Teaching article
Can a newcomer use this public-service notice?
Ask whether a fictional notice makes its purpose and next action clear to different readers.
Give a fictional notice to someone who has not seen its design brief. Ask them to find the required action and contact point; their reading experience is a better test than whether the designer likes the layout.
A library notice can name where to ask for help instead of assuming everyone understands an unexplained symbol.
Test the next action, not just the appearance
- Identify the sign's intended reader.
- Test the next action with a partner.
- Revise unclear wording or missing visual support.
Ask a new reader to locate the action and contact point. A notice succeeds when its intended audience can understand what to do.
Simplifying language should not remove essential information. Can a new reader identify the next step?
Test a spoken explanation alongside the printed version.
Resources
- Who Does What? Government Power Match — Use the responsibility matching activity for a separate checked-service comparison.
Further reading
- Parliamentary Education Office — classroom activities
- Australian Electoral Commission — Democracy Rules
Read next
- Questions a civic visitor can meaningfully answer
- When more than one government looks after a service
- A two-option classroom vote: count first, then check the majority
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