"Wordsmith has been working on an 8-month long project to assess utility bills and make them more consumer-friendly. We tested seven bills from seven existing retailers and followed up by redesigning two new bills based on what we found in these tests. We then retested the two model bills. The project included redesign of the bill itself and rewriting all the definitions that were part of the bills.

We relied on CRI and David Sless for advice on the usability testing and design. David discussed the project very near the beginning and how to approach it. He guided us while we were writing the tests and during testing, and he spent time with us discussing results and refining our approach. He was invaluable to us throughout and was flexible and generous with his time.

We were impressed with the quality of thinking in CRI's documents and in the Skype conversations we had with David. In fact, I kept a copy of two of David's articles nearby to refer to during the early months of this project. David's range of experience with this kind of work is extraordinary. I would recommend the help desk service. It was useful, efficient, and necessary for us."

Chari Smith, Wordsmith