BI Beat: If Users Don’t Get It, It Doesn’t Work

October 07, 2026

The BI Beat is a monthly column written by the Behavioral Insights unit, featuring insights, examples, and interviews from the field. Behavioral Insights is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL).

Picture yourself putting together new furniture. The instructions are full of long paragraphs, confusing words, and diagrams that do not match the parts you have. After reading the same step over and over, you end up searching for a video or asking someone for help.

The issue is not your skill at assembling furniture. The instructions make the task harder than it should be and leave you to figure out the process on your own.

This also happens in public systems. When information is too technical or not well organized, people must figure out the system before they can use it. Staff often end up acting as translators, helping people with instructions that should have been clear from the beginning.

That is why plain language should be a key part of how systems work.

Claimants Are Part of the UI System

Every state unemployment insurance (UI) program is complex. It is a system that requires people, processes, technology, and communications to work together. Claimants are part of that system, too.

They must file claims, report earnings, complete work search activities, respond to requests, certify each week, and act on eligibility decisions. The system depends on claimants completing these tasks accurately and on time, often while they are under stress and know little about UI.

Plain language is one of the best tools agencies have to help claimants understand what the system expects and complete their tasks. When communication does not support the required behavior, claimant confusion can create bigger operational problems.

What Plain Language Includes

Plain language is more than replacing jargon or shortening sentences. It uses:

Familiar words that the intended audience understands
Short, direct sentences focused on one main idea
Careful organization that presents information in a logical order
Visual organization that makes actions and deadlines easy to find
Consistent language across documents, systems, and other communication channels
Action-focused instructions explaining what to do, when to do it, and what happens next

The U.S. Department of Labor has provided plain-language resources state UI agencies can use for greater consistency in their use of terms. These resources include sample application language, notices, a UI lexicon, and content-governance guidance.

How Plain Language Shapes Behavior

These practices do more than improve readability. They influence whether people notice, understand, and complete required actions. The Behavioural Insights Team’s EAST tool identifies two ways to make desired behaviors easier: simplifying information and reducing effort. Plain language cannot guarantee action, but it can remove barriers that make action less likely.

Plain language works by lowering cognitive load, or the mental effort needed to process information. It reduces friction by making the next step clearer and reduces confusion that can lead to assumptions.

Clear organization also draws attention to important details.

Clarity can also build trust. Understandable government communication helps people identify calls to action and complete tasks. (Digital.gov) When claimants understand what happened and what they can do next, the system may feel more transparent and predictable.

Better for Claimants and Staff

For claimants, plain language makes it easier to understand what is required, respond on time, and make informed decisions. People can only decide to appeal, provide information, or request help when they do understand what’s happening and what options are available.

For staff, clearer communication helps people provide the right information the first time, reducing time spent resolving questions. It can also support more consistent service across programs and channels.

These benefits matter for program integrity. The Behavioural Insights Team’s work on reducing fraud, error, and debt shows how communication design can influence whether people will notice, understand, and respond to government requests.

Making Plain Language Part of the System

Plain language works best when it is built into design, rather than added as a final editing step. Agencies can begin with a few practical changes:

Identify the behavior each communication needs to support.
Make the required action, deadline, and consequence easy to find.
Break complicated processes into manageable steps.
Use the same terms across channels.
Test materials with claimants and frontline staff.
Review common calls, errors, and appeals for signs that information is not working.

Our Behavioral Insights Toolkit offers practical UI examples, including simplified earnings-reporting information, work search materials, and claimant notices.

Clarity Is Part of Program Design

Plain language cannot remove every complex part of the UI system. But the complexity that must exist behind the scenes does not have to make things harder for claimants or staff. Plain language is not just for looks. It is a key part of the system that helps people take required actions, helps staff work more efficiently, and makes UI easier to use and manage.