Hewitt Associates: Speaking plainly draws attention

Outstanding use of plain English.

The Site

Hewitt Associates is a US-based human resources consultancy with 81 offices around the world. Its site has six main sections, each of which has its own welcome/index page. Here, sub-section headings come with a one-sentence description and link to the sub-section. So, for example, in Investor Overview users can “Access a brief summary of our business and discover who is on our senior management team and our Board of Directors”.

The Takeaway

In an area, human resources, where language can often be used to dull or obscure meaning, Hewitt stands out for its use of plain English. Visitors can immediately grasp what content they are being offered and assess its likely relevance.

HR practitioners are by no means alone in clouding the picture for site visitors through poor use of language. Too many sites use in-house shorthand, abstract marketing language or wordplay. The problem is that many web site visitors will run away at the slightest bafflement. Companies that take the trouble to use absolutely clear language are surprisingly rare – which is why those that do will be noticed and appreciated.

First published on 06 April, 2004