Maidstone Digital Service
BETA
This is our new beta site for Maidstone Digital Services.

How we write

Less is more

People don’t have the time to read a whole content page or fill out unnecessary questions on forms especially if they’re on a mobile device.

  • be top heavy with important content, the most important parts first for example, costs, how to apply
  • only ask what’s needed to complete a request or application
  • look at wording, what a service calls something may be different to residents

Be clear

  • speak about ‘the Council’ as ‘We’
  • active and direct tone
  • address people directly – ‘You’
  • ambiguity
  • plain English
  • short sentences and paragraphs
  • clear headings
  • consistency
  • abbreviations and initialisms – we would write NASA, BBC or HMOs but we need to explain what they are first, then use the short hand
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