Clear, Concise, Consistent: Reducing User Confusion

CLEAR, CONCISE, CONSISTENT:
Reducing User Confusion
Rhonda BraceyWritersUA Conference
March 2014

Why bother? Company reputation
March 2014© CyberText Consulting Pty Ltd
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From Twitter, approx. 5 Feb 2014

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 User assistance is now very much part of the
purchasing process (traditionally it was part of the
support process after purchase)
From Twitter, approx. 8 Nov 2013

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From http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/24623-poor-grammar-on-websites-scares-59-away (12 Nov 2013)

Common UI/UA issues
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Inconsistent/incorrect grammar, spelling, punctuation
Unclear/verbose/potentially misunderstood user prompts/error messages
Illogical/inconsistent task flows
Inconsistently labeled buttons, icons, fields, screens/dialog boxes
Inconsistently placed buttons, icons, fields, screens/dialog boxes
Unnecessary tasks, fields, screens/dialog boxes
Inconsistencies between screens/dialog boxes
(Adapted from: http://writeorrevisedaily.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/add-value-to-gui-design/)

Three Cs of communication
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Clear
Concise
Consistent
Reduce
CONFUSION

Takeaways:
 Be specific
 Avoid vague, wishy-washy words
 Use commas to remove ambiguity
 Use plain language
Be clear
March 2014
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© CyberText Consulting Pty Ltd

Be clear…
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Terminology (avoid vague words like ‘it’, ‘this’, ’they’, etc.)
Punctuation(use the serial [Oxford] comma to remove ambiguity)
Structure(write lists as dot points, numbered steps; word order)
Object/subject (who is doing what to whom?)
Plain language (how would you explain to a spouse/parent/child)
Dates/times (avoid relative words; be specific)

Be specific
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 What’s wrong with these words?:
 it, they, their
 this, these
 These words are meaningless unless it’s absolutely
clear what ‘it’ etc. refers to
 The bomb is connected to a red and to a blue wire. Cut it to
defuse it.
 Other vague words to avoid:
 Quite, mostly, slightly, sort of, somewhat, pretty (e.g. ‘pretty
hard to tighten’ vs ‘hard to tighten’)

Ban relativity!
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 What’s wrong with these words?:
 Currently, recently, now, yesterday, today, tomorrow
 Last/this/next week/month/year
 New, modern
 Five years ago, two decades ago, last century
 These words are meaningless unless you know what
date is used as the anchor point
 Watch for season names if your readers aren’t local
See also: http://cybertext.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/dating/

Use commas to remove ambiguity
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 Add commas if there’s
ANY chance the items
could be read as one
and thus
misinterpreted
 e.g. ‘red, white, black
and blue’ versus ‘red,
white, black, and blue’

Use commas…
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 …to separate items
that shouldn’t be
treated together

How commas can change meaning
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 No commas:
 This initial workshop identified the work scopes and phasing generated several
different sourcing strategies for those work scopes and proposed selection
criteria to compare the sourcing strategies to best benefit the [project].
 Single comma added (after ‘work scopes’):
 This initial workshop identified the work scopes, and phasing generated several
different sourcing strategies for those work scopes and proposed selection
 Multiple commas added:
 This initial workshop identified the work scopes and phasing, generated several
different sourcing strategies for those work scopes, and proposed selection

About grammar ‘rules’
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‘...language is fluid. …there really are no rigid
rules of grammar except the rule of clarity.
Grammar rules, with the clarity exception, are
merely conventions or suggestions upon which
a large group of society have agreed. They are
not intended, except by the fanatical few, to be
blindly adhered to and applied.’
From Rich Adin: http://americaneditor.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/
faux-controversies-and-the-singular-plural/

Takeaways:
 Get rid of words that don’t add meaning
(‘empty calories’)
 Use plain language
 Switch words around
Be concise
March 2014
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Be concise…
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Remove all unnecessary words
Remove all repetitive/redundant words
Switch the words around
Use plain, simple language
But: Clarity (‘be specific’) trumps brevity (‘be concise’)

Tighten up!
Before After Comments
…in close
proximity to…
…close to…
…near…
(even better,
be specific
about the
distance)
• Proximity is a synonym for nearness, so ‘close
proximity’ is redundant. Use the simpler ‘close to’
or ‘near’, which are also easier for readers to
understand.
• These terms are very fuzzy. Does close proximity/
close to/near mean 10”, 10 yards, or 10 miles? If
you can, be specific as to the distance.
The major
systems … are
summarised
below:
The major
systems …
are:
• Often, ‘summarised below’ (and ‘the following’)
can be deleted from an intro to a bullet list
without affecting meaning.
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(From: http://cybertext.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/tighten-up-your-writing-by-removing-redundantunnecessary-words/)

Tighten up… and use plain language
Before After
on an annual basis annually (or yearly)
can be in excess of ten years can exceed ten years
in the event of … occurring if … occurs
in order to to
that is able to can
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 BONUS! Reduced word/character count  reduced
printing, editing, and/or translation costs
 Before = 23 words / 98 characters
 After = 8 words / 43 characters

Switch words around
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 Avoid ‘however’, ‘therefore’, ‘thus’ etc. in the middle
of a verb phrase:
 ABC are however found…  However, ABC are found…
 XYZ is therefore cancelled.  Therefore, XYZ is cancelled.
 Keep phrases close to what they belong to; shift
phrases that may be misinterpreted:
 The University increased English language proficiency entry
requirements across all competency categories commencing in
2013.  Commencing in 2013, the University increased English
language proficiency entry requirements across all competency
categories.

Before and after
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BeforeAfter

Before and after
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Before
After

Takeaways:
 A consistent document/interface (words,
structure, formatting) is easier to read
 Use style guides to help maintain consistency—
you can’t remember everything all the time
 Keep lists parallel
Be consistent
March 2014
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Be consistent in your use of…
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Terminology (use dictionaries, internal/external style guides etc.; use the
same word for the same thing—EVERY time)
Tense (past, present, future)
Voice (active/passive; 1st/2nd/3rd person)
Structure (e.g. parallel structure for lists)
Punctuation (e.g. for lists)
Formats (e.g. dates/times, measurement/currency units)
Capitalization

Inconsistency = User ‘frustration and
irritation’
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“When *behaviour+ is inconsistent and
erratic, it is difficult to know what to
expect, and occasional positive surprises
are not enough to overcome the
frustration and irritation caused by never
knowing quite what to expect.”
Donald A Norman Emotional Design: Why we love (and hate) everyday things (2007)

External style guides
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 Document standard conventions used in your
country, industry etc.
 spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, hyphenation
 adherence to legal requirements (e.g. copyright, trademarks)
 design consistency (e.g. typography, layout)
 Include dictionaries and other reference authorities
 Don’t reinvent the wheel!

External style guides: Examples
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 General:
 Chicago Manual of Style
 Specific:
 Microsoft Manual of Style
 Society of Petroleum Engineers: Style Guide

Internal style guides
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 Document decisions that:
 differ from your main external style guide
 are unique to your product/company
 Document product- /company-specific terminology:
 e.g. NetForms, Netforms, Net Forms, Net forms…
 Help maintain consistency of spelling, capitalization,
hyphenation, punctuation, etc.
 Detail treatment of specific types of elements:
 e.g. user-entered data, field names, tap versus click

Internal style guide: Example
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 Share
your style
guide
with all
your
team, not
just the
writers

Internal style guide: Example
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Keep lists parallel
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 Non-parallel lists are harder to read
 Verbs as first words in the list are either all ‘-ing’
words or not, but rarely (or never) a mixture
 Watch for plural agreement
 Check that the first words of each list item match:
Before:
 Photo organization
 Adjusting photos
 How do you print a picture?
 How to apply an effect to a photo
After:
 Organizing photos
 Adjusting photos
 Printing
 Applying effects

Examples
March 2014
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March 2014
Clear AND concise
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 High-level
steps to show
user progress
 Words AND
simple
diagrams
 Related info in
Note
 Next action is
clear
 Lots of white
space

Be clear
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Issues:
 Sentence
structure
(readability)

Be clear AND concise
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Issues:
 Sentence
structure
 Unintelligible
(what action
must user take
next?)
 Excess words

Be consistent
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Issues:
 Confusing
instructions
(‘or’ v ‘and’)
 Impossible
action (‘hit’)
(from Jack Molisani, Nov 2013)

Be consistent AND clear AND concise
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Issues:
 Inconsistent
use of
capitalization
 Excess words
(readability)

Don’t forget screenshots/diagrams
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Use clear diagrams
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Use clear labeling
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Four hours later….
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And then there’s this…
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Helpful resources
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 Writing/editing tips, techniques, and checklists:
http://www.jeanweber.com/newsite/?page_id=5
 http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/wordsugges
tions/index.cfm
 http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/free-guides.html
 Achtelig, Marc. Writing plain instructions. ISBN
978-3943860085
 Kohl, John R. The Global English Style Guide. ISBN
978-1599946573

The final word…
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From Twitter, approx. 5 Feb 2014
So make sure your content is clear,
concise, and consistent.

Any questions?
Contact me:
 rhonda.bracey@cybertext.com.au
 http://www.cybertext.com.au
 Blog: http://cybertext.wordpress.com
 Twitter: @cybertext
Thank you…
March 2014
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Clear, Concise, Consistent: Reducing User Confusion

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