Easy Read that doesn’t guarantee comprehension?

Why user testing doesn’t meet our Gold Standard

Many organisations are commissioning accessible information and facing a stark pricing contrast.

Rigorous co-production quotes often compete with much lower bids that claim to use basic user testing methods.

For clients truly committed to accessibility, understanding the profound difference between these two approaches is absolutely critical.

In the Easy Read industry, you ultimately get exactly what you pay for.

Opting for the cheaper user testing route usually means sacrificing the single most vital metric.

This budget approach frequently fails to deliver guaranteed comprehension for the intended target audience.

What so-called ‘user testing’ actually misses

To understand why cheaper options fail, we must thoroughly examine standard user testing. Typically, a single practitioner rewrites a document into simpler language and pairs it with generic illustrations.

Only after completing this initial draft is the document sent to reviewers. This testing process is often conducted remotely, asynchronously, and without direct professional facilitation or active discussion.

The feedback gathered during this final phase is largely passive. Testers are typically asked to flag words they dislike or simply answer whether the provided text makes sense.

Crucially, this retrospective check evaluates the translator's interpretation of the original document. It does not measure original intent, so testers might simply validate a fundamental misunderstanding of facts.

How we create IC Works Easy Read documents

At IC Works, our Easy Read production process is universally recognised as the gold standard. It intentionally abandons passive testing in favour of active, real-time collaboration with a panel of paid professional experts by experience.

Here is exactly what clients can expect from our collaborative process:

First, an experienced workshop facilitator builds a highly structured, workshop-ready initial transcript pairing suggested illustrative images directly with their pertaining text.

Next, we conduct a live read-through. During the workshop, individual panel members read sentences aloud, exposing clunky phrasing and unclear concepts and allowing instant feedback on overall document readability.

Finally, we actively check comprehension. Instead of asking whether the text is understandable, the facilitator poses targeted questions to confirm what the expert panel has absorbed from the information.

Perfecting visuals and client integration

We also evaluate visuals live. The panel evaluates the imagery accompanying each sentence to determine how well each photograph fits and enhances the underlying conceptual communication.

Perhaps the most powerful element of the IC Works methodology is direct client integration. Clients are always invited to attend these dynamic workshop sessions to participate in the co-production process.

Seeing exactly how the target audience interacts with their specific message is invaluable. When panel feedback diverges from original communication aims, the client is immediately consulted for clear direction.

This allows for immediate, collaborative pivoting within the live workshop environment. We rework complex concepts such as sexual health and standards for healthcare professionals together until experts confirm perfect clarity and the client confirms absolute factual accuracy.

Why this matters for your organisation

A collaborative approach driven by paid professionals naturally requires a larger upfront investment. It certainly costs more than a solo practitioner farming out a finished draft for basic passive testing.

If you rely on passive user testing, your documents might look accessible while completely missing your organisation's core message. Testers might just be blindly validating a lone translator's misunderstanding.

Accessible information is not just about using simplified words and pictures. It is about a guaranteed understanding outcome that ensures your vital message is accurately received and genuinely usable.

This outcome is much more likely when people with lived experience actively co-produce it. Clients secure a reliable, comprehension-guaranteed public communication tool that effectively protects their messaging.

How IC Works can help you

If your organisation is commissioning Easy Read documents, we can help you do it effectively. We guarantee comprehension by keeping experts by experience right at the centre of production.

IC Works can co-produce Easy Read documents with paid experts by experience. We can review existing documents for real-world usability and help you avoid passive user-testing traps.

If you would like to talk through a project or review a document, please get in touch. We will gladly explain the very best approach for your specific audience.