Provide clear, concise descriptions of the product and initial setup, including a section or card that gets the user up and running with the basic features.

Put key information near the beginning of the content.

Use a bulleted list or headings to emphasize important points.

Keep paragraphs short or create small sections or text groupings.

Minimize the number of steps in a procedure. Individuals who have cognitive impairments may have difficulty following procedures that have many steps. Keep the steps simple, and keep the user oriented.

Keep sentence structure simple. Try to limit sentences to one clause. Individuals who have language difficulties, non-native English speakers, and some people who are deaf or hard of hearing may have difficulty understanding longer, complicated sentences.

Provide descriptions that do not require pictures, or provide both pictures and written descriptions. Using only diagrams causes difficulty transcribing to other media. To test whether the writing is effective, try removing, one at a time, first the words and then the pictures. With only one method, can you still figure out what to do?

Do not use directional terms (left, right, up, down) as the only clue to location. Individuals who have cognitive impairments may have difficulty interpreting them, as do users who rely on screen-reading software. A directional term is all right to use if another indication of location, such as in the Save As dialog box, on the Standard toolbar, or in the title bar, is also included. Directional terms are also all right to use when a sighted user with dyslexia can clearly see a change in the interface as the result of an action, such as a change in the right pane when an option in the left pane is clicked. However, directional terms can cause translation issues for bidirectional text.

In product documentation, document all keyboard shortcuts. Describe all supported modes of interaction, such as mouse, keyboard, game controller, and gesture, with the user interface of your product. That way, users who have screen readers can hear the task before they hear the keyboard shortcut. Organize keyboard shortcuts in task groupings so that related shortcuts appear close together.