This is the current state of the Search feature.
Words we don’t use.
A list of banned words from the new gov.uk site. I love this. (via https://www.gov.uk/designprinciples/styleguide)
We can do without these words:
- agenda (unless it is for a meeting)
- advancing
- collaborate (use ‘working with’)
- combating
- commit/pledge (we need to be more specific – we’re either doing something or we’re not)
- countering
- deliver (pizzas, post and services are delivered – not abstract concepts like ‘improvements’ or ‘priorities’)
- deploy (unless it is military or software)
- dialogue (we speak to people)
- disincentivise (and incentivise)
- empower
- facilitate (instead, say something specific about how you are helping)
- focusing
- foster (unless it is children)
- impact (as a verb)
- initiate
- key (unless it unlocks something. A subject/thing isn’t ‘key’ – it’s probably ‘important’)
- land (as a verb. Only use if you are talking about aircraft)
- leverage (unless in the financial sense)
- liaise
- overarching
- progress (as a verb – what are you actually doing?)
- promote (unless you are talking about an ad campaign or something)
- robust
- slimming down (processes don’t diet – we are probably removing x amount of paperwork etc)
- streamline
- strengthening (unless it’s strengthening bridges or other structures)
- tackling (unless it is rugby, football, some other sport)
- transforming (what are you actually doing to change it)
- utilise
Always avoid metaphors. For example:
- drive (you can only drive vehicles; not schemes or people)
- drive out (unless it is cattle)
- going forward (unlikely we are giving travel directions)
- in order to (superfluous – don’t use it)
- one-stop shop (we are government, not a retail outlet)
- ring fencing
