7.4: Readability Factors

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Readability (the process of making documents easier to read, understand and respond to) can be divided into two main categories: content and design. Technical writers have to make conscious efforts to make both the information and the document stand out.

Here are a few ways to make papers more readable:

Content

Language:

Use simple language whenever possible.

Define complex language.

Choose strong active verbs (avoid passive voice most often).

Sentences and paragraphs:

Use short sentences on average.
Use short paragraphs. Look for ways to break one longer paragraph into a series of shorter paragraphs.
Single space most documents. Skip lines between paragraphs when convenient.
Use parallelism in lists. Help your reader get from beginning to end.

Message

Be specific. Give your reader images he/she can see.
Provide enough information for the reader to understand and respond to. Length only matters to the point of having fulfilled the audience’s needs.
Don’t provide unnecessary information. Learn to omit material as easily as you add material.
Use an opening that lets your reader know why you are writing and why they will benefit from reading the information.
Define unfamiliar language.
Understand your reader’s needs.

Design

Emphatic tools

Use things like boldface, italics and underline to help your reader understand important issues.
Use headings and sub-headings to help separate sections and to help your reader remember what it is you are focusing on.
Use columns and bulleted lists to help make items stand out.
Use white space to help influence the reader to read: psychologically, it looks a lot better when it’s not filled with words.

Graphics

Use tables, charts, graphs to pull numbers out of text.
Place graphics close to the information they pertain to.
Use objective or symbolic graphics to help your reader see images you are having difficulty describing.

Formatting

Use consistent design from beginning to end of the document.
Choose reader-friendly fonts and prints. Help the reader read the information.
Don’t let your design overwhelm your content- pick and choose design tools.

This is only a basic review of readability factors. Everything we discuss and evaluate in technical writing relates to the two prongs of technical writing: content and design. The bottom line is, make your documents professional quality.

Eng 235. Authored by: Jeff Meyers. Provided by: Clinton Community College. License: CC BY: Attribution