Plain language:accessibility for informationWhitney QuesenberyWQusability.com
and Usability in Civic Life

2Plain language = a11yfor information

3Plain language means users canfind
what they needunderstand what they finduse the informationto meet their goalsThis definition was written by Ginny Redish and is used by the Center for Plain Languagehttp://www.centerforplainlanguage.org

4Many barriers to cognitive accessibilityare
the same as usability problems forgeneral audience…but more severe.- Clayton LewisInvited talk to the 508 Refresh Committee (TEITAC)

5Plain language = a11y= usability=
user experiencefor information

6Why plain language?

7People need plain language because...They
read with different degrees of literacy.They do not always read carefully.They have a cognitive, language, or learning disability.Visual disabilities can affect reading.They may not know (or read) the language well

8Cognitive disabilitiesAffect a person’s ability
toprocess information: Remember and recall Read information Process information Make choicesExamples• Dyslexia• Attention disorders• Disability from brain injury• Stroke• Developmental disabilities• Down syndrome• Dementia

9People read with different levels
of literacyBelow basic – only the mostsimple and concrete reading skillsBasic – able to manage everydaytasksIntermediate – moderatelychallenging activities likeconsulting reference materialProficient – interpreting text,comparing viewpointsU.S. National Assessment of Adult Literacy http://nces.ed.gov/naal/kf_demographics.asp

10Plain language supports the right
to understandSandra Fisher-Martins ―The Right to Understand‖at TEDx O’Porto -www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP2y0vU7EG8

11Can users interpret and act
on this information?http://www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu/hccpquiz.plRepeat riskVisual informationClear statementInvite actionBuild on success

12How do you makeinformation clear?

135 guidelines• Write for your
audience• Organize information logically• Write for action• Keep the text as short as possible• Design for reading

141. Write for the audienceSpeak
to themin their wordsabout their tasks

15Use simple, everyday words

16Use simple, everyday wordsDescription Of
ServiceThe Site is an online community which enablesphotographers and graphic artists to post photographs andimages, share comments, opinions and ideas, promotetheir work, participate in contests and promotions, andaccess and/or purchase services from time to time madeavailable on the Site (―Services‖). Services include, but arenot limited to, any service and/or content 500px makesavailable to or performs for you, as well as the offering ofany materials displayed, transmitted or performed on theSite or through the Services. Content (―Content‖) includes,but is not limited to text, user comments, messages,information, data, graphics, news articles, photographs,images, illustrations, and software.Your access to and use of the Site may be interrupted fromtime to time as a result of equipment malfunction, updating,maintenance or repair of the Site or any other reasonwithin or outside the control of 500px. 500px reserves theright to suspend or discontinue the availability of the Siteand/or any Service and/or remove any Content at any timeat its sole discretion and without prior notice. 500px mayalso impose limits on certain features and Services orrestrict your access to parts of or all of the Site and theServices without notice or liability. The Site should not beused or relied upon for storage of your photographs andimages and you are directed to retain your own copies ofall Content posted on the Site.

17One version or multiple versionsThis
is the question in the originaldocument:Q1: What do you think would be theadvantages or disadvantages of a UK Bill ofRights? Do you think that there arealternatives to either our existingarrangements or to a UK Bill of Rights thatwould achieve the same benefits? If youthink that there are disadvantages to a UKBill of Rights, do you think that the benefitsoutweigh them? Whether or not you favoura UK Bill of Rights, do you think that theHuman Rights Act ought to be retained orrepealed?This is the EasyRead version:Question1: Do you tink we need a Bill ofRights in the UKBoth of these documents are linked fromhttp://www.justice.gov.uk/about/cbr/second-consultation

18Leap and land on the
same word

19The text in the image
says:Living with MS.Whether you just received a diagnosis of MS or havebeen living with it for a long time—this section is filledwith information and tips on how to maintain yourquality of life in the years ahead. Read aboutstrategies to enhance your health and wellness,maximize your productivity and independence, anddeal with emotional, social, and vocationalchallenges.Speak directly to the audiencenationalmssociety.org

20Speak directly to the audience,
even when the readeris a representative of the audience member.§ 408.315. Who may sign your application?(a) When you must sign. If you are mentally competent, and physicallyable to do so, you must sign your own application.(b) When someone else may sign for you. (1) If you are mentallyincompetent, or physically unable to sign, your application may besigned by a court-appointed representative or a person who isresponsible for your care, including a relative. If you are in the care of aninstitution, the manager or principal officer of the institution may signyour application.(2) If it is necessary to protect you from losing benefits and there is goodcause why you could not sign the application, we may accept anapplication signed by someone other than you or a person described inparagraph (b)(1) of this section.

212. Organize informationlogicallyIn the right
orderIn the right format

22Put information in the right
order.Requirements, prompts, warnings, notes andanything else that someone needs to complete anaction correctly must come before the action, fieldor instruction, not after it!

23Establish context and requirements

24Put instructions in the right
orderDraw a triangle on top of an upside down ―T‖

25Put instructions in the right
orderDraw a triangle on top of an upside down ―T‖Did you draw a pine tree or a wine glass?

263. Write for actionActive verbsPositive
messages

27Write with active verbs

28Be positiveWe asked participans in
a usabilty test to find out:How much are the annual tuition fees at thisuniversity?A typical three-year degree at £3,000 a yearadds up to to £9,000 – a hefty sum that doesn’tinclude living costs.......on average to £3,046 compared with £9,000...Universities will be able to charge up to £3,000for annual tuition fees and the government ispredicting that average levels of student debt willbe around £15,000 for those entering highereducation next year...

294. Keep the textas short
as possibleShort sentencesShort paragraphs

30How to vote(1) Mark only
with a writing instrument provided by the board ofelections.(2) To vote for a candidate whose name is printed on this ballot fill inthe (insert oval or square, as applicable) above or next to the name ofthe candidate.(3) To vote for a person whose name is not printed on this ballot writeor stamp his or her name in the space labeled ―write-in‖ that appears(insert at the bottom of the column, the end of the row or at the bottomof the candidate names, as applicable) for such office (and, if requiredby the voting system in use at such election, the instructions shall alsoinclude ―and fill in the (insert oval or square, as applicable)corresponding with the write-in space in which you have written in aname‖).(4) To vote yes or no on a proposal, if any, that appears on the(indicate where on the ballot the proposal may appear) fill in the(insert oval or square, as applicable) that corresponds to your vote.(5) Any other mark or writing, or any erasure made on this ballotoutside the voting squares or blank spaces provided for voting willvoid this entire ballot.(6) Do not overvote. If you select a greater number of candidates thanthere are vacancies to be filled, your ballot will be void for that publicoffice, party position or proposal.(7) If you tear, or deface, or wrongly mark this ballot, return it andobtain another. Do not attempt to correct mistakes on the ballot bymaking erasures or cross outs. Erasures or cross outs may invalidateall or part of your ballot. Prior to submitting your ballot, if you make amistake in completing the ballot or wish to change your ballot choices,you may obtain and complete a new ballot. You have a right to areplacement ballot upon return of the original ballot.(8) After completing your ballot, insert it into the ballot scanner andwait for the notice that your ballot has been successfully scanned. Ifno such notice appears, seek the assistance of an election inspector.

31How to vote (another try)Mark
the oval to the left of the name of your choice.To vote for a candidate whose name is not printed on the ballot, print the nameclearly in the box labeled write-in, staying within the box.Do not make any marks outside the spaces provided for voting. If you do, yourballot may not count.The number of choices is listed for each contest. Do not mark the ballot for morecandidates than allowed. If you do, your vote in that contest will not count.If you make a mistake, or want to change your vote, ask a poll worker for a newballot.

32Use summaries to communicate key
pointsThis example is from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/bone

335. Design for readingLists and
tablesInfo designClear fonts

34Design for reading patterns

35Clear presentation of quantitative dataHow
many accessibilityproblems can you find onthis page?

36Clear presentation of quantitative dataFocus
on meaningMeaningful title with themain pointBrief overview summarizesthe messageInformation in visual formatInformation in table formatAnd,Better alt textNo table used for layouthttp://www.careerinfonet.org/finaidadvisor/earnings.aspx?nodeid=21

37Use design to make information
easy to scan

38Let lists be listsGood information
designsupports goodaccessibilityThe most importantinformation in this email isburied in a massive,parenthetical sentence.Hello.From time to time we update our agreement governing the use of Squarespayment processing services, Square Reader, and Square Register. Werewriting to inform you of a few changes recently incorporated into thisagreement.Click here to read the updated Seller Agreement.The vast majority of changes result from either reorganization, clarification oflanguage, the deletion of duplicative text, or other aesthetic changes, althoughthere are a few substantive modifications. (See, for example, Section 6 [YourSquare Account], Section 7 [Our Role], Section 12 [Applicable NetworkRules], Section 15(a) [Access to Square Account Funds], Section 15(b)[Right to Setoff], Section 16 [Payout Schedule], Section 24[Taxes], Section 36 [Disclosures and Notices], Section 47 [Representationand Warranties], and Section 49b [Third Party Products].)The updated agreement will take effect on June 9, 2013. If you continue to useour services after June 9, 2013, you agree to the terms of the new agreement.You will be able to access the previous version of the agreement for the nextthirty days.Thanks,The Square Teamsquareup.comEmail from square.com and link to https://squareup.com/legal/seller-agreement

39Myths that hold us back

40Myth:“My audience doesn’t need plain
language”Teens Write simply,using words thatare common toyour readers’vocabulary Be concise andget to the point Make the contentapply to personaland culturalexperiencesOlder adults Use words thatmost older adultsknow Write in plainlanguage with short,simple andstraightforwardsentencesLow literacy Put the most importantinformation first Write text with a simplesentence structure Keep pages,paragraphs, sentencesshortTeenagers on the Web www.nngroup.com/reports/teens/Designing Web Sites for Older Adults, http://www.redish.net/articles-slides/articles-slides-older-adultsWork with low literacy web users www.stc.org/intercom/pdfs/2004/200406_19-23.pdfBut compare these guidelines for different audiences

42Myth:My information can’t be expressed
in plain languageInformation can betechnically accurate,interesting and well writtenappropriate to the audienceand alsoclear and understandable

43Plain language resourcesFederal Plain Language
Guidelineshttp://www.plainlanguage.gov/SEC Plain Language Handbookhttp://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdfCenter for Plain LanguageClearMark Awardshttp://centerforplainlanguage.org/awards/How to write clearly – EuropeanCommissionhttp://ec.europa.eu/translation/writing/clear_writing/how_to_write_clearly_en.pdfLetting Go of the Wordsby Janice (Ginny) Redish

44Plain language discussion forums and
organizationsOrganizationsCenter for Plain Language - http://www.centerforplainlanguage.orgPlain Language Association International -http://www.plainlanguagenetwork.org/Clarity - http://www.clarity-international.net/IC Clear – European consortium - http://icclear.net/Groups and ConferencesLinkedIn Grouphttp://www.linkedin.com/groups/Plain-Language-Advocates-158634?trk=myg_ugrp_ovrFacebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/43656290511/Plain 2013 conference - http://www.plain2013.org/, October in Vancouver

45Storytelling for User Experiencewith Kevin
BrooksGlobal UXwith Daniel SzucA Web for Everyonewith Sarah HortonA Web forEveryone

46Whitney Quesenberywhitney@wqusability.comhttp://www.wqusability.comUsability in Civic Lifehttp://usabilityinciviclife.orghttp://civicdesigning.orgTwitter:
@whitneyqSlideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/whitneyq/