Knowledge Base

People rarely read things word-by-word; instead, they scan the page, picking out keywords and sentences.  

To make sure students are getting all the important information from your web pages that they need, you should use the following:  

• Highlighted keywords (words that have links attached to them serve as one form of highlighting; font variations and colour are others). 
  

• Clearly expressed headings and sub-headings – not overly “clever” ones. 
  

• Bulleted lists. 
  

• One idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words). 
  

• Half the word count (or less) than conventional writing. If you can say it in fewer, simpler words, do it.
  

Tone and Voice 

Tone is the way you express ideas. It includes the words you use, the way you put them together and their level of formality. Voice captures who is writing – a persona that people understand when they engage with the content. Adapt tone and voice to engage users, so the content can meet their needs.  

UMSU generally uses an informal tone, but please be mindful when using metaphors, idioms and slang, which can make things difficult for some students to understand. 

UMSU’s voice is supportive, friendly, positive and empowering. We aim for a respectful writing style which:  

• uses inclusive language,  
  

• is clear and direct, 
  

• makes it easy for people to understand what they need to know or do, 
  

• expresses ideas in everyday words (plain language), 
  

• doesn’t speak down to people, but doesn’t feel ick-level friendly.