Spot on: ISO 24495-1
Until now, there has been no fixed, standardised set of rules for communicating in plain language.
Experts have been working on internationally valid recommendations since 2007.
These recommendations can now be found as DIN (ISO) 24495-1, which was published in June 2023.
The original 15-page document is in English and has been translated into French.
It can be obtained for a fee via iso.org or beuth.de
The standard is not mandatory, but summarises useful principles.
It is noticeable that the perspective of the reader or user is important,
i.e. the perspective of the target group. That’s a must for clear communication.
The standard sets out 4 main principles, each with 6-8 “rules”:
1. Relevant:
Readers get the information they need.
Who am I writing for? Why? What does my target group need?
2. Findable:
Readers can easily find what they need.
Where can the information be found? Example: where on the website.
3. Understandable:
Readers can easily understand what they need.
What does the information say? Are the terms familiar? Is the context clear?…
4. Usable:
Readers can easily use the information.
How should the information be used? For example, filling out a form.
Users should therefore be involved when documents are developed.
This is the only way to assess usability.