Readability Guidelines

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A project from [[Content Design London>>http://contentdesign.London]].

\\"Imagine a collaboratively developed, universal content style guide, based on usability evidence. With guidelines for creating easy to comprehend content, we'll design inclusively by default." – Sarah Richards

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**[[Clear language>>doc:Plain English.WebHome]]**

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**[[Grammar points>>doc:Punctuation and abbreviating.WebHome]]**

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**[[Audiences>>doc:People.WebHome]]**

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**[[Content design>>doc:User centred design.WebHome]]**

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==

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{{id name="#W"/}}The project ==

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In 2018 Sarah Richards at Content Design London asked if, working together, we can create a [[universal, inclusive style guide>>url:https://contentdesign.london/blog/usability/readability-guidelines]]. Because 'style guide' can mean different things, we called it the 'readability guidelines' project.

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Content professionals in multiple sectors held regular discussions across the globe for 24 weeks. This was [[Alpha>>||anchor="Alpha"]] and [[Beta>>||anchor="Beta"]]. And it's all continuing: you can [[get involved>>||anchor="Gi"]].

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[[Top findings>>doc:.Top findings.WebHome]]

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[[Our usability questions>>doc:.Usability questions.WebHome]]

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[[Testing we want to do>>doc:.New research.WebHome]]

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=== (% style="color:inherit; font-family:inherit; font-size:26px" %){{id name="Alpha"/}}(%%)Alpha ===

We asked if:

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* an open community of content people want to contribute to a single style guide

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* we'd like to rely on evidence for the style guide elements – and if yes, what evidence would be most useful

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* a wiki model is sustainable

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Read the [[final Alpha blog update>>https://contentdesign.london/research/readability-alpha-the-end/]].

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Alpha ran from July to October, 2018.

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=== {{id name="Beta"/}}Beta ===

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From the Alpha discussions we identified 17 content style [[usability questions>>doc:.Usability questions.WebHome]]. We searched for evidence to answer them in Beta.

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By the end we created the first readability guidelines, identified [[top level findings>>doc:Main.Top findings.WebHome]] and accepted that some style points needed further testing.

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Read the [[final Beta blog update>>url:https://contentdesign.london/content-process/readability-guidelines-beta-update-4-by-lizzie-bruce/]].

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Beta was October to December 2018.

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== {{id name="Gi"/}}Get involved ==

Explore and join us:

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* read the global Slack discussions: [[readabilityguidelines.slack.com>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.slack.com/]], join: [[bit.ly/2D0OW1F>>url:https://bit.ly/2D0OW1F]]

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* watch the London Accessibility MeetUp [[Readability Guidelines talk>>url:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQzdtE8JQOs]]'

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* share usability studies and academic research evidence on this wiki

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* follow #ReadabilityGuidelines on Twitter and LinkedIn

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We have almost 500 members in our Slack community.

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== Editing the wiki ==

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This is a totally open project – dive in! You're welcome to comment on, edit or create wiki pages. The only rules are:

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* be respectful

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* make any comments in the spirit of positive open learning

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* read the wiki pages carefully, and study existing evidence, before making comments and edits

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* include usability evidence to support any edits

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You can comment on any page without logging in. But if you'd like to add usability evidence please [[request a log-in>>mailto:lizzie@contentdesign.london]].

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It may take a few days for us to set up your wiki account.

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Any comments or queries outside of this wiki, please get in touch on twitter [[@ContentDesignLN>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.slack.com]].

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