Ensure clarity and respect for all users' experience levels. Provide objective instructions without assumptions about task difficulty or user abilities and avoid qualitative language.

Qualitative language makes subjective judgments about the difficulty, speed, or simplicity of a task. Avoid making assumptions about a user's abilities or how quickly they can complete a task. Instead, state the steps clearly so users can complete the task without any implied expectations about ease or challenge. Removing qualitative language leads to documentation that respects every user's experience level.

Review the following tips for avoiding qualitative language in your writing:

• Focus on describing steps, results, and requirements objectively.

• Avoid subjective words, such as "easy", "simple", or "quickly".

• Provide clear instructions and let readers assess complexity for themselves.

Examples

See the following table for examples of sentences that don't use qualitative language:

Do this	Don't do this	Why avoid qualitative language?
Enter the command to restart the service.	Simply enter the command to restart the service.	"Simply" assumes the task is straightforward for all users, which might not be true.
Configure the data input by following these steps:	Easily configure the data input by following these steps:	"Easily" is subjective. What's easy for one person might be difficult for another.
You can schedule a report from the Reports page.	You can quickly schedule a report from the Reports page.	"Quickly" suggests the step takes little time, which might not reflect every user's experience.
Review the log files for error messages.	Just review the log files for error messages.	"Just" implies a task is minimal or effortless, which can frustrate or discourage users who find a step challenging.