Voice and tone

[Tosin-Balogun]

Use this issue to discuss the voice and tone page in the service manual and to share any research findings.

[carolinefinucane864]

When (if at all) would we say 'I'm sorry'? For example, if you're telling someone they are no longer eligible - would it be appropriate? Feedback on COVID testing has shown that users feel we are being too blunt when we tell them they're not eligible. It comes across as uncaring. Tone is an important consideration here.

[sarawilcox]

Some feedback about the use of "you" on the NHS website. The user says that the use of "you" may not be wise when referring to a condition. "Third person language enables readers to dissociate from content, yet receive information." The user referred us to NLP theory on this.

However, we have not seen issues with the use of "you" in testing NHS website content. On the contrary, people seem to relate to the content and find it easy to read and understand.

[Francesca420]

Some feedback about using a warmer tone of voice from NHS Volunteering, a new service for NHS organisations to advertise their volunteering opportunities and receive applications, and for potential volunteers to find out about and apply for volunteering opportunities in the NHS.

Our research found that using NHS branding created a sense of trust and familiarity among users, making the service recognisable and reliable. However, users didn't feel inspired or engaged by the service and they wanted it to be more welcoming.

While following principles from the GDS and NHS design systems, it was crucial for us to also create a welcoming and engaging environment that would encourage people to become volunteers.

We adopted a softer approach in the tone of voice and language, as well as the look and feel of the service. This was particularly the case for specific parts of the service that were designed to showcase the benefits and the impact of volunteering in the NHS.

Throughout our research, we found that most users wanted the experience of finding and applying for a volunteering opportunity to feel different from a job search. We avoided any jargon that most people would associate with a job search, such as:

• work (history)
• references
• time commitment
• role
• role profile
• role listing
• job
• application
• successful
• rejected

When offering the chance to browse opportunity types, our categorisation avoided any titles that would be associated with paid roles, for example, front of house, back office and coordination.