Changes for page We, you, our, your, my

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• Page properties (1 modified, 0 added, 0 removed)

Details

Page properties

Content

...	...	@@ -1,98 +1,1 @@
1		-(% class="box" %)
2		-(((
3		-Following this helps:
4		-
5		-* **people in a hurry** – obvious meaning is easier to scan and comprehend
6		-* **people who are stressed** – if you're anxious you'll find it harder to decipher complexity
7		-* **people who are multi-tasking** – if your attention's divided you need clear information
8		-* **cognitive impairments** – obvious meaning carries less cognitive load
9		-)))
10		-
11		-== Guidelines ==
12		-
13		-[[1. Make it clear who "we" is and who "you" is.>>doc:||anchor="#1"]]
14		-
15		-[[2. Be consistent: do not switch things round.>>doc:||anchor="#2"]]
16		-
17		-[[3. Decide how you will treat third parties.>>doc:||anchor="#3"]]
18		-
19		-[[Usability evidence>>doc:||anchor="#UEWY"]]
20		-
21		-----
22		-
23		-=== {{id name="#1"/}}1. Make it clear who "we" is and who "you" is. ===
24		-
25		-=== ===
26		-
27		-==== We ====
28		-
29		-If you think it's clear who "we" are, try that. Then test with users to find out if it is clear to them.
30		-
31		-It might not be obvious who "we" is in all content. Someone could have arrived directly on the page from a Google search, or scanned the page and missed your explanation.
32		-
33		-So, if it's not obvious, whenever you use "we", check you’ve used the full name of the organisation in that specific section.
34		-
35		-
36		-==== You ====
37		-
38		-"You" can be confusing for readers if the content is aimed at multiple audiences.
39		-
40		-Contextual hints can help.
41		-
42		-
43		-Example:
44		-
45		-(% class="mark" %)"As an applicant, you'll... "
46		-
47		-(% class="mark" %)"As a junior lawyer, you'll..." (%%)
48		-
49		-
50		-==== Labelled subheaders ====
51		-
52		-If there's specific, unique information for perceived or established different groups of your audience, you could provide a sub-headed section for each group on the topic page.
53		-
54		-Example:
55		-
56		-(% class="mark" %)"Applicants" [H2]
57		-
58		-(% class="mark" %)"Parents" [H2]
59		-
60		-(% class="mark" %)"Teachers" [H2]
61		-
62		-But we do not recommend providing separate sections of pages for "different" audience groups. Your users may belong to more than one group – teacher who is a parent.
63		-
64		-Or the applicant may not have anyone else helping with their application, so they need to be able to access all the support information available.
65		-
66		-It's better for all users to group by topic. If that suddenly seems like a long page, be more concise, consider a guide format or use design elements.
67		-
68		-
69		-=== {{id name="#2"/}}2. Be consistent: do not switch things round. ===
70		-
71		-When you've made it clear who's who, stick with that. Do not be tempted to suddenly change from talking to the user as "you" and then labelling a tool, app or transaction with "my" to mean the user.
72		-
73		-If the user is established "you", use:
74		-
75		-(% class="mark" %)"Your basket"(%%) not "my basket"
76		-
77		-(% class="mark" %)"Your music"(%%) not "my music"
78		-
79		-(% class="mark" %)"Your application"(%%) not "my application"
80		-
81		-
82		-=== {{id name="#3"/}}3. Decide how you will treat third parties. ===
83		-
84		-(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
85		-When a third party is heavily referred to in the content, in addition to the organisation whose website it is, using 'we' can become confusing.
86		-
87		-
88		-----
89		-
90		-== {{id name="#UEWY"/}}Usability evidence ==
91		-
92		-[['Comprehension of pronouns'>>url:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14640748008401161]], SAGE Journals, 1980
93		-
94		-[[GOV.UK Content design: planning, writing and managing content>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website, 2016
95		-
96		-[['Is this my interface or yours?'>>url:https://medium.com/@jsaito/is-this-my-interface-or-yours-b09a7a795256]], John Saito, 2016
97		-
98		-[[Writing for the web, Tone and Voice>>url:https://style.ons.gov.uk/category/writing-for-the-web/tone-and-voice/#ons]], Office for National Statistics web style guide, 2018
	1	+Please go to [[readabilityguidelines.co.uk/audiences-devices-channels/we-you-our-your-my>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.co.uk/audiences-devices-channels/we-you-our-your-my/]].