top of page

Case Study:
Cook County Assessor's Office

Sector: Government

Project: Informational letter and notice

Audience + Purpose: Share transparent, understandable mail assessment information with home and business owners in Cook County

Original Notice

Challenges:

  • Critical and complex legal information

  • Lots of jargon

  • Opportunities to explain processes more clearly

Goals:

  • Increase transparency and confidence in system 

  • Make process understandable for all home and business owners 

  • Integrate plain language seamlessly with new graphics

Updated Version

Updated Reassessment notice with numbered sections. Each section has a dark strip to differentiate it, and things are explained in clear language.
Updated Reassessment notice with numbered sections. Each section has a dark strip to differentiate it, and things are explained in clear language.

What We Did:

  • Labelled and described each section more clearly

  • Included clear action steps for common issues that arise

  • Used graphic organizer to organize legal if/then situations to make easier to skim

Big Takeaways:

  1. Providing an overview of a complex subject is very important for readers to understand the big picture before diving into a subject

  2. Even with complex legalese, you can make information easier to read, understand, and use

  3. It can be overwhelming to overhaul a document completely but it will likely make your future revisions much easier, less time consuming, and more user-friendly

bottom of page