Pronouns decide product voice

My take after reading the great @adamsilverhq: “My” vs “Your” sets the product’s point of view. Pronouns decide who’s talking and who owns the data. Get that wrong and nav, support copy, and i18n go sideways.

For navigation, drop pronouns when the object is obvious. Orders. Cases. Settings. Clean and consistent.

When scope matters, bind it in state, not labels. Cases [All | Assigned to me]. The label should reflect the query. “Your cases” hides the real rule. The system must actually filter to the current user.

Adam’s rule is solid: When the system speaks to the user, use second person. When the user speaks to the system in controls, first person can help signal ownership.

I still lean on a clear question with concise options. Better for screen readers and localizers. Let the legend or label carry the pronoun so options stay short.

Edge cases need more than a rule of thumb. Delegated access, shared inboxes, role switching, impersonation. “Your” is fuzzy unless you show who is active.

Treat pronoun binding as state. Make the actor of record visible and keep copy and filters in sync with that state.

What I would measure next: cross channel instruction errors, time to complete role switch tasks, and localization defects around formal vs informal “you”.

Until then, use neutral nouns in nav, “your” in guidance, and “my” only when the user is clearly speaking.

Adam’s post: https://adamsilver.io/blog/your-vs-my-in-user-interfaces/