Creating case studies about using ISO’s plain language standard:a step-by-step guidePurpose of this guide
Case studies are a useful tool to demonstrate the value of applying a standard or a process. Creating a case study that illustrates
your experience using the ISO plain language standard serves several purposes:●●●●

It highlights the benefits and effectiveness of the standard in your context.
It helps you arrange approval for your organization's next plain language project.
It will expand your resumé or CV.
It will help you promote your services.

This step-by-step guide is designed to help organizations, teams, and individuals to create a case study. The guide will help you dothese 2 things:● identify and implement a project using the principles and guidelines of the ISO plain language standard, and● create a case study based on the results of the project.

Step-by-step guide
There are 2 examples provided after this section, which illustrates each of these steps.
Remember that each case study will have its own unique requirements and may need additional or fewer steps or considerations.
You can adapt this step-by-step guide to suit your specific needs and objectives when creating case studies about using the plain
language standard.
If this is the first time that you are implementing plain language in your organization, it is likely best to start with a small project, forexample revising a key employee document into plain language. Align your project with the resources that are available to you. This
will ensure that the project is realistic and easy to achieve.

Step 1: Purchase the standard
Scan the QR code to purchase the standard.

https://www.iso.org/standard/78907.html

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Step 2: Identify a project
Step 2.1: Define the challenge or problem
Identify a communication challenge or problem that your organization, your team or your client’s organization is currently facing.
This could involve overusing complex language between departments, confusion among consumers/citizens or other users, lowcompliance rates, or any other issues that the standard may address.
Step 2.2: Gather information
Collect relevant information about the communication challenge or problem. This may include previous documentation, reports,
user feedback and complaints, or any other data that can help you establish a baseline. Analyse it to see relevant patterns that you
can address using the standard.
Step 2.3: Identify the purpose and scope
Define the purpose and scope of the project. Ask the following questions:● What is the aim of the project? What do we want to achieve?
● Who is the target audience(s)?
● What will we focus on?
Your project may include one or several outcomes, such as these:● creating documents for consumers to understand a particular process,● rewriting existing key document or series of related documents, and● creating a style guide based on the standard to ensure consistency within your organization.
Clearly define the scope of your project, to ensure it remains focused and relevant.

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Step 3: Implement the project
Step 3.1: Describe the plain language solution
Use the standard to describe how you will address the problem or challenge you identified. Ensure that you focus on all 4 principlesof the standard when designing your solution.
Step 3.2: Develop an implementation plan
Before you start with the project you need to plan. Think about the resources you need to implement the project. For example, think
about the budget, skills, organizational processes, documents, and technology needed. Think about who will need to be consulted
about the new document and who may need to sign it off. Assign roles and responsibilities to ensure individuals and teams areheld accountable for certain actions.
Ensure you have measurable indicators in place at the start of your project to understand the impact of using the plain language
standard. This means you should be able to count, analyse or test the change you want to see. Examples could be more forms
completed, fewer queries submitted, increased sales, or higher understanding or compliance.
You can consider qualitative and quantitative data.

● Quantitative data means things you can count like numbers and statistics. This can include measurable improvements suchas increased comprehension rates, reduced errors or enquiries, or enhanced user satisfaction.

● Qualitative data captures the things people said that allow you to explore their experiences further. This can include things
like feedback on a document that tells you how it can be improved.

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Step 3.3: Implement, monitor and adapt the plan
Ensure your implementation process is flexible to allow you to identify and adapt to any challenges.
Consider the following:
●
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Is something not working well? What can you do to overcome this?
Has something happened that you did not anticipate?
How can you make sure that these challenges don’t compromise the project?
Can these challenges improve outcomes?
What lessons have you learned from this?

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Step 4: Create the case study
Step 4.1: Present the results
Share the outcomes and results of implementing the ISO plain language standard. Highlight the significance of using the standard
and its impact on the organization and the target audiences of the project, even if it is just initial observations or feedback.
Step 4.2: Include real-life examples
Support your case study with real-life examples that illustrate the benefits of using the standard. Here are some examples:● before and after comparisons of documents,● user testimonials or success stories that highlight the positive experiences and outcomes, or● a story about how people responded to using the standard.
Step 4.3: Document and share the case study
Compile your case study into a short document of no more than 500 words. Use plain language principles in the presentation of thecase study itself.
Send the case study to the International Plain Language Federation (IPLF) so that they can share what you learned on theirwebsite and on social media. Sharing with stakeholders, organizations, and individuals means that many people can benefit fromyour insights and lessons learned.

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Examples
Example 1: Small project

Example 2: Large project

Conversion of IT set up brochure for newemployees

Plain language Covid-19 communication

Step 1: Purchase thestandard

Standard purchased July 2023

Standard purchased July 2023.

Step 2.1: Define thechallenge or problem

IT department at organization Y is inundated with
queries from new employees about how to set upand sign onto their email account and use theshared folders. Queries from new employees
equate to approximately 10% of all queries
received, with 48 calls per month taking 12 hours todeal with (average 15 mins per call).

The spread of Covid-19 continued within vulnerable
communities, with hospital admission rates rising inthe southeast of XYZ. Now that mandated publichealth orders have stopped, there are low
compliance rates with suggested isolation times for
those infected.

Data shows that new employees contact the IT help
desk with these queries at least 1.5 times on
average within their first two weeks.

Limited Covid-19 information is available in anaccessible format for multicultural communities.
Information sourced on the internet is out of dateand complex. Feedback from our multiculturalcommunity champions is that there is a lack ofsimple processes to follow.

Steps

Identify the communication
challenge or problem thatyour organization, your teamor your client’s organization iscurrently facing.
Step 2.2: Gather
information
Collect relevant information
about the communication
challenge or problem.

New employees' feedback indicates that thehandouts are too technical and assume a high levelof IT knowledge.

Our communities also believe that those infectedwith Covid-19 can still socialize outdoors.
Information and misinformation from friends andfamily overseas is often sourced via Facebook.
Hospital admission rates among multiculturalcommunities, particularly those from refugee
backgrounds, are twice the rate of those fromEnglish-speaking backgrounds.
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Example 1: Small project

Example 2: Large project

Conversion of IT set up brochure for new
employees

Plain language Covid-19 communication

We decided to focus on using the ISO Plain
Language Standard to help us to create a revised IT
set up brochure for new employees. It will have
simple and clear instructions so they can easily findthe information they need, understand theinformation and use it to successfully set up theirequipment on their own.

Applying the standard to available information about
Covid-19, we identified 2 documents to develop:“Symptoms” and “Staying safe.” Target audience
was multicultural communities in our catchment.
This involved rewriting the official public healthinformation with intelligence from the community, toidentify any risks related to their cultural practices.

Step 3.1: Describe the plain
language solution

Principle 1: Readers get what they need(relevant)Principle 1: Readers get what they need(relevant)

Use the standard to describe
how you will address theidentified problem orchallenge. Ensure that you
focus on all 4 principles of thestandard when designing
your solution.

Employees need to set up their email accounts andshared folders within the first week, so our brochurecontained information to complete these 2 tasks

We produced 2 documents: one to remind readersof the symptoms of Covid-19 and one to advise
readers of safe practices. This includes safe culturalpractices (such as safe picnicking, safeworshipping, etc). The documents were translated
into multiple languages.

Steps

Step 2.3: Identify thepurpose and scope
Define the purpose andscope of the project. Clearly
define the scope of yourproject to ensure it remains
focused and relevant.

Principle 2: Readers can easily find what theyneed (findable)
We used clear and meaningful headings,
sub-headings and images (screenshots withhighlights) to help new employees work through the
set-up with ease.
Principle 3: Readers can easily understand what
they find (understandable)
We removed technical and unfamiliar terms andexplained terms they needed to know. We usedshorter sentences and dot points / numbered steps.

Principle 2: Readers can easily find what theyneed (findable)
The documents were produced in simple brochuredesign and format. Sub-headings were included toensure the readers (many with limited literacy) could
easily find the information they need.
Principle 3: Readers can easily understand what
they find (understandable)

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StepsExample 1: Small project

Example 2: Large project

Conversion of IT set up brochure for newemployees

Plain language Covid-19 communication

Principle 4: Readers can easily use theinformation (usable)

Plain language was used throughout the documents
and the documents were tested with multiple
communities to ensure they could be easily
understood. A cultural perspective was also
overlaid with the documents to ensure language
was culturally appropriate and would be understood.

The information was provided on the newemployees’ first day with their new laptop. It
enabled new employees to set up their laptops withease but also provided the IT help desk number ifthey had any problems.

Principle 4: Readers can easily use theinformation (usable)
The information was provided to enable readers toundertake safe covid practices while still enjoying
the freedom that the downgrading of the pandemic
promised. It was targeted at keeping themselves
and their loved ones safe while adopting somesimple safeguards. The brochures were handed out
with free facemasks at community events.

Step 3.2: Develop animplementation plan
Before you start with theproject you need to plan.

The IT support officer was given the task of applying A project plan was developed and implemented,
the ISO standard to produce the new employee
and a plain language project manager wasbrochure.
assigned.
The percentage of total calls, plus the number andlength of calls from new employees to the help
desk, were measured for 2 months after the releaseof the brochure and compared to baseline.

Metrics were developed and measured at the startof the project. This included measuring satisfaction
with the existing information available and the plain
language versions via survey. We also decided tospeak to community members and our community
champions to gather their opinions andexperiences.

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StepsStep 3.3: Implement,
monitor and adapt the plan

Ensure implementation
processes can identify andadapt to any challenges.

Example 1: Small project

Example 2: Large project

Conversion of IT set up brochure for newemployees

Plain language Covid-19 communication

In preparing the brochure for employees the IT
support officer found some functions and weblinks
in the organisation that were not working properly orwere outdated.

Ideally the plain language brochure would be
finalised in English first and then translated astranslation costs can be very expensive. This
created an issue with community testing amongst
culturally diverse communities as we could only use
bilingual community testers with a reasonable
understanding of the English language. It can beargued that this is not representative of theaudience. The project team decided to include
some community testing of the finalized translated
versions to confirm understanding (for a sample
size of 2 members of each of 3 communities). This
process did increase costs slightly but as the testingby bilingual communities was so comprehensive
community members were pleased with the finalproducts.

This required other departments to get involved andfix these issues which delayed the delivery of theproject.
Lesson learned: involve the departments or teams
that our project aligns with early in the process.

Step 4.1: Present theresults
Share the outcomes andresults of implementing theISO plain language standard.

Calls relating to the set-up of email accounts andshared folders were had these improvements:● These calls were reduced from 10% to 3% of
the total calls received by the help desk.
● They dropped from 48 to 14 calls per month.
● The calls were shortened on average from15 minutes to 3 minutes because new
employees who called could work out mostof what they needed to do.

Our community champions assessed the official
public health documents versus the plain language(PL) documents with a sample of 10 members of
their communities (50 community members in total
across 5 cultures). On a scale of 1 (poor) to10(excellent), they rated both documents.

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StepsExample 1: Small project

Example 2: Large project

Conversion of IT set up brochure for newemployees

Plain language Covid-19 communication

Total IT staff time involved in handling calls reduced Symptoms
from 12 hours to 42 minutes a month.

Relevant

Find

Understand

Use

Official publichealthinformation

4263

PL resources

88

108Relevant

Find

Understand

Use

Official publichealthinformation1141

PL resources

109107

Staying safe

Across all domains the plain language documents
rated well above the official public healthinformation. It is too soon to tell if this will impact
behaviour change and hospital admissions.
Step 4.2: Include real-life
examplesSupport your case study withreal-life examples that

A sample of new employees were interviewed, andall reported a positive experience with the set-up of
their laptops. A couple of minor edits wererecommended to the information.

User testimonials from community members:“I had no idea that COVID was still dangerous. I
thought it was finished.”

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Stepsillustrate the benefits of using
the standard.

Example 1: Small project

Example 2: Large project

Conversion of IT set up brochure for newemployees

Plain language Covid-19 communication“It was a great brochure, and I could easily set up
my laptop on my first day. It felt like I got off to agreat start.”“I knew some people were still getting sick, but I
was ignoring it. I didn’t want to go back to being inlock-down. I hadn’t realised that there were simple
things I could still do to stay safe.”“The documents are so easy to understand. I knowwhat to look out for and how to stay safe.”“There are measures we can put in place with ourworshippers to keep them safe. There are practicalthings we can do.”Step 4.3: Document andshare the case study

This could be written up in a few paragraphs todemonstrate the great outcomes from this small
case study.

This study could be written up as a comprehensive
report or in a few paragraphs. A potential option
would be to include a video to showcase thetestimonials and experiences of users. This would
then be shared with the IPLF for their website andfor social media posts to showcase this work.

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