Structure and design
Virginia St-Denis
Managing Editor
The Plain Language Association International (PLAIN) surveyed its members in August to better understand what they want and need from their association. After all, that is what we do as plain language practitioners. We find out what our readers want and need, so we can create communication materials in which they can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.
One of the first things I did when I started as managing editor of the PLAIN eJournal was read the results of that survey along with the association’s new strategic plan. I have considered myself my readers’ advocate since I started my career as a journalist in the 1990s. I know from experience that the best article ideas come from my readers because they know better than anybody what they want. I was right to read the survey results.
One recurring theme was that members wanted information not only on the language used and on helping readers understand what they find. They also wanted information about helping readers “easily find what they need.” That is the second of the 4 plain language principles. It is also where the “structure and design” element of the definition fits in. And it is why this issue focuses on structure and design.
We start this issue with Ryan Tippet sharing a plain language checklist for clear and accessible design. Together with “Design and plain language: Visual hierarchy at user’s service” by Blas José Subiela Hernández, these 2 articles provide a solid overview for our theme.
The bulk of this issue covers how structure and design help all 4 principles.
Readers get what they need
Chani Slabbert makes project briefings simple with a template to ensure the project team understands both the client’s needs and those of their readers before starting a project.
Michela Zanon applies information design and plain language to technical writing to balance accessibility for less experienced readers with technical detail for more advanced ones. This allows 1 document — not 2 — to meet both needs.
We have a team submission from Richard Leason, Amara Tiebout, Pablo Izquierdo, Meredith MacPherson, Shani Berger, and Louisa Ludwig-Begall. They discuss the needs of readers with specific disabilities and how inclusive design improves accessibility for diverse audiences.
Readers can easily find what they need
Romina Marazzato Sparano’s article discusses how plain language practitioner can use generated artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool. If you are looking for suggestions for graphic elements like tables and charts, checking color contrast and testing color deficiency, or creating versions for social media and more, she has generative-AI prompts to help you.
Readers need help not only finding information in a document but also locating the document itself. Veruska Anconitano discusses how plain language and search engine optimization work well together to do just that.
Readers can easily understand what they find
Then, Laia Terrón shares her experience converting complicated government forms, reports, and policies (called administrative documents) into clear communication. Her team restructured and designed the documents to make them easier to understand.
Understanding language goes beyond word choices and sentence structure. Angélica González-Bastidas and Ana María Ortega Pérez share an ongoing and adaptive program called Adopt-a-Doc. It works with university students, faculty, and community allies who are heritage Spanish speakers to transform institutional documents into inclusive, community-centered resources that uphold linguistic rights and cultural context.
Readers can easily use the information
As Michelle Boulton writes, numbers do not come as naturally to our human brain as words do, and understanding numbers takes more mental effort than understanding words. With “6 rules of plain figures,” she shows how the structure and design of tables, charts, and other figures help readers not only understand numbers but also use them to show scope, compare data, and recognize trends and proportions.
Also in this issue…
If you would like to learn more about plain language structure and design, Cheryl Stephens’s new book, The Foundations and Processes of Clear Communication, may be of interest. Nicole Watkins Campbell provides a book review to help you decide.
In the PLAIN eJournal’s regular Ask the expert series, Karel van der Waarde shares how he became involved in plain language structure and design, what people tend to neglect in this area, and what more needs to be done in this area.
This issue ends with an update from the International Plain Language Federation’s new chair, Joanna Richardson. The Foundation has a lot of changes and progress to report.
Would you like to discuss these articles or any other aspect of plain language structure and design? PLAIN’s main LinkedIn page and group will have a series of posts about what’s in this issue. Please use them as places to discuss what you read and share what you have learned in your plain language work.
