Inclusive content

Finance is complicated. All the more why we should try to write in plain language. Because content that's easy to understand benefits anyone of any ability in using our product.

• Put relevant keywords at the front of sentences, headings, paragraphs, links, list items, and calls-to-action. This gives readers the essentials of the information faster.
• Focus on what matters to users at every point of their user journey. Show only the info they need, and only when they need it.
• Avoid idioms, slang, and jargon to reach as many people as possible.

People who have visual impairment or difficulties reading use screen readers to understand what's written on our webpage or app. We can optimise their experience by keeping these guidelines in mind when we develop content.

• Read what you've written out loud to listen to how a screen reader might read it.
• Write descriptive calls-to-action (CTA) and links so that people can a hint of what happens when they click the CTA or link.
• Write descriptive alt text for images and icons. Our teammate Matthew Talebi has written a great introductory article on this: Writing alternative text for images.
• Use commas and periods for long sentences. Screen readers will pause at punctuation and this may make long sentences easier to understand.
• Avoid using directional words like left, right, up, down, above, and below. It will be difficult for blind and visually impaired people to find the item you are referencing.
• Tell developers which of your headings are tagged H1, H2, and so on. This way, screen readers can read the page structure better through a hierarchy of content.
• Make sure that abbreviations are formatted correctly so that screen readers can interpret them properly. And if you use all CAPS for regular words, screen readers might interpret them as acronyms and read them out letter-by-letter.

Make sure all video content are captioned. People who are deaf or cannot watch videos with the sound on can understand videos through captions.