How do you test content for inclusivity?

1 Use a checklist

A checklist is a simple but effective way to review your content for inclusivity. You can create your own checklist or use an existing one, such as the Content Design London Inclusivity Checklist or the 18F Content Guide Checklist. A checklist can help you identify and avoid common pitfalls, such as using jargon, making assumptions, or excluding perspectives. A checklist can also help you ensure that your content meets accessibility standards, such as using alt text, captions, and headings.

2 Get feedback

Feedback is essential to test your content for inclusivity. You can get feedback from different sources, such as your colleagues, your users, or your stakeholders. Feedback can help you understand how your content is perceived, interpreted, and experienced by different people. Feedback can also help you discover gaps, errors, or opportunities to improve your content. You can get feedback through various methods, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or usability testing.

3 Use tools

Tools can help you test your content for inclusivity by providing data, insights, or suggestions. There are many tools available, such as Hemingway, Grammarly, or Readable, that can help you improve your content's readability, clarity, and tone. There are also tools that can help you check your content for bias, such as Gender Decoder, Textio, or Unbiasify. There are also tools that can help you diversify your content, such as Pexels, Unsplash, or The Gender Spectrum Collection, that offer free and inclusive images.

4 Review your sources

Your sources are the foundation of your content. They provide the information, facts, or opinions that you use to create your content. Reviewing your sources can help you test your content for inclusivity by ensuring that your sources are credible, relevant, and diverse. You can review your sources by asking questions, such as: Who are the authors? What are their credentials? What are their perspectives? How recent are their publications? How diverse are their sources?

5 Update your style guide

Your style guide is the document that defines and standardizes your content's voice, tone, and style. Updating your style guide can help you test your content for inclusivity by establishing clear and consistent guidelines for your content creators. You can update your style guide by adding sections, such as: How to use inclusive language, How to address sensitive topics, How to cite your sources, or How to handle feedback. You can also refer to other style guides, such as the Conscious Style Guide, the Diversity Style Guide, or the Microsoft Writing Style Guide.

6 Test again

Testing your content for inclusivity is not a one-time process. It is an ongoing practice that requires constant learning, reflection, and improvement. Testing your content again can help you measure your progress, identify new issues, or adapt to changing needs. You can test your content again by repeating the steps above, or by trying new methods, such as A/B testing, sentiment analysis, or content audits.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?