legibility
The legibility is a measure of the reading speed of text. A text with good legibility can be read faster than a text with poor legibility. Legibility is directly related to the design of letters, lines and surfaces ( typography ) and is a dimension in the context of the legibility of a text.
Influencing factors
Legibility is determined by more factors than the mere design of the characters. The measure for the recognition of "single" characters is the recognizability . However, factors related to the sign up to the design of the entire surface contribute to legibility (see macro typography ).
Important factors for legibility are:
- Font , markup type and font size
- Line lead (line space), sentence width (line length) and line fall (block or flutter replacement)
- Materials such as colors and substrates such as screens , types of paper or other carrier material
In contrast to legibility, there are no content-related factors such as comprehension of the text. For example, one could examine the legibility of a typographical draft for a book series by comparing passages from different books in different fonts and measuring the reading speed of a group of test subjects .
Serifs
When choosing fonts for a document, better legibility can be an important factor.
A rule of thumb for typography beginners is that fonts with serifs ( Antiqua fonts ) are more recognizable than sans serif (sans serif linear Antiqua or sans serif fonts). However, this rule does not always apply. For example, there specifically for screen workstations designed fonts that in view of the low image resolution no serifs have. Fonts with serifs do not always have an advantage even on paper (see printing ). When it comes to legibility, some fonts without serifs perform very well (for example Calibri and Gill Sans ), while some decorative fonts with serifs are not designed for running text (see bread font ).
Justification and fluttering
When reading a printed text, the eye does not wander evenly, but in jumps ( saccades ). These do not take place from word to word, but as far as a sequence of letters can be processed at once.
The simulation roughly shows how and how quickly the individual eye fixations follow each other if no steps back are necessary to understand the text in order to correct any reading errors. The blurred text corresponds to the peripheral perception . The line fall has an influence on the legibility of the individual words as well as the jumping to the next line.
The justification ensures a rather undisturbed, fluid reading process. The particular advantage of justified in multi-column typesetting with a short line length is that the eye always has to perform the same movement for the line change. A disadvantage arises, however, if word breakings have to be used more often.
The ragged makes reading through its consistent word spacing and less word division, it made difficult by uneven eye movement during line changes.
Since the control of eye movements is beyond the consciousness while reading, good readability primarily depends on the reading habits of the reader.
For this reason, the central axis set and the right-aligned flutter set are not suitable for fluent reading of longer texts, but can be used to intentionally influence attention .
See also
literature
- Norbert Groeben: Reader Psychology: Text Understanding - Text Understanding . Aschendorff Verlag , Münster 1982, ISBN 3-402-04298-3 .
- Christian Peirick: Rational Reading Techniques - Read Faster - Keep More . 4th edition. KH Bock Verlag, Honnef 2013, ISBN 978-3-86796-086-1 .
- DIN 1450 fonts; Legibility. Edition 2013-04
swell
- ↑ Hans-Werner Hunziker : In the eye of the reader: foveal and peripheral perception - from spelling to reading pleasure. Transmedia, Stäubli Verlag, Zurich 2006, ISBN 978-3-7266-0068-6 .
