Specialist terms
Following this helps:
- people in a hurry – simply written content is easier to scan and absorb instantly
- people who are stressed – if you're anxious you find it harder to comprehend things
- people who are multi-tasking – if you're holding a baby or running business your attention's divided
- cognitive impairments – easy to understand words and sentences carry less cognitive load
- visual impairments – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field
Guidelines
Make specialist content comprehensible by non-experts.
1. Explain specialist terms: anybody can access your content.
2. Create content that all users can understand, whatever their expertise or background.
3. Help users understand specialist terms.
1. Explain specialist terms: anybody can access your content.
Assuming who your audience is, and that they'll understand the technical terms you use, are common misconceptions.
2. Create content that all users can understand, whatever their expertise or background.
When you present a concept explain its parts and processes in detail.
If you need to include a technical term consider explaining it. Make sure the surrounding language is in plain language.
3. Help users understand specialist terms.
You could:
- link to an existing definition – this could be an external site
- add a explanatory definition after using the term
Example:
Before
"It is a Palladian style stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – original sentence
After
"It is a Palladian style stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – with link to a definition
"It is a Palladian style stone building and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving. Palladian style architecture features include columns, symmetry and decorative arches." – with explanatory definition
Usability evidence: specialist terms
'Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts', Nielson Norman Group, 2017
'Writing Digital Copy for Specialists vs. General Audiences', Nielson Norman Group, undated
'Plain Language For Everyone, Even Experts' Nielson Norman Group, undated
'TechWhirl Fast 5: Understanding Plain Language and Simplified Technical English', Connie Giordano, TechWhirl, 2017
'Advantages and disadvantages with Simplified Technical English', MSc thesis paper, Karin Disborg, 2007
'Technical Writing Need Not Be Abstruse—Use Plain Language for Maximum Impact', Colleen Blessing, 2015
'The Facets of the General Public as Audience' Cheryl Stephens and Mariah Stufflebeam, 2017