Understanding Plain Language in US Govt. Websites

Plain language in User interfaces

Information design is an important aspect of technical communication, as it is necessary to present information in a way that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Plain language is a key part of effective information design, as it helps to ensure that the information is accessible to a wide range of readers. In the United States, there are a number of federal plain language guidelines that can be used to help ensure that government documents are clear and easy to understand. In the Czech Republic, there is less discussion of plain language, and official documents are often complex and difficult to read. This literature review explores the discussions regarding the use of plain language and the process of creating interfaces that speak user’s language in govt. websites.

This research is important because it focuses on understanding the frustrations users face with the technical or convoluted language used in government websites. This research paper will bring the most common, obvious, and fixable language issues in the government websites. The clear growth of “Conversational UI’s” mimicing human-to-human conversations provides a clue for the importance of this research to create user interfaces that speak the user’s language.

Research Question: How do government websites use plain language in their User Interfaces to help users access services?

Methods

The primary research is done through internet browsing and parsing through govt. websites to find complex and difficult-to-understand language and conducting a survey to identify specific instances. Following are some of the websites that are tested for the language used:

1.     Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

2.     Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

3.     Social Security Administration (SSA)

4.     Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

While there are some obvious technical terms that are tough to understand, I conducted a survey to understand the issues faced by the users using a set of screenshots and prompts asking to explain the terms. The questionnaire consisted of 12 screenshots, 3 from each of the websites mentioned above and a total of 8 participants. 6 of the 8 participants misunderstood about 50% of the words. 4 participants guessed the meaning based on the context and 3 participants did not understand at all. The results of the survey despite the limitations, including but not limited to the testing sample size suggests the need for more testing in the area.

literature review

Information Design

Information design is a broad term that can be used to refer to the overall process of developing a successful document, or to the way that information is presented on the page or screen. There are many different definitions of information design, but most agree that it is an important part of technical communication. Clear presentation on the page or screen is critical, but it is not just a matter of aesthetics. The best presentation for a specific communication depends on the situation and the answers to the questions. Information design as a whole and as part must work together.

Figure: A model of the information design process (Redish, J. C., 2000)

Technical communicators are responsible for all aspects of the process of developing a successful document, from selecting the right content to organizing it in an appropriate way. They must also be able to design the document in a way that makes it easy to read and understand. The Web and single-sourcing are two trends that are making information design even more important for technical communicators. The Web requires us to make information even more visual than in other media, while single-sourcing requires us to create documents that can be reused in different formats. To be successful in this new environment, technical communicators need to understand both information and design and how they relate to each other. They also need to be able to learn new skills, such as how to turn text into visual presentations.

Plain language is a way of writing or designing communications that makes it easy for people to find, understand, and use the information they need. It is not just about using simple words and avoiding jargon, but also about using clear structure and design. Plain language is important because it can help people to make informed decisions, avoid mistakes, and feel more confident in their interactions with businesses and government agencies. The use of plain English in government communication is important for several reasons. It makes it easier for people to understand the information they need, it can help to reduce bureaucracy and paperwork, and it can promote transparency and accountability.

In the 1940s, plain English gained recognition because of the work of social critics, linguists, lawyers, and rhetoricians. These individuals argued that the use of jargon, complex language, and euphemisms made it difficult for people to understand government communications. In 1946, George Orwell wrote a famous essay titled “Politics and the English Language” in which he argued that clear language was essential for clear thinking. He also warned against the use of language to deceive and manipulate people.

The use of plain English in government communication is an important step towards making government more accessible and accountable to its citizens. In the 1970s, research began to show that plain language needed to involve more than just crafting clear sentences. Practitioners also needed to consider the broader context of how people interact with public documents, such as forms.

In the 1980s, plain-language practitioners began to develop guidelines for writing that went beyond the use of readability formulas. These guidelines included considerations of text structure, cohesion, coherence, and visual display.

Readability formulas are not accurate and should not be used to measure the difficulty of a text. They do not consider the individual reader's level of understanding or the complexity of the topic. Additionally, they can be manipulated to achieve a desired score without improving the readability of the text. Instead of using readability formulas, it is better to focus on writing clearly and concisely and using a variety of design elements to make your text more visually appealing.

Discussion on plain language in Czech Republic:

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Czech official documents follow certain plain language principles. The authors decided to use the translated text (CS/Tra) instead of the original Czech text (CS/Ori) because the CS/Tra is more likely to be consistent with the plain language principles. The authors acknowledge that the CS/Tra may not be perfect, but they believe it is the best option for this study.

They decided to analyze tax return instructions from the US, UK, and Czech Republic to see how plain language principles have been incorporated into these documents. They found that the US and UK texts were more in line with plain language principles than the Czech text. The study found that the Czech tax return instructions were much longer and more complex than the instructions from the US and UK. The Czech instructions had an average sentence length of 68 words, while the US and UK instructions had an average sentence length of 12 and 5 words, respectively. The study authors believe that this difference is because the Czech instructions were not originally written in plain language, and that the translation process may have further reduced their readability.

Example (Dvořáková, E., 2021):

CS/Tra: “‘Instructions for filling out the income-tax return by individuals for

the taxable period (calendar year) 2014ʼ no. 25 5405/1 MFin 5405/1 — model no. 22

(hereinafter ‘Instructionsʼ) are instructions for filling out the form ‘The Income

Tax Return by individuals pursuant to Act no. 586/1992 Coll., on Income Tax, as

amended, for the taxable period (calendar year) 2014ʼ no. 25 5405 MFin 5405 —

model no. 21 (hereinafter tax return).” (68 words)

UK: “These notes will help you to fill in your paper tax return.” (12 words)

US: “Form 1040 has been redesigned.” (5 words)

The Czech tax return instructions were found to be the least compliant with plain language principles when compared to the instructions from the US and UK. The Czech instructions had longer sentences, more passive constructions, fewer personal pronouns, and more nominalizations. They were also found to be more difficult to read. The authors believe that this is because plain language has not been widely discussed in the Czech Republic and little effort has been made to make official documents accessible and readable for the public.

Federal Plain Language guidelines (2011):

Federal Plain Language guidelines are a set of principles designed to help federal agencies write clear, concise, and easy-to-understand documents. They are based on the idea that everyone should be able to understand the information that the government provides, regardless of their level of education or expertise.

The guidelines cover a wide range of topics, including:

• Writing style: The guidelines recommend using active voice, short sentences, and simple words. They also recommend avoiding jargon and technical terms.

• Organization: The guidelines recommend using headings, subheadings, and bullet points to break up text and make it easier to scan. They also recommend using graphics and tables to illustrate complex information.

• Design: The guidelines recommend using fonts that are easy to read and layouts that are easy to follow. They also recommend using white space to make text appear less crowded.

The guidelines also include several tools and resources that can help federal agencies implement plain language principles. These tools include:

Plain language checklist: A tool that can be used to assess the clarity of a document.

• Plain language workshops: Workshops that can teach federal employees how to write in plain language.

• Plain language style guide: A guide that provides more detailed information on plain language principles.

These guidelines are an important tool for ensuring that everyone has access to the information they need from the government. By following these guidelines, federal agencies can make their documents easier to understand and use, which can save time, money, and frustration for everyone involved.

Testing UI

A concise UI is important because it is more readable and easier to use. When writing instructions for a UI, it is important to use familiar language and avoid technical jargon. The goal is to find a common language with your users to make the UI as accessible as possible.

Using Amazon Mechanical Turk to Test UI Language, Craig in the article Creating a “User Interface That Speaks Your User’s Language” used Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) to test the familiarity of different terms for form controls. AMT is a crowdsourcing platform that allows you to hire people to perform small tasks for a few cents each. In this case, the authors used AMT to ask 50 people to name different form controls.

The results of the test showed that some terms were more familiar than others. For example, the term "drop-down menu" was very familiar, while the term "radio button" was less familiar. The authors also found that some terms were more ambiguous than others. For example, the term "list" can be used to refer to a variety of different things, so it is not always clear what a user means when they use this term.

It is concluded that AMT is a quick and inexpensive way to test the effectiveness of UI language. They suggest that designers use AMT to test different terms for form controls and other UI elements to ensure that their UIs are as clear and concise as possible.

Findings:

The findings of this research do not necessarily answer my research question but strengthens the core idea of the need for a conversation regarding the topic, the three major findings are:

1.     The need for awareness regarding the use of plain language and the relevant resources.

2.     The Importance of the information design to communicate effectively with the users.

3.     The User testing of the language to create interfaces that speak user’s language.

Finding 1: The need for awareness regarding the use of plain language and the relevant resources.

Plain language is a clear, concise, and easy-to-understand style of writing that is essential for effective communication. It is especially important in technical communication, where the goal is to convey complex information to a non-technical audience. There are many benefits to using plain language.

• Improve readability and comprehension.

• Save time and money.

• Reduce errors and misunderstandings.

• Increase customer satisfaction.

Despite the many benefits of plain language, there is a lack of awareness and understanding of the topic among many technical communicators. This can lead to the use of jargon, complex sentences, and other barriers to communication.

There are many resources available to help technical communicators learn about and use plain language. These resources include:

• Plain language guidelines

• Plain language workshops

• Plain language style guides

• Plain language dictionaries

  
  

Technical communicators should make it a priority to learn about and use plain language. This will help them to communicate more effectively with their users and achieve their communication goals.

Finding 2: The Importance of the information design to communicate effectively with the users.

Information design is the process of creating and organizing information in a way that is easy to understand and use. It is an important part of technical communication, as it can help to make complex information more accessible to a non-technical audience.

There are many principles of information design that can be used to improve the communication of technical information. These principles include:

• Use clear and concise language.

• Use visuals to convey information.

• Break down complex information into smaller chunks.

• Organize information in a logical way.

• Use a consistent style throughout

Technical communicators should consider the principles of information design when creating any type of technical communication material. This will help them to ensure that their communication is effective and easy to use.

Finding 3: The User testing of the language to create interfaces that speak user’s language.

User testing is a process of testing a product or service with real users to identify and fix usability problems. It is an important part of the development process, as it can help to ensure that the product or service is easy to use and meets the needs of the users.

User testing should be used to test the language of a product or service. This will help to identify any problems with the clarity, conciseness, or accuracy of the language. User testing can also be used to identify any jargon or technical terms that may be confusing to the users. By using user testing, technical communicators can create interfaces that speak the user's language. This will help to improve the usability of the product or service and make it more accessible to a wider audience.

References

Craig, W. (2022). Creating a user interface that speaks your users’ language. WebFX. https://www.webfx.com/blog/web-design/creating-a-user-interface-that-speaks-your-users-language/

Dvořáková, E. (2021, May 1). Plain language in the Czech Republic, the UK, and the US: An analysis of tax return instructions – doaj. Studie z Aplikované Lingvistiky. https://doaj.org/article/1f97eb67d53a4f8c82f4fdddc93df90e (pp. 7 – 19)

 Federal Plain Language guidelines. (2011). PlainLanguage.gov.

 Nichols, J., & Myers, B. (2009). Creating a lightweight user interface description language: An overview and analysis of the personal universal controller project. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 16(4), 1–37. https://doi.org/10.1145/1614390.1614392

 Redish, J. C. (Ginny). (2000). What Is Information Design? Technical Communication (Washington), 47(2), (pp 163–166).

 Schriver, K. A. (2017, Dec.). Plain language in the US gains momentum: 1940–2015. IEEE Transactions in Professional Communication, 60(4), 343–383. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8115322/. DOI: 10.1109/TPC.2017.2765118