5 tips for organizing content clearly

Updated: 2 days ago

Strong organization is like a road map for your reader. They want to know where they are starting from and where they are going, and they don’t want to miss anything critical along the way.

Organizing information

Here are a few places to start:

Have a clear organizational pattern. Use a format that is logical for your content: a list, questions + answers, compare + contrast, bite/snack/meal... just be intentional!
Break up content into manageable chunks, sections, or paragraphs. Don't overwhelm the reader with too much dense text. It is very hard to skim for information when it is in large blocks.
Be consistent with headings. Use the same “style” of headings or sub-headings for the same type of information. This also helps people using screen readers navigate a text.
Use dot points or icons to break up information when items make sense in a list. Lists are most helpful when short and sweet. Numbers can work well for listicles (Top 10…) and sequences!
Be cohesive. This means guiding readers with transition words (first, next, for example) and linking ideas together to help show connections.

How strong organization can make a big difference

Here is the same text as above without adding any spacing or features like bolding. Which would you rather read – the one above or the one below?

Have a clear organizational pattern. Use a format that is logical for your content: a list, questions + answers, compare + contrast, bite/snack/meal...just be intentional! Break up content into manageable chunks, sections, or paragraphs. Don't overwhelm the reader with too much dense text. It is very hard to skim for information when it is in large blocks. Be consistent with headings. Use the same “style” of headings or sub-headings for the same type of information. This also helps people using screen readers navigate a text. Use dot points, icons, or numbers to break up information when items make sense to list. Don't overdo it though. Too many items on a list or too much info gets overwhelming quickly. Numbers can work well for listicles (Top 10…) and sequences! Be cohesive. This means guiding the reader with transition words (first, next, for example) and linking ideas together so that readers can see connections.

Additional resources

General info on organizing ideas

Journal of Environmental Health article: Bite, Snack, Meal: A Content Strategy to Get Your Message Across and Keep Audiences Engaged
US Government Plain Language website: Organizing the Content

Headings

Australian Government Style Guide: Headings
Microsoft Word video: Improving Heading Accessibility

Visual hierarchy

Interaction Design Foundation article: Visual Hierarchy+ Organizing content to follow natural eye movement patterns
Nielsen-Norman Group: Visual Hierarchy in UX (User Experience)

Practicing what we preach

Above is an example of what we mean about breaking up lists. Yes, we could have had one list of links, but we used subheadings to help make it a bit easier to find resources on different sub-topics.

That way, if one section isn’t what you are looking for, you can easily go on to the next!

Reflecting on your work

Think about a time you had trouble finding information. What improvements in organization would have made it easier for you?

Think about a document you have that should be easy to skim and find information quickly. Are there headings to guide the reader? Are there lists, and, if so, are they a reasonable length? Does the way it is organized make sense for the topic?

Clear Language Lab Cheat Sheets are brief summaries of foundational topics we talk about often at the Clear Language Lab. Questions or errors you want to report? Contact Tiara Whitlock, Program Manager, at tiara@litworks.org.

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