Goal: Help organisations measure the success of plain language efforts by collecting and using user feedback to improve clarity, effectiveness, and trust.
Feedback from users is the ultimate test of your plain language success.
How to collect it
- Add a “Was this clear?” question to forms and websites.
- Conduct user interviews or usability tests.
- Track customer complaints or errors.
- Use online surveys or feedback boxes.
What to look for
- Do people understand key messages?
- Can they act on the information?
- Are satisfaction and trust improving?
Benefits
- Provides evidence to justify continued investment.
- Helps identify weak spots.
- Involves users in improving services.
Practical tip
Make it easy for people to give feedback — short, simple forms work best.
Reflection prompt
- What are effective ways to collect user feedback to evaluate the success of plain language efforts?
- Why is user feedback important for improving and justifying plain language initiatives?