This week we had the pleasure of talking with the awesome Deanna Lorianni. She showed us a series of projects and told us about the strenuous journey to making a decent amount of legal documents easily legible for the common person. Deanna informed us that the reading level of a majority of Americans is around an 8th grade. I'm disappointed, but not surprised. I was reading at a 7th grade level back in elementary school and that was without all the technology we have today. Deanna told us Plain Language and how it is our job to make things easier for the consumer. The days of using big words to look smart are over! Short, Sweet, and Straight to the point is the motto and especially when it comes to "The Terms and Conditions". Nobody reads the terms and conditions, but everyone accepts them! One instance she told us about, a lady lost her first born by accepting the terms and conditions. The terms and conditions for Instagram are definitely not on the level for a thirteen year to understand, yet we let them agree to use it anyway. The few hours she spent talking to us was very informal and I took a lot from it.
photo credits: Unsplash
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