Craft clear names for features and labels in your app

Hi, I'm Heej, a UX writer on the Human Interface design team. Think about the last time you opened an app and just knew where to go. That feeling is designed. And one of the most powerful tools you have for creating it can also be easy to overlook — the name you give things.

For over 50 years, Apple has created names that have become part of everyday life for many. Names like Mac, iPhone and iCloud.

But naming happens at every level — from menus to tab bars to settings. And all of those choices, big and small, add up to how someone feels about your app.

Today we're going to look at how to make those choices well.

So we'll start with the qualities that make a name work and what's at stake when a name falls short.

Then we'll walk through an exercise, a way to get to the right name by understanding who you're building for and testing how a name actually works in practice.

And we'll close with how to evaluate any name you come up with so you can walk away with something concrete to apply to whatever you're building.

Let's start with the criteria.

Belongs — this first one is about fit. A name that truly belongs doesn't just sound like your app, it works at every level. What users expect to find there. How it lives among everything else you've named.

Expectations — the second is about clarity and trust. When someone reads a name, they're already predicting what they'll find. The right name delivers on that and when it does, trust builds.

And finally — works everywhere. A name that travels — holding up across languages, markets, and the platforms and contexts where your app lives.

Keep in mind that names won't always check every box. You may have criteria of your own, like trademark considerations or specific regulations in your industry. So think of these criteria as a guide, not a rulebook. The trade-offs are yours to make. Now let's see them at work with an example from Apple Cash.

When I want to send money with Apple Cash, there's one thing I need to know right away — how much I have.

That amount is right next to the button I use to send it. And we need to label what it is.

What if we called it Spending Power? It sounds compelling, but it's not concrete. And it raises more questions. Is it a credit limit? A score? In a financial context, ambiguity is the last thing you want. It also doesn't quite feel like something that belongs in an Apple service.

And consider the tone. If my Spending Power is low, or at zero that stops being a label and starts feeling like a judgment.

Payment services carry a lot of trust. A name that passes judgment, even unintentionally, breaks that trust.

What about something more descriptive like Current Funds? It describes what's here — the funds currently in my account.

But Current Funds sounds like something out of a spreadsheet. Try saying it out loud — let me check my Current Funds. People don't really talk like that in natural conversation. That gut check alone tells you it doesn't belong in a service that people use to send and receive money.

So the best name here for this value is Balance. It's the industry-standard term for it because it's well-understood, clear, and neutral.

Clarity and trust come first here, not brand expression. Balance belongs in this app, sets exactly the right expectation, and travels without friction.

Sometimes the most obvious word is the right one because it's already doing the job.

There are times when the pull toward something more clever or branded is real. Consider a subscription screen in a gym app. Two plans - Basic Access and All Access. They're pretty clear and easy to choose between. But what if we got a little creative with the plan names? What if we called them Lightweight and Heavyweight plans instead? That's fun and seems on brand. But there's a learning curve. What do those names actually mean? That friction makes choosing harder. So how do you decide? Here's the thing about the criteria I mentioned at the beginning, about a name belonging, setting expectations, and working everywhere — you don't have to check every box. Maybe Lightweight and Heavyweight really do fit the gym brand better. That's totally fine, there's just more work to do to make sure those names are understood.

Sometimes you lean into clarity. Other times you lean into brand. Ask yourself what matters most given where a feature or setting lives and let that guide which criteria you prioritize.

Now let's look at how to come up with a great name.

When you're building something, it's natural to name it by what it does, the technology behind it, or the function. But the people using your app don't see it that way. They want to know what it does for them. Who's your app for? New parents? People training for a marathon? Start by getting clear on your audience first, and try this exercise.

With the audience in mind, ask yourself when they encounter this feature, what should they think, feel, and do? So let's walk through this exercise together. Imagine you're part of the Apple Maps team, and you're naming a feature that remembers the places you've been; that new café you discovered last week, or the park with the accessible trails.

We'll apply our criteria as we go. Because without the perspective of who you're naming for, the criteria can seem abstract. With it, they become specific and actionable.

On your own or with your team, write down a few thoughts in each of these sections, one idea per sticky note.

Think. What does the team want people to think when using this type of feature? Maybe … that it's easy, or helpful, or even clever. When you do this, write down as many ideas as you can and don't filter yet.

You're not looking for the perfect word. You're looking for the themes that keep coming up.

Then move on to "feel". What should people feel? Like when you find a place you couldn't remember the name of for the longest time. That can feel like a fun moment. And secure. Knowing your places are private and encrypted. Both matter here.

And finally, "do". The team wants people to find this feature, use it, and share places with whomever they want. Now keep in mind that I'm only showing a few examples here. You might be surprised by how many you or your team actually come up with. More ideas are better here.

Once all the ideas are down, step back. You'll start to notice things repeating different words pointing to the same feeling. That's when you start to group them by theme.

For visited places, a few themes came up. Ease — finding what you're looking for without effort. Excitement — the fun surprise of rediscovering a place you loved. And security. Because this feature was built with privacy in mind, that has to come through.

What name could capture ease? Excitement? A sense of security? We can probably cross out a few right away, because they don't meet the criteria we've been talking about. Some of these just don't fit Apple.

Some feel a little vague, while others might not translate well.

You can narrow down the options even further with a simple test. Take the names and drop them into the sentences you might read or say to a friend.

Something like: Hey, check out Private Memories. Or just search for Private Memories. A name that reads and sounds natural — that's a name worth exploring further.

The Apple Maps team ultimately landed on Visited Places. Descriptive, clear, and already at home in an interface that uses the word places throughout.

It also sets the right expectation about ownership these are your places, that can't be read by Apple. And it works in different languages.

When you're evaluating your own options, look for the name that honors the themes you identified and tests well against the criteria. Remember, it doesn't have to pass all 3 criteria, but it's great when it does.

The examples we've looked at lean straightforward and descriptive but that's not the only approach. The right name for your app might be something a bit more evocative or expressive.

The Photos app has a feature that looks at your library and automatically surfaces moments that matter. A birthday, a trip, a regular Tuesday that turned out to be worth remembering.

It's an algorithmic photo grouping. What would you call it? Think about who's on the other end of this feature. Someone who just opened up Photos and found something from five years ago they'd forgotten about. Or a video of a laugh they hadn't heard in years.

That person isn't thinking about algorithms. They're looking for a memory.

Memories works because it meets them there in a way that a technical label never could. It fits the tone of the app and the relationship people have with their photos. And while it is still straightforward, the clarity comes from emotion, not explanation.

Every example we've looked at so far works but for different reasons. The question is how you know when yours does too.

Let's walk through an example in Apple Podcasts. Audio quality in podcasts can vary wildly, some shows are polished, while others are recorded in kitchens or cars.

So here's where that feature lives, in a menu that also controls the playback speed.

It isolates voices, reducing background noise without altering the original audio.

There are a few ideas that pop up.

Right away, vocal isolation comes to mind. But wait… For a feature like this, a verb works well because we're putting the person using it in control. The feature is something you do, not something you have.

So let's try Isolate Vocals instead.

But, that's an audio engineering term. It describes what the technology does, not what you experience.

How about Clarify Speech? Closer. But it only tells half the story. There's more to this feature than clarity alone.

Another obvious choice might be something like Enhance Playback, but it puts the feature before the person. What's being enhanced? For whom? How about Enhance Dialogue? It answers both questions — what's being enhanced and for whom before you even tap.

And that's exactly what they went with. It fits the context. It sets the right expectation. And when you turn the feature on, it delivers exactly what it promised. All three criteria, working seamlessly.

And the good news? The same name already appears on Apple TV for a similar feature — even more evidence that it belongs.

There's more than one way to be clear. Let's look at a name that takes a slightly different approach.

AutoMix is a setting in Apple Music that does what a good DJ does — keeps the music moving. It handles the transitions between songs automatically, so playback never stops.

Auto — it happens without you doing anything. Mix — it blends songs together.

Together they form a word that doesn't exist yet you can understand it immediately.

Naming deliberately isn't just for hero features. And when you name with intention, you don't have to default to words that already exist. AutoMix earns its clarity from its parts so that the invented word doesn't have to explain itself.

Descriptive like Enhance Dialogue, emotional like Memories, branded like AutoMix — the criteria don't change. How you weigh them is your call.

So what does this all add up to? Three things worth taking with you.

Naming is as fundamental to the experience of your app as the layout, interactions, and visual scheme. It shapes how someone experiences your app. The next time you're naming something, come back to the criteria. Does it belong in your app? Set the right expectation? Will it hold up everywhere your app lives? The best names don't just describe what something does. They speak to the person using it. When those two things align — what the product is and what the person needs that's when the name feels like it truly belongs.

Every good name you choose makes the next one easier. Names build on each other — and over time, they become the language of your app.

Naming is one of those decisions that can feel small in the moment. But the clarity it brings, the trust it builds, and the way it makes someone feel at home in your app — that accumulates. The next time you're wondering what to call something, you have a way to work through it. And your app or game will be better for it.

If you want to dig deeper, check out some of our other UX writing sessions from previous years. We can't wait to see what you build and what you name it. Thanks for watching!