Plain Language

...with numbers?!

When we read planning reports, and studies, we’re often drawn to the numbers before we read the detailed text. Numbers make us pause when we’re scanning for what we need to do our own jobs. Like a good graphic, they’re compact and direct. We don’t have to read a lot of words to get the point.

How does this work? One major study found that the shape of the numbers on a page is different enough from the shape of the letters to stand out. So, for example, the number 723 is easier to see than the word two, even though both consist of three characters. The researchers concluded that by using digits, you’re making it easier for someone to scan a document that’s on a screen (Neilson 2007).