# Waddle — Voice & Tone

Playfully purposeful · Kid-clear · Cheerfully encouraging · Trustworthy for grown-ups · Penguin-guided, not pun-stuffed

## Personality

- **Funny ↔ Serious:** leans funny (-1) — Waddle should be playful and lightly funny through its penguin guide, but money learning and safety need enough seriousness to feel trustworthy.
- **Formal ↔ Casual:** casual (+2) — Kids need friendly, everyday language, and parents benefit from plainspoken clarity rather than institutional finance copy.
- **Respectful ↔ Irreverent:** leans respectful (-1) — Waddle can be charming, but it must respect kids’ confidence, family money choices, and parent oversight.
- **Enthusiastic ↔ Matter-of-fact:** leans enthusiastic (-1) — The experience should feel encouraging and quest-like, while avoiding hype, pressure, or exaggerated claims about money.

## Traits

- **Playfully purposeful** — Waddle sounds fun, light, and game-like, but every playful moment points back to a real money habit.
  - Why: The app uses a cheerful penguin guide, quests, and rewards, so the voice should feel like an adventure—not a lecture or a bank statement.
  - e.g. "Quest complete! You gave your savings goal a little waddle forward."
- **Kid-clear** — Uses simple words, short sentences, and concrete actions kids can understand right away.
  - Why: Waddle teaches money skills to children, so clarity matters more than financial jargon. Kids should know exactly what to do next.
  - e.g. "Pick a goal, choose how much to save, and Waddle will help you track it."
- **Cheerfully encouraging** — Celebrates effort, progress, and consistency without pressure, shame, or overpromising.
  - Why: Building savings habits takes time. Waddle should make kids feel capable even when they save a small amount or miss a day.
  - e.g. "Nice work. Even a tiny save can grow into something big."
- **Trustworthy for grown-ups** — When speaking to parents or guardians, Waddle becomes calm, transparent, and practical while keeping a warm edge.
  - Why: Parents need confidence that a kids’ money app is safe, educational, and responsible—not just cute.
  - e.g. "You’re in charge of transfers, permissions, and settings. Kids get the practice; you keep the controls."
- **Penguin-guided, not pun-stuffed** — Uses light penguin and adventure language sparingly to create charm, never to obscure meaning.
  - Why: The penguin guide is a core brand asset, but too many puns can make money lessons feel gimmicky or hard to understand.
  - e.g. "Ready to waddle toward your goal? Start today’s savings quest."

## Tone by context

- **Kid onboarding:** Be welcoming, simple, and choice-driven. Explain one action at a time. Make the penguin guide feel like a friendly helper, not an authority figure.
- **Parent onboarding:** Lead with safety, controls, learning outcomes, and transparency. Keep warmth, but reduce whimsy and avoid cutesy language.
- **Daily quests:** Use upbeat, action-oriented language. Make quests feel achievable in a few minutes. Tie each activity to a money habit such as saving, planning, or choosing.
- **Success and rewards:** Celebrate effort and habit-building, not just amounts saved. Avoid implying that bigger savings make a kid better or more successful.
- **Errors and blocked actions:** Stay calm and helpful. Explain what happened in plain language, say what to do next, and never blame the child.
- **Missed quests or low balance:** Be gentle and non-shaming. Frame recovery as easy and normal: kids can come back, adjust, or ask a grown-up.
- **Money lessons:** Use examples from a kid’s world: toys, books, games, snacks, gifts, allowance, and goals. Avoid adult finance terms unless immediately explained.
- **Marketing:** Balance delight for kids with credibility for parents. Show that Waddle is fun, but make the core promise about practical money confidence.
- **Security, privacy, and payments:** Be direct, plainspoken, and reassuring. Minimize mascot language. Avoid jokes around money movement, personal data, or account access.

## Messaging

**Audience:** Kids learning to save, plan, and make money choices, plus parents and guardians who want a safe, guided way to teach real-world money habits.
**Value:** Waddle turns saving into kid-friendly daily quests that build real money habits with guidance parents can trust.

- **Money skills through play** — Kids learn saving, goal-setting, patience, and decision-making through short quests and rewards instead of lectures.
- **Small steps, real habits** — Waddle celebrates consistent progress, helping kids see how everyday choices add up over time.
- **Guided by a cheerful penguin** — A friendly penguin companion makes money practice feel approachable, encouraging, and age-appropriate.
- **Built with grown-up confidence** — Parents and guardians stay connected with controls, visibility, and clear guidance around money movement and learning.

## Lexicon

**Use:** `save`, `goal`, `money habit`, `quest`, `daily quest`, `reward`, `progress`, `practice`, `plan`, `choose`, `grown-up`, `parent or guardian`, `penguin guide`, `waddle forward`, `small steps`, `you’re in charge`, `try again`, `nice work`, `keep going`, `learn by doing`
**Avoid:** `financial literacy`, `wealth-building`, `portfolio`, `ROI`, `interest optimization`, `maximize returns`, `spend guilt-free`, `grind`, `hustle`, `get rich`, `cash out big`, `don’t miss out`, `limited-time pressure`, `bad choice`, `you failed`, `broke`, `poor`, `gamble`, `jackpot`, `addictive`, `adulting`, `users under 13`

## Mechanics

- **Capitalization:** Sentence case for headings, buttons, and notifications. Avoid all caps except for standard acronyms.
- **Contractions:** yes
- **Emoji:** Sparingly. Use at most one in kid-facing celebratory moments; avoid emoji in security, privacy, payments, and error states.
- **Reading level:** Grade 3–5 for kid-facing UI; grade 6–8 for parent-facing product and marketing copy.

## Boilerplate

- **Short:** Waddle is a playful kids’ savings app that turns money habits into daily quests with help from a cheerful penguin guide.
- **Medium:** Waddle helps kids learn to save, plan, and make smart money choices through playful daily quests and rewards. With a cheerful penguin guide for kids and trusted controls for parents, Waddle turns small steps into real money habits.
- **Long:** Waddle is a kids’ savings and money-skills app that makes learning about money feel playful, practical, and safe. Kids set goals, complete daily quests, earn rewards, and build confidence with help from a cheerful penguin guide. Along the way, they practice real habits like saving, planning, waiting, and making choices. Parents and guardians stay connected with clear controls and visibility, so kids can learn by doing while grown-ups remain in charge. Waddle turns small money moments into skills kids can carry forward.

## Voice in action

**Kid onboarding welcome**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Hi, I’m Waddle! I’ll help you save for something special, one small quest at a time. | Welcome to Waddle, your personal finance companion for building strong savings behavior. | The on-voice version is friendly, concrete, and kid-readable; the off-voice version sounds adult and abstract. |

**Create a savings goal**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| success | What are you saving for? Choose a goal and we’ll waddle toward it together. | Set a savings objective to begin tracking your financial progress. | Waddle uses simple goal language and a light mascot cue instead of banking-style terminology. |

**Daily quest card**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary-cta | Today’s quest: Save a little, then tell Waddle what your money is helping you reach. | Complete today’s task by depositing funds and entering a savings rationale. | The on-voice version makes the action feel achievable and meaningful for kids. |

**Quest completion**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| success | Quest complete! You practiced saving today. That’s a strong little step. | Success. Your daily savings activity has been recorded. | Waddle celebrates effort and habit-building, not just system completion. |

**Missed daily quest**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| notification | No worries—quests wait for you. Come back when you’re ready to take the next small step. | You missed your daily savings quest. Open Waddle now to maintain your streak. | The on-voice version avoids shame and pressure while still inviting re-engagement. |

**Low balance**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| error | Looks like there isn’t enough to save that amount right now. Try a smaller save or ask your grown-up for help. | Insufficient funds. Please reduce the amount or contact the account holder. | The on-voice version is clear and non-blaming for kids, with a practical next step. |

**Parent permission needed**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| empty-state | A grown-up needs to approve this first. Ask them to check Waddle when they have a minute. | This action requires account administrator authorization before it can proceed. | The on-voice version explains the block in child-friendly language without sounding technical. |

**Parent dashboard**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | You manage transfers, permissions, and settings. Your child gets hands-on practice while you stay in control. | Enable your child to independently interact with financial tools while you monitor account activity. | The on-voice version is reassuring and precise for parents, with less corporate distance. |

**Security notice**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| notification | For safety, we signed you out. Please sign in again to keep using Waddle. | Oopsie! Your iceberg session floated away. Log back in to keep waddling! | Security moments should be warm but direct, not jokey or mascot-heavy. |

**Educational tip**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| empty-state | Saving means keeping money for later. Future-you might be glad you waited. | Saving is the process of reserving income for future consumption rather than immediate expenditure. | The on-voice version teaches the concept in plain, memorable language. |
