Text simplification guidelines

Text simplification is a strategy that involves making changes and adding to an existing text in order to make it more clear and comprehensible for all students. In this section, we present an extensive set of guidelines designed to help digital content developers, mainly teachers, understand how to make content accessible to their students. These guidelines are complementary to those dealing with the interface design as presented in many guides such as the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (Section 508), the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) and the Accessible Digital Office Document (ADOD) Project.

Precautions to digital content simplification

When considering the guidelines, teachers have to select the most appropriate ones taking into account the following directives:

Simplifying digital content consists of reducing the complexity of the content depending on the severity of the disabilities or learning difficulties.
Simplifying the text must not infantilize the student. Teachers have to provide the student with content that is appropriate to the learners chronological age while being adequate for their mental age, level of knowledge and learning style.
Teachers should make sure that the simplified content presents achievable challenges for the student. Too simple or too difficult content in regards to the student’s abilities may demotivate them.
Teachers must make sure that they present their student with a simplified digital content whose complexity increases gradually in terms of the student’s increased abilities and level of learning.

Text Simplification Guidelines by Category

Digital content simplification guidelines are divided into the following fourteen categories described below:

Grammar
Vocabulary
Text organization
Numbers
Information Density
Layout
Links and buttons
Punctuation
Font
Colour
Illustrations
Tables
Forms and fields
Video / audio / multimedia supplements

Grammar

Use simple sentences (subject, verb, object)
Use correct grammar
Use verbs in the active voice rather than the passive voice. Example: use “Mohammed mailed the letter” rather than “the letter was mailed”
Use positive language and avoid the negation (e.g. expressions like can’t, won’t, unable to)
Address the person, not a group
Approach the student in a direct and personal way (e.g. use the pronoun “you” instead of talking about “the student” or “he or she”)
Avoid the use of pronouns because the reader has to infer to what subject they refer
Use simple and commonly used verb tenses such as present, simple past, and simple future
Avoid inversions between the verbs and subject (e.g. “Into the room sauntered a king penguin”)

Vocabulary

Use clear and simple text
Avoid abstract concepts (ideas or concepts that have no physical reference), for example freedom, good, moral, democracy, and any -ism (e.g. chauvinism, Communism, feminism, racism, sexism)
Avoid meaningless formal language (e.g. best practice, touch base, value added)
Avoid hidden verbs. Use the strongest, most direct form of the verb (e.g. Don’t write “you need to carry out a review of your account”, write “you need to review your account”)
Avoid metaphors and figures of speech. If necessary, illustrate them with practical examples
Write as you talk. Use short words from everyday language that are used in oral communication
Don’t turn verbs into nouns. (e.g. Don’t write “animal protection procedure development”; instead, write “developing procedures to protect animals”)
Use vocabulary in its first meaning (common meaning)
In text, always designate the same objects by the same word, i.e., avoid the use of synonyms
Avoid abbreviations and acronyms
If everyone knows an abbreviation, use it without explanation (e.g. BMW, AIDS)
Try to avoid using legal and technical language (i.e., specialized vocabulary of any field)
Omit unnecessary words (e.g. Write “to” instead of “in order to”)
Omit excess words (e.g. Write “difficult” instead of “particularly difficult”)
Don’t use slashes (e.g. Write either X, or Y, or both” then “X and/or Y)
Do not borrow words from other languages. If this is unavoidable, explain them, except, commonly used words
Use definitions rarely. If you can’t avoid them, use only a few
Avoid long section of definitions. If you must have a section of definitions, put it at the beginning or the end of your document
Use correct spelling
Offer a search engine that forgives spelling errors
Include spell checkers in search engines
Offer pronunciations where meaning depends on it, mainly for heteronyms—words that are spelled the same but have different pronunciations and meanings, such as the words “lead” (to guide/dense metal) and “wound” (injury/to encircle)

Text organization

Start with the main idea—don’t start with an exception
The elements of the content should follow a logical order. Structure critical pieces of information within close proximity to each other
Put textual or visual elements that recur regularly in your presentation in the same place
If you mention a procedure (numbered list of tasks), be sure to place the steps in a chronological order, like a cooking recipe
Present related points in a list rather than a long paragraph.
Use numbered lists rather than bullets
Give each page a meaningful title. Use clear, meaningful and properly nested headings and subheadings
Limit the number of subheadings

Numbers

Write the numbers using numerical symbols (1, 2, 3…)
Don’t use Roman numerals
Do not use percentages. If you want to use percentage, make sure that the reader already understands the concept
When it is necessary to write the date, do not write it in abbreviated form. Write the day in numbers, the month in letters, and the year in numbers
If necessary, use phrases like “long ago” instead of a date to refer to the past
Write addresses as they should appear on an envelope (not on one line)
If necessary, use phrases like “too many” instead of large numbers

Information density

Reduce short-term memory load. Do not overload the page with information
Ideally, submit one piece of information per sentence
Change the page when you change the subject
Use a maximum of 2 sentences per line (i.e., 60-70 characters per line)
Provide ways in which the student may recognize information, rather than be required to recall it
Use indicators such as colour, text layout, shape/texture, and audio to provide contextual clues and easy recognition
Be consistent in the use of the indicator: An indicator must signify the same thing throughout the text
Use visual cues to highlight important points or sections of the content
Remove information the student doesn’t want or need
Avoid sounds, animations, and other moving content that are played without the student specifically interacting with the interface
Don’t suppose any knowledge to be already acquired by the reader. Describe as much as possible
Use examples to clarify complex concepts. Examples help to explain by linking prior experiences with new information
Minimize cross-references to other documents, fields of knowledge or events. If the reference is necessary, it is better to join the other document and ensure it also meets the simplification rules
Avoid presenting the student with noise stimuli. Extensive use of illustrations, audio background, pop-up windows, etc. may distract the reader
Reduce the number of instructions needed for the student to perform the required task
Ensure that the procedure for executing a task (e.g. searching on the Web) is always the same
Present the student with one instruction at a time. Avoid simultaneous tasks
Repeat the instruction each time you refer to it
Provide simple reminders such as “step 2 of 4” to help the student keep track of what he has already done and what he has left to do
Replace the comma with a newline when enumerating or listing many items
Provide the student with clues to estimate the duration of an activity and when it ends
Avoid time based events (e.g. auto refresh, redirects, shut outs). Allow the student to interact with the interface at his/her pace

Layout

Use uncluttered, simple screen layout
Use consistent navigation and design on every page
Justify the text only on the left. Use ragged edge right hand margins
Use wide margins
Use more space between lines (1.5 to 2 times line spacing)
Don’t split words at the end of the line
Avoid the presentation of text in many columns. Use a 1 column (or max 2 columns with graphics) layout with generous margins on each side
Do not present information as a brochure or other presentation formats that do not read like a standard book
Avoid or minimize automatic and vertical scrolling. Students may not read at same rate as scrolling feature
Avoid the horizontal scrolling of the text
Limit the use of background images
Never use shading
Avoid the use of page frames
Avoid background audio sound

Links and buttons

Ensure that all interface navigation is in one location
The location of the interface elements must be kept in similar contexts (e.g. the link to the main page must be always in the same place.)
Linked text should indicate the nature of the link target (e.g. avoid “click here” because it is ambiguous and doesn’t provide the student with direction as to what they are opening)
When a linked text appears more than once on a page, it should point to the same link target
Links should not be a single word or letter
Avoid presenting the complete URL address of a link
Links presented as buttons or icons should be large enough
Use consistent methods of indicating a link (e.g. blue underlined text)
A non-clickable text must not seem to be clickable (e.g., if your links are one colour, do not use that colour for non-clickable text anywhere)
Avoid using images as the only way for linking to something
Highlight and clearly place buttons and links which close the page, return to the previous page or go to the following page
Make sure that the links leading towards another page of the interface opens in another page in the style of a pop-up window without being blocked
Make sure that the new page that opens is smaller than the page under it, in order to not to lose sight of the place where the student had clicked the link
Have simple navigation, with just a few choices, rather than navigation with lots of choices
In presenting the navigation bar, it is better to present it from left to right than from up to down. It is difficult and frustrating to read a document that can begin and end anywhere and that is different from the usual presentation of a “standard book”
Use skinny panels for presenting menu options. When using large panels, we hide the content each time we open the options menu, which makes it difficult to use
Place navigation bar horizontally to leave maximum space for text and white space
Use a maximum of 6 links in navigation bar
Avoid using cascading menus

Punctuation

Adjust punctuation to make the text more alive, and hence easier to understand.
In general, use a period, a question mark, an exclamation mark or an apostrophe
Limit the use of semicolons, colons, hyphens, parentheses’, commas, and ellipses

Font

Use a font containing characters whose letters are clear, easy to discern and without serif such as Arial, Veranda, Helvetica, Tahoma. It is better to choose a font that looks like the handwriting (for e.g., comic sans MS)
Use large fonts (14 points minimum)
Allow the ability to resize text
Make sure that the page remains readable and functional when the text is enlarged
Avoid italics, capital letters and fancy fonts because they deform letters
To highlight a text, use colours, font weights and larger fonts
Highlighting should be used sparingly. Used to excess, it risks losing its effect
Avoid underlining words because it has too many connotations: it suggests that the underlined text is a link
Limit the number of fonts used. Use a maximum of two fonts in a text, one for titles and another for the text
If you use special fonts, you must be consistent in their use (e.g. If you use a special font for the subtitles, you must only use it for all the subtitles of the document)

Colour

Use colour to reinforce information presented in text, images or icons. However, make sure that information presented in colour should also be evident without colour
Do not use colour alone to convey information. Individuals who have colour blindness might have difficulty determining the meaning if the only cue is colour (e.g. if using red arrows and green arrows on a diagram, use a dotted or hatched line with one of the colours and a straight lined for the other)
Provide sufficient contrast between text and background
Avoid high contrast flickering or intense blinking colours
If flickering, flashing or blinking content is used, be sure to limit its length
If flickering, flashing or blinking content is used, be sure that the interface provides a mechanism to stop the blinking (e.g. “Stop animation”)
Ensure that colour symbolizes the same thing in all the text

Illustrations

Use pictures, icons and symbols along with text
Illustrations must be clear, precise, and in colour if possible
Illustrations should be requiring no further explanation to be understood
Illustrations must load quickly and at the same time as the text
Allow the ability to increase of the size of the illustrations
Ensure that the images are readable and understandable when they are enlarged
Accompany any illustration with a brief and simple explanatory text
Minimize the use of graphics
Give all illustrations clear concise and relevant titles
Summarize through text information given through visual keys, such as data, trends and implications of charts and graphs
Illustrations must not satisfy aesthetics requirements only
When the text refers to a known person, place or object, add its photo, if possible
Avoid images that flash more than 4 times per second
Illustrations must show a common view of the object or the situation presented in the text (avoid underground, aerial or partial views)
When using symbols, use those that are familiar to the student or are frequently used
Group the different visual elements by location or format
Ensure consistency in the way of grouping the elements (same format, same location)
Avoid animated images when they are next to a text. The reader is usually distracted from the text to focus on the moving images
Avoid extensive use of pictograms and images because students may learn how to decode illustrations and not learn to read
Use mental imagery and teach high image words first then increase difficulty by gradually moving to less visually charged words

Tables

Use tables to make complex material easier to understand (e.g. an “if-then” table that organizes the material by a situation (if something is the case) and the consequence (then something else happens)
Avoid large, multiple entries, and complex tables
Better to use simple entrance tables (e.g. three simple tables are easier to understand than one that is complicated)
Make sure table headers describe adequately the concerned column or row
Summarize all tables

Forms and fields

Limit the amount of information that forms require; collect only the minimum information needed
According to the nature of your form, organize your fields following one of these principles:
- Put the most important information at the beginning
- Put the general information first, with specialized information or exceptions to the general information later
- Organize your fields chronologically
Make sure that the information asked in forms are short and basic (e.g. first name, last name, e-mail address)
Put text fields’ labels very close to the entry field
Do not use only coloured highlighting to indicate errors on form
Do not rely only on asterisk (*) to indicate required fields
When students must make a choice, warn them that the choice is coming and tell them how many options they have
When students must make a choice, keep all possibilities in the same vicinity
When students must make a choice, limit the number of choice possibilities and include the important ones
Stack fields in vertical column
Offer standard entry fields for phone numbers
On any page with a single selection box or entry field, put the “Go” or “Next” (or “Submit” or “Send”) button as close as possible to that box or field
In forms, put the “Submit” or “Send” button as close as possible to the last field entry box or selection tool on the form
Put any instructions pertaining to a particular field before the field, not after it.
Guarantee that the student has enough time to fill out the form
Give the student a quick, clear and brief feedback (error message, skip the following step, etc.)
Have forms that automatically send, rather than have to be sent via email
Limit the use of buttons in a form. A simple “Submit” or “Send” button is enough

Video, audio, and multimedia supplements

Provide information in multiple formats, with a heavy emphasis on visual formats
Make sure your content is compatible with screen readers or other voicing tools
Provide voice captions (audio files for text)
Make sure that the voice in the audio tracks is clear and well-articulated
Make sure that the content of the audio version corresponds correctly to the text version
Provide text alternatives to non-text content (e.g. Image captions)
Transcribe audio tracks
Use video to supplement text. A moving, talking person in a video may be easier to identify and mentally process than a textual content or even a static image of a person in a photograph
Provide audio descriptions and text alternatives to videos