Writing for people who are stressed

People often visit government websites during stressful moments. They may be confused, overwhelmed, distracted, worried about deadlines, or trying to complete an important task quickly. Stress changes how people read and process information — making it harder to focus, understand instructions, and make decisions. This short 8-minute course teaches local government staff how to create web content that works better for stressed readers. You’ll learn simple techniques to reduce cognitive overload, improve clarity, and help people find and complete tasks more easily. By making content easier to understand during difficult moments, you improve accessibility, reduce frustration, and help residents successfully use government services.

Meet your instructor

At Department of Civic Things we make government websites that help people do things. We use content design and plain language to transform jargon into clear, accessible services. Because government websites should work.