Voice and tone
The voice and tone of our brand is approachable, human and easy to understand
Our brand principles — Simply smart, Human kind and With a twist — guide what we say and how we say it. We use plain, straightforward language balanced with a warm, welcoming tone. Health care is complicated — our language shouldn’t be. Here are some tips for double-checking your voice and tone when you're writing for uhc.com.
Our voice and tone will
- Simplify and modernize UnitedHealthcare
- Seamlessly complement our brand visual identity
- Positively change the way we are perceived by internal and external audiences
- Strengthen our commitment to care
- Communicate with authenticity and humanity
Health care is:
- Complicated
- Individual
- Emotional
- Innovative
- Human
Our language is:
- Simple
- Personal
- Empathetic
- Dynamic
- Authentic
Simply smart is
- A headline with a singular message
- Simple, effective content
- Information that is easy to navigate
- The right amount of detail (if it doesn’t add, take it away)
Simply smart isn't
- A headline with multiple messages
- Overly detailed or dense content
- Content that must be read in full to understand1
- Too much detail in one touchpoint
Human kind is
- Writing from the perspective of our audience
- Language that is warm, personal and inclusive
- Embracing authenticity, connecting with
empathy and a sense of humility - Incorporating storytelling into messaging
- Talking like an adult to an adult
Human kind isn't
- Writing from the perspective of UnitedHealthcare
- Impersonal, generic or corporate language
- Trying too hard or sounding like someone we’re not
- Delivering information in a dry, factual tone
- Talking like a parent to a child
With a twist is
- Celebrating positivity and exhibiting a sensitivity that is appropriate to the UnitedHealthcare brand and to the health care category
- Using a tone that is appropriate for the subject matter, messaging, audience and touchpoint
- Unexpected yet unmistakable, highlighting wit, emotion or a clever spin
- Creative language that is used only when appropriate to the subject, audience and touchpoint
With a twist isn't
- Inappropriate for the brand, subject matter or the health care category
- The same tone for every message, audience and touchpoint
- Cute, sarcastic, a pun or a tone that could be interpreted as off-brand
- Relevant for every touchpoint
A focus on simple and human kind on UHC.com
Our UX focus on UHC.com primarily leans into the first 2 principles: simple and human kind. Our goal is to help our users find and understand information quickly, scan easily and complete actions efficiently. With this as our main objective, the principle "With a twist" is implemented with less frequency on the site.
Here are some additional resources to help you learn more about brand voice and tone, word choice, spelling preferences and more.