Design principles

Don't add content if:

• we're not responsible for the service
• the information is on GOV.UK or another reliable website
• the information is only for Bristol City Council staff
• it relates to a department not a service
• it doesn't meet a user need

Add content if:

• there's a clear demand for it from users
• the council is legally obliged to publish the content online
• it relates to something only Bristol does or pays for
• it's information that people need to know before they can do something that's regulated by or related to Bristol
• it helps people to comply with their statutory obligations, such as ensuring they're on the electoral register
• it provides advice and support to Bristol businesses

People come to bristol.gov.uk with a purpose. They want to complete a task. For example:

• finding something out, such as when their bin collection is
• completing a transaction, such as paying a parking fine
• telling us something, such as a change in circumstances or reporting a faulty streetlight

Content works if people can find what they need quickly and complete their task easily.

When creating content, think about:

• what task the user is trying to do, their user needs
• what information they need to do it
• what action they'll need to take
• how they'll get to the content
• what they might be feeling at the time

On a page, you should:

• provide information to meet the user needs
• be clear about what the person needs to do
• say why they should do it
• say what happens next

Think about the whole person and their whole journey. This will help you work out the user needs and how to support them.

Design content for the user, not the service. Use analytics, information from the service team, user research and customer feedback as a basis for this.

Design and test content with real users. Iterate and improve it if it isn't working.

Accessible design is good design. We must create content that everyone can use, regardless of age, background, circumstances and ability. 

Our approach to accessibility

Our city is diverse. We have users of different ages, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, gender identity and many other characteristics. We want our content to be inclusive to all.

Throughout our A to Z of style, we give examples of what wording to use and what to avoid. For example, always use gender-neutral text, such as ‘they', instead of ‘he' or ‘she'.

Content must be factual, neutral and unambiguous. The service team must check content is factually accurate before it's published.

Make content clear and to the point, so that everyone can understand it and complete their task as quickly as possible.

Complex language can be difficult for people to understand, especially when:

• English isn't their first language
• they have a learning or cognitive disability
• they need to read quickly

Use a tool, such as the NHS readibility tool, to:

• find out the reading age of your text
• highlight complex or passive words, sentences and paragraphs

Reading age

Aim for a reading age of 9 to 11 and for those with no previous knowledge of the council.

Use plain English

Use unambiguous, plain English so we can get information across in the clearest way possible. For example use:

• 'buy' instead of 'purchase'
• 'help' instead of 'assist'
• 'you can' instead of 'you may be able to'

Don't use council jargon, it can confuse people and make them feel excluded, which can lead to a loss of trust. For example, use 'tell us what you think' rather than 'representations are sought'. If you must use council jargon, define what it means early in the page.

Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech. For example only use 'going forward' if you're talking about travelling forward.

Use the words that people are using. You can use search data, such as Google Trends, to see which terms people are searching for.

Never say more than you have to

• Never use a long word when a short word will do.
• If it's possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
• Use short sentences, no more than about 20 words.
• Keep paragraphs short and focused, make one point per paragraph.
• Stay on topic and only publish what users need to know. For example, if the user need is finding out when the next bin collection is, don't talk about how to order a new bin.

There's no minimum or maximum recommended page length. However, the more words you have, the harder it is to understand.

This means that the quicker you get to the point, the greater the chance your users will take in the information you want them to.

People don't read all the text on a page. Put the most important information near the top of a page, so there's more chance a user will see it.

Users can scan content more easily when it's broken up. Use a page title, summary text, headings and bullet point lists to help people:

• decide if content is relevant to them, this can be useful in search results as well as the page itself
• read and understand the content

This helps everyone, including those using assistive technology, such as:

• a screen reader, users of screen readers can set them to skip between headings or between links
• magnification tools
• voice commands or alternative input devices

Your tone

When writing content, think about how you would say it to someone in conversation. Then find a balance between being friendly, calm and conversational whilst sounding professional and speaking with the authority of someone who can help.

The tone should be empowering rather than patronising, and personal rather than formal.

Tone can change depending on the context. For example, you might want to use a more serious tone when talking about paying council tax and a less serious tone when talking about a campaign encouraging people to get fit.

Your voice

Use an active voice, rather than a passive voice. An active voice creates more lively text, is easier to read and understand and is less ambiguous. For example, 'we'll send you a refund' is much clearer than 'a refund will be sent'.

Almost every sentence contains 3 things:

• subject (the person, group or thing doing the action)
• verb (the action itself)
• object (the person, group or thing that the action is done to)

For example, in 'you can report a faulty streetlight', the subject is 'you', the action is 'report' and object is 'faulty streetlight'. The sentence says who can do the reporting before it says what's being reported. This is active.

In 'a faulty streetlight can be reported by you', the object becomes the subject and the subject becomes the object. This is passive, clumsy and less direct.

Examples:

• Active: We'll deliver your bin
• Passive: Your bin will be delivered

• Active: Don't overfill your blue bag
• Passive: The blue bag should not be overfilled

Think about whether the words you use could be pronounced in different ways, confusing the meaning. For example, 'last week I read something and now I want to read it again'.

This sentence could be confusing for a non-native English speaker and a screen reader won't know to pronounce the first 'read' differently to the second 'read'.

If there's a chance that a sentence could be misunderstood, change the words.

Our A to Z of style covers individual terms, such as 'Clean Air Zone' and how to write them. 

It also covers guidance on wider topics such as:

• contractions
• FAQs and why we don't use them
• frontloading text, which enables users to scan pages faster
• gerunds (-ing words) and why we avoid them
• links and link text
• punctuation
• sentence case