
\nWi-Fi
\nNot wifi, WIFI, WiFi, etc.
\n","subNav":[{"name":"Abbreviations","link":"#Abbreviations"},{"name":" Acronyms","link":"#Acronyms"},{"name":"Ampersand","link":"#Ampersand"},{"name":"Apostrophes","link":"#Apostrophes"},{"name":"British English","link":"#British English"},{"name":"Bullet points","link":"#Bullet points"},{"name":"Capital letters","link":"#Capital letters"},{"name":"Company names and references","link":"#Company names and references"},{"name":"Contractions","link":"#Contractions"},{"name":"Dashes and hyphens","link":"#Dashes and hyphens"},{"name":"Dates","link":"#Dates"},{"name":"Full stops","link":"#Full stops"},{"name":"Government","link":"#Government"},{"name":"Legals, disclaimers and caveats","link":"#Legals, disclaimers and caveats"},{"name":"Less vs. Fewer","link":"#Less vs. Fewer"},{"name":"Numbers","link":"#Numbers"},{"name":"OK","link":"#OK"},{"name":"Percentages","link":"#Percentages"},{"name":"Plans vs tariffs","link":"#Plans vs tariffs"},{"name":"Quotation marks","link":"#Quotation marks"},{"name":"Titles and Names","link":"#Titles and Names"},{"name":"Wi-Fi","link":"#Wi-Fi"}]},{"name":"Icons","page":"icons.html","template":"styleguide/templates/styleguide.tpl","section":"design","blocks":[{"page":"Design/Icons","name":"Icons","partial":"icons","description":" Our icons are displayed via xlink:href
in the <use>
tags. This allows us to directly embed SVGs in a flexible manner and be able to apply transformations and any sort of colours onto them.
We use an SVG sprite called icons.svg
that is versioned just like ustyle. As per the examples, the icons are referenced via the ID, like this: icons.svg#icon-bookmark
Accessibility: In most cases, icons are purely presentational elements. In this scenario, you want to add: aria-hidden="true"
and role="presentation"
to your code.
Suffixing with --{size}
where size is one of small, medium or large will change the size of the icon from 16px, 32px and 64px respectively.
.us-icon--{size}--sm-tablet
and .us-icon--{size}--mobile
will override icon sizes for those screen size
.us-icon--notext
allows you to set any element with no content to an icon
blue, typegrey, inputgrey, typecyan and custom are colors that can be set on the icon with .us-icon--{color}
Colors can be changed by adding your own fill:
style to the SVG.
svg4everybody.js is needed for Internet Explorer browsers
\n This is the basic form field, .us-field
wrapper for any single input or select. It sets a few layout options by default (margin) and styles any labels within. You can create a fake label style with .us-faux-label
placeholder
attribute for the input. Not highlighting required fields makes the form look less intimidating.Input groups allow you to add "boxes" to the left or right of an input. These boxes usually contain a visual icon to represent the usage of the input.
\n","state":[{"name":".us-input-group--disabled","escaped":"us-input-group--disabled","description":"Disabled state for input groups.","markup":{"example":"Our standard input styling across the website. This is specifically for text, email, password, search etc. type inputs.
\nSpecifying an appropriate type attribute (e.g. type="tel" for telephone number fields) will not only control what input is displayed, but also helps mobile devices select a keyboard layout suitable for entering that type of data.
\nWhere appropriate use the autocomplete attribute to make it easier for the browser to fill in fields on the users behalf, saving them time on lengthy forms.
\nBrowsers that support screen density media features display our font icon tick or a box shadow circle. Other browsers fallback to default styling.
\nLike select boxes, radio buttons are good for making a selection from a mutually exclusive list of options. The main difference between the two is that with radio buttons, the user must choose exactly one of the options.
\nUse radio buttons when each of the choices matters to the user. Each needs to be considered before they make their choice.
\nCheckboxes in a group should be used for choosing zero or more options from a list of independent options. Toggling one should not change the state of others in the group.
\nA stand-alone checkbox is good for toggling something on/off or opting in/out.
\nProvide a default selection to radio and checkbox groups if it's necessary and wont be changed by 90% of your users.
\nTry to keep the number of radio buttons and checkboxes in the same group to a maximum of 6.
\nSelect boxes allow users to choose an option or options from a list of options.
\nUse select boxes when choosing one or more options from a list of related, but mutually exclusive options e.g. profession, title, month.
\nIt can be tempting to put many things in a select box for users to choose from. Try to keep the list of options to between 4 and 15 so the user doesn't become overwhelmed with choices.
\n