The number of media in easy language is growing and ensures the participation of people with limited reading and comprehension skills in society. The new DIN SPEC 33429 provides recommendations for successful implementation, including design and font. The visual design of a text contributes significantly to comprehensibility. DIN SPEC is aimed at various professional groups and is used for quality assurance.
The new recommendations prevail against the use of Arial 14 point as a universal dowel and expand the participation of citizens with limited reading and comprehension skills in all written communication. The mandate from the Federal Ministry takes up the demands of Design Day from 2020.
In conversation with Sabina Sieghart.
Who was involved in the development of the new DIN SPEC and what role did people with learning difficulties play in it?
With 70 members, the consortium was unusually large. These included translators, linguists, people with learning difficulties, plain language examiners, accessibility experts and we visual designers. Our group was, by the way, sent by German Design Day and its member organizations.
For DIN (German Institute for Standardization), the participatory project structure was new. In research and practical implementation of simple language, those affected are self-evident as experts for their living environment, because working with examiners is part of the concept of easy language.
Can you tell us some of the recommendations for visually designing texts in plain language?
Genre-typical design and legible font are important. This means that a newspaper should look like a newspaper, because just looking at it gives readers advance information about what kind of text it is. They can also use reading strategies, for example, you can select an article in the newspaper because the headline stands out due to its typical design. An attractive, well-made design motivates people to read (and read on). This is crucial for our target group, for whom reading is tedious.
What measures should companies take to ensure that their written communication is barrier-free and complies with the recommendations of the new DIN SPEC?
The key is to employ specialists, provide an appropriate budget and raise awareness within the company. DIN Spec also describes the optimal implementation process and recommends involving all parties involved right from the start. Communicating with simple language requires just as much care and expertise as the rest of the corporate communication. I've already helped several companies expand their corporate design barrier-free and it's always paid off: Because communication is successful when it arrives.
DIN SPEC is on the website https://www.din.de/de/mitwirken/normenausschuesse/naerg/e-din-spec-33429-2023-04-empfehlungen-fuer-deutsche-leichte-sprache--901210 provided.
Until May 3, their content can be commented on by the professional public, i.e. also by designers.
A book is also being planned.
