EcoGelX

1. For question #2, explain how your new post successfully addresses the three main objectives of Plain English writing as discussed in class. Provide a detailed breakdown of each objective. (9 Marks)

My new post successfully addresses the three main objectives of plain English writing by thoroughly taking into account key factors such as clarity, conciseness, and correctness. These three objectives of plain English writing are:

• Find what they need. 
• Understand it 
• Use it to fulfill their purpose. 

Each objective was utilized when re-writing this introductory blog post so that the content would be understood instantly and easily by the reader.

1. Find what they need. 

As stated many times in class, “Clarity is King” (Briscoe, Lecture, February 12th, 2025). This statement continues to be extremely important when it comes to writing in plain language, especially on the web. So for this EcoGelx introductory post, making the content extremely clear was utilized so the reader can easily find exactly what they need with no guessing involved at all. This post is written in a way that makes it easy for the reader to immediately understand the main points being made and eliminates any wordy text that would make it confusing. The words used are direct, and the message of the post overall is simple, utilizing clear headings and subheadings for the reader to instantly find and understand the information they need.

For example:

The heading “What’s Inside?” immediately informs the reader that they will learn about the kit’s contents, making it easy for someone to find that specific information without having to dig through the text.

As well, the content does not overload the reader with jargon or technical terms, which, as mentioned before, eliminating jargon and technical terms is extremely important for clarity. “They may understand the jargon of your sector or field, or they may not be able to relate to jargon at all” (Briscoe, W8—A—Plain Language Writing (W25).pdf, Slide 30). So instead of using complex wording or jargon only nail experts know, the post uses words like “easy,” “simple,” and “quick” that appeal to the average reader looking for a simple, accessible solution for nails. 

For example:

“Want beautiful salon-quality nails without the high price or stress?” This is a direct question that addresses the reader’s need (beautiful nails) and the obstacles they face (high cost and stress).

“EcoGelX makes it easy to get long-lasting extensions at home—even if you’ve never done it before.” The sentence emphasizes ease and accessibility for beginners, making it clear that no prior experience is needed.

This new blog post is written to resonate with the reader clearly by addressing factors of what they need. As discussed in class, “Clarity is about making sure the reader can find what they need and understand it quickly.” (Briscoe, Lecture, February 26th, 2025). Which is exactly what this introduction achieves through its clear and direct messaging. By using clear headings and organizing the content effectively, the post ensures that readers can find the information they need, whether they are interested in the product’s features, benefits, or anything else about the product. .

2. Understand It

Another objective of plain language writing my new blog post uses is that the reader can easily understand what is being said. This means there is no overly long or complicated sentence structure, which either makes it boring or confusing for the reader. Instead The post utilizes short and to-the-point sentences that tell the reader everything they need to know. This isn’t necessarily about cutting information but delivering the message in the least words possible that still makes sense to the reader. As mentioned before, people do not have long attention spans, so making sure the messages are concise ensures the reader will not lose interest. 

Conciseness helps the reader to understand the key points easily and quickly. By presenting the product’s features in short, simple sentences, the content ensures that readers don’t have to try and understand complex wording and ensures it won’t lose the reader’s attention. The post sticks to straightforward language and emphasizes ease of use, which is extremely important for grabbing the reader’s attention effectively without any unnecessary text.

For example, 

The phrase “EcoGelX makes it easy to get long-lasting extensions at home—even if you’ve never done it before” this communicates the ease of use to the target audience. This immediately tells the reader that the product is not only effective but also accessible to those with no prior experience.

“Why Choose EcoGelX?” uses simple bullet points underneath this subheading to highlight the key benefits, such as being safe, eco-friendly, and durable. Each of these benefits is explained in one sentence, avoiding any unnecessary complexity or wordy sentence structure.

This structure takes into account the “reader’s time and attention span, which is crucial when writing for a digital audience” (Briscoe, Lecture, February 12th, 2025). Concise writing helps save time for the reader, which is crucial when creating digital content. By cutting out unnecessary wording, this post ensures that only the most important details are included, making it easy for the reader to understand quickly and easily. As well, by focusing on the reader’s needs and emphasizing features like ease of use, the post makes it clear that EcoGelX is the solution to the reader’s problem of wanting beautiful nails at home without the high costs or hard steps.

3. Use It to Fulfill Their Purpose

The third objective is making sure it fulfills a purpose. This makes the reader more likely to take action with the information they’ve received in a way that fulfills their goal or solves their problems. For my new EcoGelX blog post, this means ensuring that the reader can not only understand the product but also feel excited to make a purchase or take the next step in where they are in their sales funnel. 

The post uses promises to the reader that specifically align with fulfilling their problems of interest. It ensures that all claims made are reliable, allowing the reader to trust the information and feel confident in their decision. By providing these details, the post makes it easy for the reader to use the product as intended without being misled or uncertain about what the product will do for them.

For example:

“Safe & Eco-Friendly—Our products are free from harmful chemicals and packaged with the planet in mind” reassures the reader that the product is not only safe for use but also aligns with eco-friendly values. This might encourage an environmentally conscious reader to make a purchase, thus fulfilling their goal of choosing safe and sustainable products.

“Strong & Light—Enjoy durable, comfortable nails that look natural and last longer” helps the reader visualize the product’s benefits. The clear description eliminates any confusion about how the product works, ensuring that the reader understands its value and is more likely to use it as a solution to their nail care needs.

These sentences help lead the reader to their own conclusions on how EcoGelX will fulfill their needs with these specific benefits. As talked about in class, a “strong call to action is key because it gives the reader a sense of urgency and a clear next step” (Briscoe, Lecture, February 12th, 2025). By putting it right at the end after explaining exactly why EcoGelX is the perfect solution to fulfill a specific purpose, the post makes sure the reader fully gets how the product meets their needs right before encouraging them to take action. This last push helps turn interest into action.

1. Describe one specific technique you used to improve readability in your revised version and explain why it is effective. (4 Marks)

One specific technique I used to improve readability in my revised version of the blog post was breaking up large chunks of text into smaller, more concise sections. I did this by incorporating more direct subheadings, shorter paragraphs, and using bullet points. This technique aligns with best practices for online readability, “as research shows that most readers do not engage with text in a linear way but instead scan for key information” (Briscoe, Lecture, February 12th, 2025). So by framing this content in a more “scannable way,” it’s more likely for the viewer to actually read the text. Before, I had way too many subheadings that were much too long. For the revised version, I took out unnecessary text that was just getting too repetitive and merged sections that were talking about the same thing. So instead of having almost a paragraph for each selling point of EcoGelX, like the suitability and colour choices, etc., I created one section titled “Why Choose EcoGelX,” so all the main selling points were just included in jot points below. This breaks up the unnecessarily large paragraphs that were just not needed to convey the message. Instead of having a whole paragraph about the colour variety, it was easily summarized into one key point, making it much more concise and to the point for the viewer to understand.

By merging some subheadings together to convey the most important parts, it is much more visually appealing and less overwhelming to the reader. These subheadings guide the reader’s eye through the content, making it much easier to locate important details more quickly. By shortening the paragraphs to only provide the information that’s necessary, it makes the text much less wordy to clearly communicate the main point of the text. Additionally, using bullet points for key takeaways enhances readability even more and ensures the viewer will read the most important part of the content. This is effective because bullet points break up an overwhelming amount of information and allow readers to understand critical points at just a glance, which is very beneficial because most people who view content on the web tend to just “skim through rather than reading every word” (Briscoe, Lecture, February 12th, 2025).

Overall, this technique of breaking up large text into concise subheadings and key takeaways with bullet points not only improves engagement but also ensures that readers can easily see the necessary information without feeling overwhelmed. As well, using the conciseness and clarity in these changes helped enhance the overall flow of the writing, making it much easier to understand and navigate for the reader.

2. What was the most challenging aspect of applying the F-Pattern and Plain English writing principles? How did you overcome it? (5 Marks)

The biggest challenge I faced when applying the F-Pattern and plain English writing principles was creating a balance between making the content scannable while still maintaining enough information to convey the main messages and key points.

The F-Pattern follows how people naturally scan digital content, starting at the top left, reading the first few lines, and then moving down in an “F” shape. Whereas plain English writing focuses on “clarity, removing unnecessary jargon, and simplifying complex ideas” (Briscoe, Lecture, February 26th, 2025). Since both these aspects focus on the content being clear and scannable, it was challenging deciding what content is unnecessary and can be removed to make the text as scannable and concise as it could be while still keeping the main message. It was tricky making the content both engaging and easy to digest without oversimplifying key points. If I dumbed down the writing too much, it would risk sounding unprofessional. But if I included too much detail in long paragraphs, it would disrupt the F-Pattern’s natural flow and not be as clear, making it harder for the reader to scan for essential information. Overall, the most challenging part of using these writing tactics was keeping core important information while not being too overwhelming to the reader

To overcome this challenge, I used a few tactics to make sure no important information was lost while still keeping the content clear, concise, and scannable.

1. Prioritizing Key Information. Each paragraph was structured with the most important details appearing at the very beginning. This ensures that even if a reader only skims the content, they will still read the core message without having to search for it.
2. Strategic Use of Bolding and Formatting. By bolding key phrases and breaking up long sections, it made it easier for readers to identify crucial takeaways at a glance. This technique aligns with the “F-Pattern reading style, which naturally draws attention to highlighted text” (Briscoe, Lecture, Jan. 22nd, 2025).
3. Refining Sentence Structures for Clarity. The sentences were carefully revised so that the wording throughout the content on the blog was concise, professional and clear. By eliminating unnecessary words and simplifying overly long explanations, it was easier to create a clear message.

By applying these techniques, the content was both informative and easy to digest. Readers could quickly locate the most relevant details, while the overall structure encouraged engagement and comprehension, ensuring that the message was “clear, actionable, and impactful” (Briscoe, Lecture, February 26th, 2025). Which are the most important aspects of providing well-thought-out content according to plain language and the F-pattern principles.