In an increasingly complex marketplace filled with high-tech innovation, cutting-edge financial instruments, and smart solutions, it’s easy for product communication to become saturated with buzzwords, abbreviations, and technical language. But while these terms might excite experts and insiders, they often leave the average customer feeling confused and disconnected. That’s why companies across industries are embracing a new mantra: “Jobs, Not Jargon.” This approach champions plain language as a tool for articulating what a product does, not just how intricate or sophisticated it is. The goal is simple—communicate with clarity, so people can understand, trust, and use what you’re offering.
The Problem with Jargon
In many sectors—especially in technology, finance, and healthcare—jargon tends to dominate. Teams that spend countless hours developing a product naturally grow attached to the language they use internally. Consequently, when it’s time to describe the product to customers, many fall into the trap of explaining it in the same complex terms.
Consider the following phrase commonly found on company websites: “Our end-to-end AI-powered optimization platform utilizes machine learning algorithms to enable scalable digital transformation.” While that’s technically accurate, most readers are left wondering what the company actually does, and how it can help them solve a problem.
The real issue with jargon is that it obscures meaning. It forces prospective customers—or even employees—to work harder to understand the product. And when understanding requires effort, conversions decline, trust plummets, and the brand message gets lost in translation.
Why Plain Language Works
Plain language doesn’t mean “dumbing things down.” Rather, it reflects a deliberate strategy to respect the audience’s time and intelligence by being direct. Good communication is not about showing how much you know; it’s about creating a shared understanding.
The value of plain language lies in its accessibility:
- Increases comprehension: When readers quickly grasp what a product does, they’re more likely to consider it seriously.
- Builds trust: Transparency and simplicity often go hand in hand. Brands that communicate clearly are perceived as more trustworthy.
- Accelerates decision-making: When benefits are clear, hesitation is reduced and quicker commitments follow.
- Improves search engine performance: Clear, meaningful content performs better in SEO, helping users find solutions faster.
Turning Features Into Outcomes
Most users are not fascinated by features—they’re drawn to benefits. Customers care about outcomes: what the product can do to solve a problem or create a positive result in their lives or business.
This is especially vital for complex products. Rather than focusing on what’s under the hood, companies must highlight how these features translate into impactful results. For example:
- Instead of: “Blockchain-based secure authentication protocol.”
- Say: “Log in safely without remembering passwords.”
This shift frames the technology in human terms. It’s not that the technical details are unimportant—they matter greatly, especially to technical buyers. But for most people, the priority is understanding what job the product does for them.
The Challenge of Internal Culture
Switching to plain language isn’t just a marketing tweak—it often requires a deeper cultural shift within an organization. Engineers, data scientists, and product developers are trained to think and write in precise technical form. Asking them to adopt simpler language can feel like threatening the sophistication of their work.
Leadership plays a critical role in endorsing and modeling the use of plain language. It often involves creating a shared language style guide, running workshops, and establishing a review process to ensure nontechnical stakeholders can understand external communications.
Organizations that have made this shift report measurable improvements not only in conversion rates, but also in team alignment, onboarding speed, and customer satisfaction.
Case Studies: Success Through Simplicity
1. Gov.uk – Clarity at Scale
The UK government’s website, GOV.UK, is a recognized global standard for plain language. Replacing hundreds of individual departmental websites, GOV.UK reduced legalese and jargon, choosing clarity over formality. The impact was significant: reduced calls to help lines, more online form completions, and drastic improvements in citizen engagement.
2. Mailchimp – Speaking Like a Human
Originally an email marketing tool for developers, Mailchimp transitioned to a user-friendly platform targeting small business owners. Their commitment to plain language helped demystify concepts like “automation” and “segmentation.” As a result, Mailchimp became a go-to solution not just for developers, but for everyday entrepreneurs seeking approachable marketing tools.
3. Intuit – Redefining Tax Software
Tax preparation in the United States is notoriously complicated. Intuit’s TurboTax built its brand on translating the tax code into a simple Q&A format. Their guiding principle: if you can answer questions honestly, the software can handle the filing. By focusing on users’ goals and reducing technical terminology, TurboTax transformed a dense process into something intuitive and digestible.
Tools and Techniques for Plain Language
To put “Jobs, Not Jargon” into practice, companies can utilize several methods and resources:
- Use readability tools: Apps like Hemingway Editor or Grammarly can flag overly complex sentences and suggest simpler alternatives.
- Apply the Flesch-Kincaid test: This common reading level calculator helps indicate how accessible your writing is to a general audience.
- Create personas: Knowing your audience helps tailor the language to their knowledge level and context.
- User testing: Before launching content, test it with actual users to see if they understand the message without additional explanation.
Plain Language in Digital Interfaces
This philosophy isn’t just for press releases or product pages—it extends to user interfaces, onboarding flows, help content, and even legal terms. Everywhere there are words, there is an opportunity to be clear and helpful.
For instance, a “Connect API Endpoint” button might better serve users if it says “Link Your Data” instead. A tooltip that explains “This feature enables bidirectional sync across distributed environments” could simply say “Updates happen in both places automatically.” Every word matters in crafting a user-friendly experience.
When Not to Simplify
While simplicity is a noble goal, it’s important not to lose precision. Certain industries—like law, science, engineering, and medicine—have terminology that exists for a reason. In such cases, plain language doesn’t replace technical language, but it can serve as a bridge.
For example, detailed regulatory documents should come with summaries in plain English. Complex algorithms can be accompanied by executive summaries or animated explainers for non-technical stakeholders. The key is dual communication: respect regulatory or technical rigor while also opening the door to broader comprehension.
Final Thoughts: The Future Speaks Plainly
As AI, cloud computing, and smart devices continue to shape our world, the information they generate becomes harder to digest. The companies that win customer trust will be those who translate complexity into clarity. The “Jobs, Not Jargon” mindset isn’t just a marketing trick—it’s a long-term investment in your audience’s ability to understand, appreciate, and believe in your product.
By using plain language to articulate what your product does—not just how it’s built—you’re doing more than simplifying. You’re empowering people, building trust, and accelerating adoption. In a world that’s never been more complicated, that’s the kind of smart clarity we all need.