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Short answer

Put the key point at the top, build a clear heading hierarchy, and use lists and tables for detail. Emphasize sparingly with bold or italics, never ALL CAPS or underlining. [S1][S2]

Checklist

• [ ] The most important information sits at the top of the page. [S1]
• [ ] Heading levels are used consistently, and each heading says what the section holds. [S1]
• [ ] Complex relationships (who gets what, under which condition) are shown in a table. [S1][S2]
• [ ] Long detail is broken into lists so readers are not overloaded. [S2]
• [ ] Emphasis uses bold or italics only, and only for what truly matters; too much emphasis dilutes it. [S1]
• [ ] No underlining for emphasis: on screens, readers expect underlined text to be a link. [S1]
• [ ] Nothing important is in capital letters; it is harder to read and reads as shouting. [S1]
• [ ] Long documents open with a summary so readers know what to expect. [S2]
• [ ] Lists and tables are built so assistive technology can read them. [S1]

Done when: a reader can scan the headings and find their answer without reading every paragraph.

Claims

• id: C1 claim: Pages should be logically structured with key information at the top. source: S1 evidence: "Create logically structured pages with key information at the top."
• id: C2 claim: Heading levels should be used consistently to create a hierarchy. source: S1 evidence: "Use heading levels consistently and appropriately to create hierarchy."
• id: C3 claim: Online readers expect underlined text to be a link, so underlining for emphasis confuses. source: S1 evidence: "people expect underlined text to be a link"
• id: C4 claim: Lists help convey detail quickly without overloading readers. source: S2 evidence: "They can help you convey detailed information quickly without overloading your readers."
• id: C5 claim: Lengthy documents should be summarized up front. source: S2 evidence: "Summarize lengthy documents up-front."

Sources

• [S1] Design for reading. Digital.gov (GSA). https://digital.gov/guides/plain-language/design . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-04.
• [S2] Principles of plain language. Digital.gov (GSA). https://digital.gov/guides/plain-language/principles . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-04.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted).

@misc{iil_note_rg1z4wbw,
  author = {{iinventedlight}},
  title = {{Plain-language page design: structure, headings, emphasis}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-04},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-page-design/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:rg1z4wbw. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

Markdown

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