Wording should be clear and simple to ensure understandability, particularly for neurodiverse users, users who speak English as a second language, and users with reading disorders or cognitive impairments.
When writing about a group of people, tailor the language depending on the goal:
- Use person-first language to emphasize commonalities between people. (e.g., “People with seeing impairments should have equal access to online information.”)
- Use identity-first language to emphasize something specific about the community you’re referring to. (e.g., “Accommodations for seeing-impaired people are vital to providing equal access to information.”)
Additional language tips:
- Avoid jargon when possible. If library-specific jargon is necessary (e.g., interlibrary loan, metadata, course reserve), include a definition or explanation.
- Avoid idioms that might be confusing for users who do not speak English as their first language
- Avoid discriminatory and ableist language
- Use gender neutral language
- Start with the most relevant information--don't bury the lede
- Break up large amounts of content with headings and lists to make the information browsable
- Don't be verbose--efficiency is important for informational web content
- Use action verbs when giving instructions
- Ask yourself:
- Can this content be understood by people with different learning styles?
- What's the purpose of this information?
- Why is the user on this page?
- Is this language effective?
