General rules
Use clear, neutral and inclusive language, avoiding stereotypes or terms with social history tied to ethnicity, nationality or cultural identity. See: Voice and tone
Use terms that describe processes, technology or jobs, not people or users. See: User management
Avoid idioms, metaphors or slang that may not translate well across cultures or abilities.
Non-inclusive language list
Below is a list of common UI terms and action labels to avoid and includes recommended alternatives for your product’s UI text.
Disclaimer and content warning
The list is incomplete and is revised dynamically and iteratively. Exceptions can be made for varying contexts in product lines, but we list - and recommend - more appropriate alternatives here.
Note: The list contains words that may be considered offensive, sensitive or inappropriate. These terms may be triggering, upsetting or disturbing to some individuals. Viewer discretion is advised.
Gender
| Non-inclusive terms | Explanation | Alternative terms |
|---|---|---|
| daughter board | Reinforces traditional gender hierarchies in technical contexts. | • auxiliary / ancillary board • secondary board |
| male / female connector | Reinforces traditional gender hierarchies in technical contexts. Modern inclusive-language frameworks avoid gendered terms. | • plug / external • socket / internal • jack |
| male / female thread | Reinforces traditional gender hierarchies in technical contexts. Modern inclusive-language frameworks avoid gendered terms. | • external / internal thread |
| man-hours | The term can be offensive because it is gender-specific and excludes women and non-binary individuals. | • person hours • effort hours • team hours • work hours |
| mother board | Uses gendered language that reinforces outdated stereotypes and may feel exclusionary in technical documentation. | • main board • logic board • system board |
Ability
| Non-inclusive terms | Explanation | Alternative terms |
|---|---|---|
| blind / double blind | Offensive to people who are blind or have other visual impairments. | • anonymous • dual anonymous |
| blind review | Equates blindness with ignorance. | • anonymous review |
| disable(d) | Sometimes used in technical contexts to signal something is not working. Insensitive to people with disabilities. | • turn off • uncheck • unavailable • clear |
| dummy | Has historical meaning of stupid and unintelligent. Outdated, non-descriptive and harmful for users with intellectual disabilities. | • test • fake • sample • example • placeholder • prototype |
| dummy data | Reinforces the association with disability and is not clear in its purpose or origin. | • sample data • mock data • test data |
| dummy user | Reinforces the association with lack of intelligence which is unprofessional. | • test user |
| dummy value | Although used in programming contexts, this is now outdated and the professional standard has changed. | • default value • placeholder value • sample value • temporary value |
| enable | Since "disable" should be avoided due to disability-related insensitivity, continuing to use "enable" creates an irregular pairing. Some feel this confuses users and undermines inclusive language efforts, however it is still widely used in UI texts today. | • activate • allow • display • set • show • use • include |
| sanity check | Refers to a quick verification that something makes sense before proceeding. Uses mental health terminology, which can trivialize mental illness. | • quick check • reality check • functional test • confidence check • spot check |
Age
| Non-inclusive term | Explanation | Alternative terms |
|---|---|---|
| grandfathered in | Refers to an exception that allows for old rules to be used. Linked to racist voter-suppression laws and exclusion. | • legacy status • exemption / exempt |
Ethnicity
| Non-inclusive terms | Explanation | Alternative terms |
|---|---|---|
| black | This term is particularly sensitive in discussions about race and language and the goal is to remove all racial connotations from technical terms. Never use when black means unknown, mysterious or bad. Use for color references and visual properties only. | • dark • dark mode |
| black box testing | Reinforces the association with mystery and concealment. | • behavioral testing • opaque-box testing • closed-box testing • functional testing |
| black hat (hacker) | Reinforces the association with illegality. | • criminal hacker • unethical hacker • malicious actor • unauthorized hacker |
| blacklist | Reinforces the association with exclusion and privilege. | • deny list • reject list • untrusted list • blocked list • exclude (include) • block (allow) |
| gray hat (hacker) | Reinforces racial color coding and oversimplifies the legality and ethics of the role. | • ethical hacker • hacktivist • security researcher |
| native (feature) | Refers to something designed specifically for a particular platform. Still extensively used but as it has cultural associations, alternatives are being introduced. | • built-in • default • first-party • platform-specific • integrated |
| red team | Used as a derogatory term for Native Americans, reinforcing harmful racial stereotypes. | • attack team • adversary team • offensive security team |
| tribe | May carry cultural and historical associations. Using it for team structures can be seen as insensitive in some contexts. | • team • group • unit |
| white | Reinforces racial color coding. Avoid all metaphorical terms when white means known, accepted, good or true. Use for color references and visual properties only. | • light mode • light |
| white box | Reinforces racial color coding and associates white with transparent. | • open box • clear box |
| white hat (hacker) | Reinforces racial color coding and associates white with good. | • ethical hacker |
| whitelist | Reinforces the association with exclusion and privilege. Outdated, no longer used in industrial contexts. | • allow list • trust list • trusted list • approved list • include (exclude) • allow (block) |
| white team | Reinforces racial color coding. | • control team • facilitation team • coordination |
| yellow team | Has historically been used as a derogatory term for people of Asian descent, reinforcing harmful racial stereotypes. | • team |
Official Siemens brand resources regarding this theme are exclusively available for Siemens AG employees and partners, and can be accessed here.