Content against complexity

I’ve spent years redesigning content for complex, dense (and often boring) topics — superannuation, tax, the stock market, carbon emissions, intellectual property rights.

The trickier, the better! (Yes, I’m a word nerd.)

But if you’re not a content designer, the task of translating complex content into plain language can feel very daunting.

To help, here are the go-to principles we use at Jude, whenever we’re handballed complex content to redesign.

1. Deeply understand your user

This is a no brainer. If you want to support your users, you need to understand:

• Who they are
• What their goals and motivations are
• What tasks they need to complete to achieve these goals
• Common pain points and what they struggle to understand

You might already have a cache of user research to dive into. In which case, open this up to your content and design teams! But if you don’t, here are some places to start.

How to do this

• Conduct user research: Use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to understand the number of people experiencing certain pain points, whilst unpacking the behaviours and attitudes. Don’t have time to do research? Try empathy mapping to step into the shoes of your user.
• Collate and analyse existing user data: Include web analytics, alongside call centre data to understand what customers are struggling with.
• Focus on pain points, misunderstandings, the assumptions users might hold, and the language and words they use.

Once you’ve identified common pain points, you can design content to address them.

2. Think like an outsider

Too many organisations assume their users have the same base level of knowledge as they do. It’s a common trap when you’re an expert, deep in the details.

It leads to internal language and technical jargon being littered across your site.

Instead, adopt an ‘outsider’ mentality and ask yourself: Does this make sense to someone outside our project or organisation?

How to do this

• Ask questions. Even ‘dumb’ ones: If you don’t understand something, chances are others don’t either.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts: Befriend and collaborate with your subject matter experts. Set up regular pair writing sessions to tackle tricky content together.
• Get outsiders to sanity check your work: This might be a trusted colleague, the newest person to join your organisation, or even a supportive spouse!
• Look for inspiration: News outlets do great explainer articles that unpack complex news stories and topics.

3. Break down the information, then sequence it

Our brains can only hold so much new information before getting overwhelmed.

It’s the reason why teachers break down concepts and sequence lessons in a particular order.

This is the approach you should take when writing complex content.

You’ll be introducing new ideas and concepts to your users. So, don’t overwhelm them with all the information at once. Instead, think like a teacher.

How to do this

Work with subject matter experts to figure out:

• How can this information be broken down into digestible chunks?
• What are the core concepts users need to understand, before they can grasp the complex ones?
• What are the common rules? And what are the outliers and variations? To avoid confusing people, start with the common rules, before explaining the outliers.
• Map this all out to sequence and structure your content in a logical way.

4. Don’t use technical jargon and acronyms

I used to work in content marketing and CRO (conversation rate optimisation) was a big focus of mine. I used the acronym over drinks one night. My mate, who was a recruiter, thought I was talking about the Chief Risk Officer. Another friend, who was a scientist, thought it meant Contract Research Organisation.

One acronym. Three different meanings. Loads of confusion.

It’s a powerful reminder that acronyms, which are meant to speed up communication, often do the opposite.

Technical jargon and acronyms can lead to misunderstandings and unintentionally exclude people.

How to do this

• Avoid acronyms where possible: If you need to use them, spell them out upon first use. This will help you meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
• Avoid technical or industry jargon: Again, if you can’t avoid it, pair it with explanations or content that gives users context.

5. Use one word to refer to one concept

Do you know what really confuses people?

Multiple words, used interchangeably, that all mean the same thing. Shares, stocks, equities. They all refer to the same thing. But are used interchangeably. Which makes it ultra confusing if you’re new to investing.

What you want is: When we say X, we mean X.

Instead of: When we say X,Y, Z, we mean X.

International lawyers are experts at this. When finalising an international treaty or negotiation, they’ll review the document and tidy the language to remove ambiguity. So that if the document says X, it means X. It’s called ‘legal scrubbing’.

It sounds simple to do but is very hard to achieve. Especially for larger organisations.

How to do this

• Identify what terms are the most complex or confusing. Your teams might already know what these are. If they don’t, customer data or user research will tell you.
• Pick one term and stick to it. Which one? The one your customers are most familiar with. (If Legal or Policy teams don’t dictate this).
• To fix this: Update the content on your website and channels accordingly.
• To futureproof yourself: Document the term in your content style guide and let everyone know so everyone’s using the right term.
• If the above would be impossible at your organisation, then look to pair confusing terms with familiar language and explanations.

6. Use examples and metaphors to bring it to life

Stories, examples and metaphors act as shortcuts to understanding.

They give people something familiar to grasp onto when dealing with new concepts.

Instead of explaining this to you, I’ll give you some examples.

How to do this

• Use metaphors for abstract or highly technical content: For example, to explain what an API (Application Programming Interface) is, Mulesoft made a brilliant video that used the analogy of a waiter taking your order. Only use metaphors that universally understood and don’t rely on cultural or contextual knowledge. • Point to real-world examples: I worked with a client who focused on intellectual property (IP) rights like trade marks and patents. I’ll never forget seeing participants light up with understanding whenever the content included real-world examples like the Nike logo or Cadbury purple. • Use stories to explain scenarios: Stories and case studies give users something to identify with. The Australian Tax Office for instance use stories and examples to explain specific tax implications.

Use more than words

Sometimes words aren’t enough. You might need a diagram, visual, explainer video or even a podcast.

If you can offer alternative content formats that enhance understanding, add them! Remember, humans all have different preferences when it comes to consuming information.

How to do this

• Deciding what format comes down to what types of information users need and are struggling to understand.
• Short videos and visuals are great when added to website pages and can be easily rolled out through social channels.
• Podcasts are better for deep dives into topic areas, where people want to hear from experts or others with lived experience.

7. Edit for clear, concise content

Great writing is rewriting.

This is where you’ll need to be ruthless and edit out anything that doesn’t serve the needs of your user.

Why? Because for every 100 words on the page, the cognitive load increases.

How to do this

• Avoid ‘filler’ words and phrases: The publishing industry refers to these as ‘filler’ words. If it doesn’t add additional meaning or context. Cut it.
• Avoid long sentences: Use no more than 25 words per sentence.
• Be clear, not clever: You want clear, concise content – especially in your subheadings. Don’t use puns or unnecessarily long words.
• Choose short, human words: ‘Buy’ instead of purchase, ‘Yes’ instead of ‘correct’.

Lastly, measure the impact

You’ve done all the hard work, so put metrics in place to see how successful your changes have been.

Measuring the return on investment (ROI) of a content redesign is a critical but often forgotten step. It arms you with data that proves the value of writing in plain language.

For your teams, this means more budget for future projects. For society, it means accessible and easy-to-understand content.

A win-win outcome in my books!

More plain language resources

• The basics of plain language – Australian Government Style Manual
• Tips for writing in plain language – Digital NSW