Plain Language to Minimize Cognitive Load: A Social Justice Perspective

摘要: This tutorial explores ethical implications of cognitive load theory and intersectional on technical professional communication, proposes plain language as an imperative to redress social inequities. Key concepts: When the a learning task is too high overwhelms working memory, impaired. The greater stress mental burden that marginalized populations experience can leave less memory available for reading learning. Using reduce be considered political act increases populations’ opportunities understand. lessons: 1. Consider whether are part your audience. 2. personas represent those populations, audit their exercise empathy. 3. reducing via imperative. Implications practice: Assessing presence absence specific groups iterative takes practice, but developing plain-language communications accommodate these audiences reduces all readers. And although useful empathy, nothing replaces user testing in determining communication's effectiveness.