Make It Plain:
Accessibility and Usability
Through Plain Language
#PlainLanguageForAll / #UofIWebCon
University of IL Web Conference: April 2013
Angela M. Hooker
@AccessForAll
angelahooker.com

These are summary slides
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The beauty of the web is
… it’s a great place to
have a conversation
with your users
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You want to:
•Communicate your
information so users will take
action (buy, sell, read,
subscribe, etc.)
•Meet your users’ needs
•Help them complete tasks or
find important information
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We’ve learned that
we create
technological
barriers to our
content, but
sometimes, we also
create barriers to
understanding …
with our words.
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Common content problems
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The wrong people write content
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“For ‘tis the sport to
have the enginer
hoist with his own
petard, an’t shall go
hard … WTH are you
saying, Shakespeare?
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Perhaps it’s the institution
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The institution
might dictate what
content goes on
the organization’s
website.
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“In order to make people understand your
organization’s materials, and get one’s point
across, so that everyone knows what one
means, it’s important that one doesn’t
ramble on and use more words than
necessary.”
(Some content is wordy.)
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Jargon hides meaning
“We’re
implementing a
skills mix
adjustment at
Acme Corp.”
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Slang or regional terms
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Some writers use
slang and/or
region or
country-centric
terms.
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“Pedantic” content
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Showy,
extravagant
words; overly
precise; or formal:
“The politicians
pontificated
about the failed
budget.”
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Forgetting the audience
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Those examples of
bad content aren’t
meaningful to users.
People write content
without considering
the intended and the
potential audiences.
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Just because
someone can’t
understand your
content doesn’t
mean they are
unintelligent.
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Blaming the users
@AccessForAll / #PlainLanguageForAll

“It’s not how you
said it—it’s what
you wrote or
spoke.
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How can plain language
help?
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Plain language is …
… writing that people can easily understand
the first time they read or hear it.
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Plain language is …
… usable and meets your users’ needs, so they
can complete specific tasks on your site,
social media channels, app, podcast, etc.
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Your users won’t
have to read your
content several
times to
understand it.
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It reduces user
frustration,
because it boosts
reading ease.
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People will respect
your “brand,” and
see your site as
authoritative (this
is not limited to
for-profit sites).
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You’ll retain more
users, and your
users will remain
loyal to you.
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These benefits can
widen your site’s
appeal, audience,
and influence.
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“But 75 percent
of _____ users
are _____ with an
advanced
degree!”
Don’t believe it!
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Don’t believe it!
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“Plain language
isn’t sophisticated,
it’s ‘dumbed
down,’ or doesn’t
reflect the gravity
of the topic
without using big
words.”
@AccessForAll / #PlainLanguageForAll

Plain language isn’t “dumbed down” content
—it’s about clearly communicating with
whomever reads or hears your information
and meeting their needs.
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It doesn’t matter if
you have valuable
information if
people can’t
understand it, use
it, react to it, or act
on it.
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Frustration = the back button
Remember: Good
content means
access for everyone
(or as many as
possible)!
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Using plain language supports
“P-O-U-R” principles from the
Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines (WCAG 2.0).
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WCAG 2.0 principles of
accessibility
Perceivable
Operable
Understandable
Robust
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The “understandable” principle
“Information and the operation of user interface
must be understandable.
“This means that users must be able to understand
the information as well as the operation of the user
interface (the content or operation cannot be
beyond their understanding).”
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Plain language supports POUR
Plain language makes
your content accessible,
and supports the goal of
providing universal
access for everyone (or
as many as possible!).
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Consider users with
different needs
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Don’t forget …
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• People with low literacy skills
• People with low language proficiency
• People with cognitive impairments
• People with autism/Asperger syndrome
• People with dyslexia
• People who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing
• People who are aging
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For example …
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Three people …
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• A non-native English
speaker
• A person who is
cognitively impaired
• A person with autism
• It wasn’t scientific,
but I tested two
content examples
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I asked for opinions …
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You’ve probably noticed
the popular trend to ask a
question in the form of an
incomplete sentence:
“What do you think “Got
milk?” means?
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I asked for opinions …
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“Got milk?”
The person who is cognitively impaired said,
“What type of milk is got milk, and who’s asking
me about it?
“Do they want my milk?
“Does someone think I have a cow?”
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I asked for opinions …
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“Got milk?”
The person who is a non-native English speaker
said,
[After a sigh] “I have a hard time with questions
like these.
“I don’t know if someone’s asking me for advice
or if they want something of mine.”
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I asked for opinions …
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“Hope you can make this important session!”
The person who has autism said,
“Am I supposed to hope?
“Is one person hoping?
“Is a group of people hoping?
“Is someone talking to Hope?
“Is she (Hope) supposed to go to an important session?
“Does someone want me to create a session?
“Should Hope or I make a session important? How would we do that?”
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Here’s what you can do
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Learn plain language mechanics
• Plain Language Guidelines from Plain Language Action and
Information Network (PLAIN)
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/FederalPLGuideli
• The Center for Plain Language’s guidelines
http://centerforplainlanguage.org/about-plain-language/guidelines
• The Center for Plain Language’s checklist
http://centerforplainlanguage.org/about-plain-language/checklist/
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Write for your specific audience.
AND
Write for average comprehension.
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Don’t do this …
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?
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(Don’t be “clever.”)
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?
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Assume that your
audience is intelligent,
but don’t assume
they’re familiar with
your topic.
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Use the inverted
pyramid method:
Put the most
important
information at the
top and the
background
information below
it.
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Be concise—cut out
excess/filler words;
use minimal text
and short
sentences.
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In print, people
write to tell a story.
Online, we should
write about topics,
so users can
complete tasks.
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• Use action verbs—avoid “passive verbs.”
In passive verbs, the subject of the
sentence is not the “actor”—the noun that
takes action in the sentence. The actor
comes later, often in a prepositional
phrase, or there may be no actor identified
at all.
No: The new report was published.
Yes: We published the new report.
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“Hidden verbs” hide the action in your writing,
by adding unneeded words.
Instead of these phrases Use these words
Conduct an analysis Analyze
Present a report Report
Do an assessment Assess
Provide assistance Assist (or help)
Came to the conclusion of Concluded
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Use complete
sentences.
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Use familiar words and
common terms.
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Use the standard spelling of words, and
resist the urge to combine words. Screen
readers often mispronounce such words.
For example, some screen readers
pronounce “homepage” as “ho-mep-ahj.”
This can confuse people who use screen
readers to help with low literacy or low
language proficiency issues.
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Give direct
instructions.
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Talk with your
users: use personal
pronouns.
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Use “must”
instead of “shall”
for requirements.
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Avoid or explain
jargon, colloquialisms,
puns, country or
region-specific terms
(when writing for a
broad audience), non-
literal phrasing.
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A word about technical content
Define your purpose:
Are you teaching or are
you informing with
your content?
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Make your content clear
by using structured
elements, such as
headings, bullets, lists,
consistent navigation.
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Test your content
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Interview people about your content
Ask users to
read portions of
your content
and explain
what they think
it means.
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Usability testing
Write instructions
and ask users to
complete tasks on
your site, app, etc.
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Test two versions of your content
Conduct “A/B
testing” (called
“controlled
comparative studies”)
interviews. Provide
two versions of your
content and ask
participants to give
their impressions of
each version.
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Final Words
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Final thoughts …
1. Consider your users’ needs first.
2. Your users want to complete a task.
3. Have a conversation—speak directly to your users.
4. Use everyday terms people understand.
5. Don’t follow trendy content practices—choose clarity
over trends.
6. Each medium (mobile, desktop, app, video, podcast, etc.)
may require tailored content.
7. Test your content.
8. All of these help you incorporate accessibility
throughout your project lifecycle.
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Resources
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Resources: Plain Language
• Plain Language Checklist:
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/quickreference
• Comprehensive Plain Language Guidelines:
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/Fed
• Test Your Content (methods):
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/Fed
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Resources: Plain Language
• Plain language video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn8ChVRjjyA
• User-centric content—“The Audience You
Didn’t Know You Had,” by Angela Colter:
http://contentsmagazine.com/articles/the-audien
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Resources: Addressing Disabilities
• Cognitive Web Accessibility Checklist:
http://wave.webaim.org/cognitive
• Information about cognitive disabilities:
http://www.clearhelper.org/
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Resources: Writing Web Content
• Accessibility for Web Writers, by 4 Syllables:
http://www.4syllables.com.au/2010/09/accessibi
lity-web-writers-part-1/
• Content and Usability: Web Writing:
http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-
resources/web-usability/web-content.shtml
• Writing Vibrant, Compelling Content:
http://www.slideshare.net/GinnyRedish/writing-
vibrant-compelling-copy
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Resources: P-O-U-R
• WCAG 2.0 Principles of Accessibility:
http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-
WCAG20/intro.html
• Constructing a POUR Website:
http://webaim.org/articles/pour/
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Resources: Websites
• Center for Plain Language:
http://centerforplainlanguage.org
• PlainLanguage.gov:
http://www.plainlanguage.gov
• Plain Language Association International:
http://www.plainlanguagenetwork.org
• Readability testing tools:
http://juicystudio.com/services/readability.ph
p
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Resources: Training
• Online:
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/resources/take_tr
aining/index.cfm
• U.S. federal government agencies can get free
plain language classes:
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/resources/take_tr
aining/freetraining.cfm
• Conferences and events:
http://centerforplainlanguage.org/topic/events/
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Resources: Books
• Janice (Ginny) Redish, Letting Go of the Words
• Janice (Ginny) Redish, Writing Web Content that
Worksi
• Patricia T. O'Conner, Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's
Guide to Better English in Plain English
• Steve Krug, Rocket Surgery Made Easy
• Jakob Nielsen, Designing Web Usability: The Practice
of Simplicity
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Thank you!
Angela Hooker
@AccessForAll
ange@angelahooker.com
angelahooker.com
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