Part 3: Facilitating those who need easy reading

There are more people who need easy-to-read texts than many people think. They may be people with a disability, such as autism or dyslexia, but they may also be people without specific reading difficulties. They might just be stressed at the moment they visit your website and therefore have difficulty concentrating. Other examples include people who are not used to reading in Swedish.

All these readers may need easy-to-read information. They have much in common with impatient readers, but they often need extra help to get into the text. They may also be interested and knowledgeable, but still find it difficult to take in a lot of text at once.

Here are three tips to help those who need easy reading:

1. Write simple introductory summaries.
2. Print contact details early and clearly.
3. Research what your readers need.

Write simple introductory summaries

Summarising the most important points first in the text, using simple language, will help everyone. Recognise that many readers only read the beginning of the text. They can't get everything there, but they can get the main points. Remember to write short, simple sentences and use everyday words. Elaboration and more advanced language can come later.

In web texts, the preamble often serves as such a summarising introduction. One website that has many clear and easy-to-read preambles is Vårdguiden 1177:

It tells the reader the most important thing at once. The preamble emphasises that you may need to drink even if you don't feel thirsty – the reader doesn't need to read the whole text to get this message.

Preambles are often short. Sometimes two sentences are enough, but sometimes the whole text can benefit from a longer introduction. Think about whether you can add a couple of sentences to get across what is important to the reader. One example is to write that "the service is free for everyone in the municipality" already in the introduction, instead of in the last paragraph.

Print contact details early and clearly

No matter how simple your text is, some readers will need personal contact to understand important content. Don't hide your contact details! On the contrary, print them prominently on the page, preferably at the beginning of the text.

Include any information that will help readers:

• e-mail
• telephone number
• the name of the person in charge, their function and the name of the department.

Research what your readers need

Spend time researching what your website visitors actually need. You can do this both before launching a website and as part of the development process. Listening to all kinds of feedback, big and small, will give you many aha moments.

If you give readers what they need, in an accessible way, they will trust your site and use it properly. A user-friendly website saves time, as fewer people have to get in touch to understand.

Funktionsrätt Göteborg has done a lot of work to find out what makes it easier for people to use their new service Klaga på stan. They have used various reference groups and experts, including Språkkonsulterna.

Forms are often difficult to fill in for people who need to read easily. Klaga på stan tested several versions before arriving at their current forms. They guide the reader through four steps. There are also options to speak your message, have the text read to you and print it out – important additions for many people who have difficulty reading online texts.

This is the final part of the Language Consultants' blog series on writing for different readers. We hope you find our tips useful when writing for all your audiences on your website.