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Software Engineering vocabulary · Web, Mobile and Interface Development

Call to action

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounCore term

In software engineering, call to action means: A button, link or short message that asks users to take the next step, such as 'Sign up', 'Add to cart' or 'Start free trial'.

In Turkish: eylem çağrısı, harekete geçirici mesaj, CTA

How it is used

Almost always shortened to CTA, said letter by letter. Designers and marketers talk about the primary CTA, CTA placement and CTA copy. A screen usually works best with one clear main call to action.

Example sentences

  1. Four buttons are competing for attention; this page needs one clear call to action.

  2. Changing the call to action from 'Submit' to 'Get my quote' increased clicks.

Common collocations

  • primary call to action
  • clear call to action
  • CTA button
  • CTA copy
  • buttonA clickable or tappable element that lets users perform an action, such as submitting a form, saving changes or opening a menu.
  • A/B testAn experiment in which users are randomly split into two groups that see different versions of something, so you can measure which version performs better.
  • visual hierarchyThe use of size, colour, contrast, spacing and position on a screen so that people notice the most important elements first and read the rest in a clear order.
  • microcopyThe short pieces of text in an interface, such as button labels, hints, error messages and confirmations, that guide users through a task.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Web, Mobile and Interface Development

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