Recommended reading: content design

The Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) periodically reviews and adds new resources. We select resources that are easy for people new to plain language and content design to understand and put into practice.

Principles

• ODI's content design principles
• California Design System principles
• Government Code 6219, California’s plain language law
• US Web Design System principles

Online courses

• Cake Consultancy’s Content design pathway course

Style guides

• Associated Press (AP) Style: ODI’s default for style questions not covered by our style guide
• 18F content guide at the federal government
• How to write for SF.gov
• Federal plain language guidelines at plainlanguage.gov
• Federal style guides by government agencies
• GOV.UK A to Z of style – words to avoid: a list of some words that make your content less clear, created by a UK government content team

How-to's

Accessibility

• Web Accessibility Toolkit - California Department of Rehabilitation
• Web Accessibility Initiative
  • Cognitive Accessibility Guidance
  • An alt decision tree
• How to: write good Alt Text - Supercool

Content design

• Why FAQs aren’t the answer you’re looking for - Co-op
• A guide to content design - Shelter, a UK housing nonprofit
  • What is content design?
  • Crits
• How content designers can convince subject matter experts content needs to change - Lee Baker on Medium

Inclusive language

• The University of Washington’s IT inclusive language guide: terms often found in IT, with alternatives
• Atlassian’s inclusive language guide: alternatives to many terms and phrases
• Vox Media’s Language, Please: a resource that defines many terms. In some cases it offers guidance on choosing terms
• Service Design Network’s Supporting inclusive forms design with design systems

Plain language

Plainlanguage.gov, maintained by the US federal government, is a great resource for how to implement plain language. Their site also includes examples of plain language in action.

Human-centered design

• Nielsen Norman Group
  • Content strategy
  • Information architecture
  • Writing for the web
  • Web usability
    • Why you only need to test with 5 users

Tools

• Hemingway Editor
• ODI’s plain language checklist: detailed guidance on how to improve your writing

Books

• Content Design - Sarah Winters
• Writing for dollars, writing to please: The case for plain language in business, government, and law - Joseph Kimble