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Home > Guidelines > 5. Reduce cognitive burdens. . > 5c. Watch out for ambiguous phrases a reader must debate. > Challenges |
Challenges |
ChallengesContemplate how these choice ambiguities crept into resumes: "My intensity and focus are at inordinately high levels, and my ability to complete projects on time is unspeakable." "Education: Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science, curses in accounting." "Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store." "Personal: Married, 1999 Chevrolet." "Strengths: Ability to meet deadlines while maintaining composer." "Qualifications: No education or experience." "Disposed of $2.5 million in assets." |
Other ways to make your text easier to understand: 5a. Reduce the number of clauses per sentence. 5b. Blow up nominalizations and noun trains. 5c. Watch out for ambiguous phrases a user might have to debate. 5d. Surface the agent and action, so users don't have to guess. 5e. Make a positive statement. 5g. Let users print or save the entire document at once. Resources on thoughtlessness Taking a Position on Thoughtlessness Heuristic Online Text (H. O. T.) Evaluation of Cognitive Burdens |
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