Plain language writing and document design

This chapter walks the reader through the main steps of a plain language writing project, demonstrating how the principles of relevance, findability, and understandability can be applied as part of an extended example. The steps include analyzing the brief, creating a planning checklist, researching users, organizing content, choosing words, setting the tone, selecting visual aids, and designing the document. There is also a short section on special considerations when writing content for digital media. The chapter ends by exploring tools that can be used to support the creation of a plain language document, including conventional tools, such as spell checkers and grammar checkers, as well as newer tools, such as generative AI. The benefits, drawbacks, and wider implications of using tools for drafting plain language documents are evaluated.