Sofie Beier
100+ tips
User design
User design
BIS Publishers
Borneostraat 80-A
1094 CP Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 515 02 30
bis@bispublishers.com
www.bispublishers.com
ISBN 978 90 6369 636 8
Copyright © 2022 Sofie Beier and BIS Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owners. Every reasonable attempt has been made to identify owners of copyright. Any errors or omissions brought to the publisher’s attention will be corrected in subsequent editions.
Thanks to
Peter Graabæk, Octavio Pardo, Rasmus Spanggaard Troelsen for useful comments.
INTRODUCTION
Academic legibility research is often communicated in complex language and hidden in peerreviewed journals unknown to most designers.
This book aims to translate these studies into an easily approachable format so that you do not have to struggle through dense reading before you identify the most relevant points.
4
The mentioned research projects represent a selection of what is available at the time of writing. This book contains a snapshot of what we know now, and does not cover all there is to know about legibility research as we continue with new discoveries. If you want to learn more, please navigate to the reference list at the back of the book.
5
Limitations of the reader
Running text 8
Skim-reading 20
3
1 7
2 8 9 10
Expressive typefaces 34
4 5 6
Reading from afar 50
Micro-type 72
Spatial graphics 82
Older age 96
Low-vision 110
Children 124
Dyslexia 136
References 144
Content
Ways of reading Limitations of the media
RUNNING TEXT
Reading longer paragraphs of text is a highly complex operation involving perceptual, semantic, and cognitive inputs. Predictability is the most important quality of a typeface in such reading situations.
Location on the retina
The field of vision is divided into three main sections. The fovea is the sharp central vision around fixation. The further away from the fovea, the more difficult it is to identify objects. These are the parafoveal and peripheral areas of vision.
Foveal vision spans about two degrees around the point of fixation.
Parafoveal vision spans about ten degrees around the point of fixation.
aEverything outside parafoveal vision is known as the periphery.
9
While reading, our eyes move along the lines of text in saccade motions. Between saccades, the eye focuses on the text in fixations. When identifying the optimal location to place the next fixation, reader attention is simultaneously on the text in fixation and on the text on the right side of the parafoveal and peripheral areas.
Fixation
Return-sweep to next line.
Regression to rereading previously read words.
Expert craftsmen magically produce a wonderful instrument, which reveals almost incredible improvement over everyday music producing machines.
Saccade
10
Attention
Letter crowding
Letter contours tend to interact and visually crowd when letter strings appear in the visual periphery. Since we use our peripheral vision when reading running text, letter crowding will limit reading speed.
When you focus on the cross to the left, it will be easier to identify the 'R' when alone than when flanked by other letters.
This phenomenon is also seen in the centre of vision, when the type is 1 in a small point size, 2 read at a great distance, or 3 viewed at a quick glance.
11
R
ARE
