Naming guidelines

Name for clarity and understanding.

Names for products and features should add clarity and help people understand what the product or feature does, but not every product or feature needs a name.

⚠ Before you launch into a naming exploration, take a step back. Does the feature need a name? Here are some guidelines to think about:

When to name a feature or product

  • Branding the product or feature will add distinction.
  • It's a product that will be externally available. For example, WMG Pulse is available in the app store.
  • It's a product that will be easier if people have a single name to refer to, rather than a description of a concept. For example, WMG One.
  • The description for the product or feature is too wordy and not easily understood, such as app for WMG artists and songwriters to track their career (WMG Pulse) or autonomous driving taxi brought to you by Google (Waymo).

When thinking of a name, ask yourself if having a name will add clarity, or if introducing a name might cause confusion or make something more complicated than it needs to be.

Often calling something exactly what it is—using descriptive language—is more useful and helps people intuitively understand what the product or feature does. For release creation we have a place to add your files. This is simple and easy to understand. Internally we might refer to it as a name for shorthand, but that shorthand, in this case Asset Hub, should not find its way to the UI.

When not to name a feature or product

It's tempting to put your mark on a product or feature by coming up with a clever name. But if you then need to define the name before people understand it and there's a descriptive way to refer to something that people easily understand, it may be best to use the description.

For example, a team introduced the term passion score to rate how often a track was listened to organically. Passion score was a proprietary name without a clear correlation to what it was naming. In this case, using the description of what this score was measuring—organic streams per listener—was far easier to understand than a new term.

When to use descriptive language for a product or feature

  • If a simple, descriptive phrase (like social creations to describe all UGC created content) would give a better clue over a new proprietary term.
  • A name would need a lengthy explanation or definition before people understand what it refers to.
  • Internal names may make it harder for people to remember what product does what.
  • The feature is standard or expected, and naming it would overemphasize a minor component.
  • A name wouldn't align with the established naming conventions or product family structure.

Considerations

Ecosystem

Where does the name fit in with other products? Is there a product or brand architecture to uphold? For example, when naming WMG Pulse we had to consider the brand architecture of Warner Music Group at the top level, and what sibling products might exist, such as WMG One. In addition we had to consider the other products in the ecosystem that had similar names or what names had already been used for other products.

Users

Who is the primary audience for the product? Is it an internal or external audience?

Competitive and comparative products

Will there be any confusion with existing products?

In naming WMG Music IQ we did an audit of comparative and inspirational products, then did a name search against our proposed names to see if there were similar products with a name that might cause confusion. In doing this process we removed names like HarmonIQ that had existing usage. Putting WMG in front of the name helped claim ownership.

Process

Step 1: Research and short list your names

  • Start with research
    • Talk to your stakeholders.
    • Identify a potential approval process.
      • Is this a feature name tech can own?
      • Will this be used externally and should have RK approval (WMG Music IQ and WMG Pulse)?
    • Understand if there are any known constraints or requirements, such as from ELT or legal.
    • Be clear about how that name might be used, consider things like:
      • External branding
      • Internal understanding
      • Reuse throughout our products
  • Not sure how to build requirements? Consider these points:
    • What feeling should the name evoke?
    • What attributes should the name convey?
    • How would you describe the product/feature if it were a person?
    • What is the top business goal?
    • From a branding perspective, what is most important? (clarity, edginess, representing music, uniqueness, etc.)
    • Think about your role and anti-role models.
      • Are there products that represent your goals well?
        • Example: For WMG Music IQ, Gemini and Watson were role model names. Watson, in particular, had historical significance to IBM as the last name of the first CEO. In addition, Watson is the intelligent sidekick to Sherlock Holmes, and Watson was the helpful assistant to Alexander Graham Bell in discovering the telephone. So while IBM claims Watson is named for their first CEO, they benefit from other references.
      • Are there products you'd like to avoid?
        • Example: For WMG Music IQ, Siri was an anti-role model name. Siri was named to honor the creator's co-worker, and the name itself translates to beautiful woman. Other references are to a goddess. The goal for Music IQ was to avoid gendered names, especially placing gender on an assistant.
  • Lead a naming brainstorm.
    • You can do this in a meeting, async, or between you and Gemini!
    • If you decide to lead a brainstorm, identify participants.
      • For external names:
        • Include Comms in brainstorms.
        • Work closely with legal/trademark partners.
      • Use FigJam or other templates.

Step 2: Evaluate names

  • Score top names with a weighted scorecard.
    • Take your requirements and assign weights to different attributes to determine what is most important, then build out a scorecard or spreadsheet.
    • Rate each name against how well it meets the criteria: this is subjective so try to invite a small group to score with you.
    • If the name is external facing, include legal guidance as an attribute to score against.
  • Visualize the name.
    • Place the name in product and other materials where the name might appear.
    • If considering multiple names, create mock-ups for each name.

Ongoing: Use research throughout your process

  • When testing a new product or feature, ask research participants:
    • To describe the product or feature.
    • What they might name this product or feature.
    • What this product or feature reminds them of (other products or features).
    • How does this product or feature make them feel?
  • When you have a few names that are your top contenders:
    • Place the names in the product the way it would be used, then ask participants what they think the feature might do.
    • Show the name in the brand architecture; how it might appear within our product line up.
    • If applicable, show the name in places it may appear externally, such as in an app store listing.

Resources

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