Wiki source code of We, you, our, your, my
Version 1.9 by Lizzie Bruce on 2019/03/16 02:05
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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 |