18f-content

# 18F content Design content as part of the service. Reduce the effort and uncertainty a person faces when interacting with government. ## Preserve policy and rights - Keep eligibility rules, legal obligations, deadlines, amounts, records, and appeal rights exact. - Do not turn an agency preference into a legal requirement. - Separate the common path, exceptions, and discretionary decisions. - Flag any wording change that may require policy or legal review. ## Map the service task 1. Identify what the person is trying to accomplish and what may be at stake. 2. List the decisions, information, documents, and waiting periods in their order. 3. Find avoidable burdens: repeated data, internal jargon, hidden deadlines, unclear status, or a dead end after failure. 4. Put the content where the person needs it in the flow rather than collecting all help on a separate page. 5. Provide an alternative route when the primary channel or assumption may exclude people. ## Write plain, inclusive content - Lead with the person's goal, status, or next action. - Use common words, active voice, and concrete verbs. - Address the person as `you`. Name the agency or system when it acts. - Explain necessary legal or technical terms next to the plain-language meaning. - Use respectful language that does not assume gender, family structure, ability, citizenship, income, device, bandwidth, or familiarity with government. - Ask only for information needed at that point and explain why s...