Lists
Lists help readers understand pieces and priorities
Lists highlight a series of steps, requirements, or pieces of information in a visually clear way. Use lists to help your user focus on important material. Lists are useful because they:
- Highlight levels of importance.
- Help the reader understand the order in which things happen.
- Help readers skim and scan.
- Make it easy to identify all steps in a process.
- Add white space for easy reading.
- Are an ideal way to present items, conditions, and exceptions.
Say | Instead of |
|---|---|
With your application for a drilling permit, provide the following information:
| Each completed well drilling application must contain a detailed statement including the following information: the depth of the well, the casing and cementing program, the circulation media (mud, air, foam, etc.), the expected depth and thickness of fresh water zones, and well site layout and design. |
Outline steps in a process
Lists are also helpful in clarifying the chronological order of steps in a process. When you’re outlining steps in a process, consider numbering the individual list items.
Example of using a list to show the steps in the process for an application:
When a foreign student presents a completed Form I-20, follow these four steps:
- Enter the student’s admission number from Form 94.
- Endorse all copies of the form.
- Return a copy to the student.
- Send a copy to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Focus on readability
You can overuse lists. Remember to use them to highlight important information, not to overemphasize trivial matters.
If you use bullets for your lists, use solid round or square ones. Large creative bullets with strange shapes can distract the reader and may not display properly on all devices.
Your lists will be easier to read if you:
- Always use a lead-in sentence to explain your lists.
- Use left justification only – never center justification.
Example of a list that does not use parallel construction, and is, therefore, harder to understand:
You must submit:
- Your application
- Recommendation letter
- Mail it express mail
The third item, "Mail it express mail" does not work with the rest of the list. The first two items let a user know which pieces of information to gather for submission, but "mail it" is not something to submit; it is a separate action for the user to take. Instead, use something like:
You must submit two items:
- Your application
- A recommendation letter
When everything is ready, use express mail to send it to us.
