Should labels and messages in an user interface be in first person or third person voice? For example, in an email client should the contacts be called “My Contacts”, or “Your Contacts”? Of course we can call it just contacts. But the point is if the UI has to refer to the user should it be in first person or third person? I think first person is suitable for navigation, labels, and other short phrases. But for sentences like error messages, and confirmation messages third person voice is more suitable.
An uxmatters.com Q&A on this topic suggests first trying to use just the noun. If that is not possible, then use first person voice (My Contacts) since it makes the experience more personal. Third person voice can also be used when the application has an instructional tone example like a learning software.
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I think text like “My Contacts” is frequently a label, short for “View My Contacts”. Clicking on it is an action, and it makes sense for the action label to match the voice of the actor, thus first-person. Messages coming *from* the software should be third-person then, so the voice matches the actor. It’s a conversation back and forth with the software
Of course, then you have to distinguish when the software is talking to you, and when it’s presenting labels/actions for you to execute.