Structure items in a series as a list

Lists are series of items. All lists have a 'lead-in' (a phrase or sentence) or heading to introduce the list.

Use lists to:

• help users skim information
• group related information
• help users understand how items relate to each other
• show an order of steps
• arrange information by importance.

Lists can be ordered or numbered (the order is important) or unordered (the order is not critical).

Use everyday words

Choose words that people are familiar with. Unfamiliar words make content harder to read and understand.

If age is relevant, follow style conventions

Question whether age is relevant. Avoid referring to a person’s age or an age group if it’s not relevant.

If you need to mention age, follow style conventions:

Limit each paragraph to one idea

People find it easier to understand content when a paragraph contains only one idea or theme. Don’t introduce a new idea in the middle or at the end of a paragraph. Start a new paragraph instead.

Introduction or summary paragraphs recap ideas covered in the content. Group sentences in these paragraphs by theme – for example, to help users understand how the content is structured.

Put paragraphs in the order that makes sense to the user

Order paragraphs in a logical sequence, such as:

Write headings that are clear and short

Headings organise information. Clear headings are specific to the topic they describe.

Keep them brief. They are signposts for people and for search engines.

Many people skim through headings to check whether a page is relevant before they read it in detail. Search engines use headings to analyse and rank content.

Identify the user and purpose

The user (recipient) and the purpose determine whether you use an email or a letter.

The level of formality in the writing depends on the recipient and the purpose.

When you write emails or letters for work, use the right format and tone for the purpose.

Users vary. They include:

• people outside government
• colleagues in the department or agency
• colleagues in other departments or agencies.

Consider the kind of relationship that you have with the recipient.

Give all users access to the same information

When people use content with images, they get information from different elements.

Users combine information from:

• image captions and titles
• body text and the images themselves
• alt text.

These elements have different purposes.

Order the parts of the report

There are conventions that apply to how the information in reports should appear.

The basic parts of a report are:

• a landing page (a cover for printed reports)
• preliminary content (separate pages in printed reports)
• the main part of the report
• supporting information (endmatter).

The type of report will determine what to include and where.

Add images only if they help the user

Use images if they help users complete their task with your service or product. Images can make it easier for some people to understand information.

Types of images include:

• photographs and decorative images
• charts, graphs and maps
• diagrams
• drawings
• icons.

Use tables if they make content easier to read

Use a table only if there isn’t a simpler way to present your content, such as a list, paragraph of text or diagram.

Use tables for exact values and information that is too detailed for the text.

Don’t create a table for only one or 2 items. Report them in the body of the text instead.

Design tables to allow users to: