Questions tagged [readability]
The ease in which text can be understood (based on content, not formatting). Readability is not to be confused with legibility, which is the ease with which text can be read (based on formatting, not content).
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Should PDFs for on-screen reading be split into pages (with a "real" paper size)?
Downloadable PDFs are not a good format for on-screen reading and should be avoided, but sometimes there's nothing we can do about it. That's my case now: I have to design a PDF for on-screen reading (...
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How to display [missing text] in a form
After a form is saved and displayed, I want to show a placeholder if a field was left empty, so that the user reading it understands that it is not a UI issue.
Example:
Name: Jeff
Surname: –
Mail:...
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Does Material Design 3 recommend an incorrect icon style?
I was looking at the Material Design 3 Icon design principles and they have an example that seems like bad UX to me. I'm sure I'm wrong but I'd like to know if (and how) the "Do" is better ...
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Research about effects of text page formatting on cognitive load?
Has anyone come across peer-reviewed research on the effect of text page formatting on cognitive load? I'm more particularly interested on wider evidence about whether working with column width, one ...
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Study showing it's better to have images in their own row on a text/news article page, rather than in a column with text wrapping around it
I'm remembering a usability study I once saw that demonstrated it's better for scanning or readability on a website's news article or text-heavy page to have any photos as their own row by themselves, ...
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Defining profit value in usability testing
Question: Is there a method of defining potential profit value or loss on visual design tests?
Background: I was recently asked how to quantify a profit value or loss based on a set of tests for ...
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When to use white text on top of a color for readability?
I am setting the background of a textbox to some variable color.
I know the hex/rgb of the color I'm setting the background to.
Normally the text is black (or very very dark gray).
On some colors, it ...
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Best way to sort a multi-column list: Top to bottom or left to right first?
I'm creating a long list of countries that span across 3 columns and initially I ordered them left to right and then top to bottom but a colleague of mine said it would be more natural to sort it ...
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Graphical indication of a 2-dimensional sensor reading inside a range
Showing a single dimensional value inside of a valid range is not unusual, whether using a bar or using a virtual gauge.
My problem is slightly different - I have a two-dimensional value. Temperature ...
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Is there a maximum font size for body copy on desktop websites?
Similar to this post Is there an optimal font size?. But for maximum readable font sizes. Or when does a font size become too big and decreases readability?
I understand there a lots of variables; ...
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How dark does a background have to be before white text shows up better than black text?
How dark does a grey background have to be, before white text is easier to read against that background than black text?
Suppose you start off with a white background.
Clearly, black text is easier ...
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Why do Dutch truck number plates have a gap in the 'zero'?
Some recent number plates of Dutch trucks have a gap in the top left part of the 'zero'. Example:
(source: cbr.nl)
I assume this is done to increase readability; I can't think of any other reason. It ...
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Is it weird to create a text button instead of an icon for notifications?
I'm designing an app aimed for older generations. In that sens, I've decided to use a text button instead of an icon button for the notifications. I find it easier to identify what that button do if ...
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How can we communicate how leading zeros work for a number generator?
In the project controls software I am working on, uses needs to generate unique codes before exporting scheduling data to dedicated scheduling software. Part of this code will be an ascending number.
...
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Why do users have a tendency to miss things written in big bold/colored letters?
So, I've noticed this quite a lot. Almost every time something is emphasized (be it in an email, website, paper, etc.) with big, bold and red-colored letters, it most likely will not be read by people,...
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What is a good choice of letters for serial numbers? [duplicate]
When creating serial numbers, one could use only numbers, 0-9. This causes serial numbers to be quite long. To save space, one could also user letters A-Z, resulting in shorter numbers, by a factor ...
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What are the best practices to design user interfaces that are going to be used under direct sunlight?
I'm designing an application that will be mostly used under direct sunlight, and I would like to know if there are some recommendations or best practices to improve usability under that conditions.
...
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Is there any specific maximum number of characters within a single page to be considered as good for readability in UX perspective?
I am currently researching about readability for a heavy content article that is paginated. I am not sure how to paginate the article because there are no explicit rules that explain how many ...
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Why do people prefer black-on-white on Kindle/ebook readers, but white-on-black in IDEs?
Why do people prefer black-text-on-white-background for their Kindle / ebook readers; but bright-text-on-dark-background for their IDEs?
Both are instances of reading text on a screen. Scientifically, ...
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Ways to improve readability of recipe ingredients?
I am building a recipe website and I'm trying to improve the readability and scannability of the ingredient lists. I've tried a bunch of different options but I'm not sure what is best.
Here are some ...
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Readability between sans serif and serif for "foreign language users"?
I am curious about whether "foreign language users" find a difference in readability of text between sans serif and serif.
Here, I am defining "foreign language users" as people whose primary/first ...
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"Realistic" Thermostat Interface vs Minimalist
I am developing a Web Interface for Temperature control of certain rooms/zones. Every time the + icon is clicked, a new card appears as shown. The large number will be the temperature based on a ...
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Statistics (or tools) on screen calibration & readability
Fairly straight forward question, but I could not find any answers to it. Are there any known statistics regarding screen calibration & readability?
Are there any colors to avoid where screen ...
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Typewriter text effect usability
I've been asked to implement, and have seen this typewriter effect on a number of web sites: https://mattboldt.com/demos/typed-js/
Typically it is in the header with 3 or 4 sentences about what the ...
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Smaller font sizes on smaller screen devices
I'm an iOS developer and I recently had a discussion with a designer in my team about the font size of a label in an iOS app that we are producing. It is a small label that is used to present the user ...
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Images look bad with perfect paragraph width
I'm working on a WordPress template and trying to maintain perfect line width of ~70 characters. My blog has a lot of posts and most of the post contain at least one image per paragraph, usually more. ...
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Where to put *Footnote Text...Bottom of page or section?
I have a fairly long page that leads off with a bold statistic in the hero section of the page. That statistic has an * that needs to be cited where that statistic came from. Should the footnote ...
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Why WCAG 2.0 doesn't comply with its own line length criterion of 1.4.8?
WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.4.8 clearly specifies that to achieve AAA conformance level, Reading content in a single line should not exceed 80 characters for non-CJK (Chinese Japanese & Korean) ...
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How to utilise empty space in card list design?
My website's main page displays summaries of users' profiles. Each profile summary is encapsulated in a "card".
Take a look at an example here (using dummy data).
For reference, the card width is ...
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When providing programming documentation to users of an office suite software, does intelligent cell merging in tables, make the info more accessible?
Examples of such merged-cell use, alongside versions of same info without merged-cell use
Info using merged cells
Table 1
Table 2
Same info without using merged cells
Table 1
Table 2
Background
...
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Button functionality recognition
On our website we have a section with the top sales products of each brand. The sections are headed with a big title. Clicking each brand top sale button shows a group from five up to ten different ...
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Scrolling with more whitespace vs Everything on one page
Our end-users are used to an old B2B application which contains really small inputs and information that is so close together that it is difficult to distinguish. As a result, users complain a lot ...
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How to present filtering items in a sidebar?
I have a site where I need to present filtering items in a sidebar. These items work as "filters" for the site's content on the right. The user can click these filters on or off (selected are ...
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Text visibility / accessability on public information screens
I'm in the process with our supplier of upgrading the technology behind our Flight Information Display System for our airport, this runs the flight information screens in the terminal showing the ...
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How to best present multiple statuses in a table?
I have a table of data, each row represents a quote that can have several statuses. A while back when the status system was less complex I decided it would be best to enrich the status data and ...
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Is it ever OK to use italics?
It’s a fairly well known accessibility issue that italic fonts should be avoided as they reduce readability for those with sight issues and dyslexia.
(discussed here: Are italics on the web bad for ...
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Why monospaced fonts are not used as frequently as serif and sans-serif fonts, outside coding?
We see sans-serif and serif fonts everywhere, from the web to printed books and newspapers. I'm wondering why monospaced fonts are not popular outside coding context?
Here is a simple comparison I ...
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Table cells: verbose or abstract?
I got a surprising feedback from a large number of my user about something I would never consider an issue. If the number of votes on that particular feedback wasn't so large I would not consider it ...
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How to provide better UX for a list of user consents
I'm working on a UI that requires end user consent to proceed with a sign-up. Thought of using inline checkboxes within the consent statement. As you see below...
I have not come across this method ...
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Why center align text in 2018? [closed]
I feel like in 2018 I see more centered blurbs and paragraphs on the web. Centered text is a real problem for me because I can't read it. It makes my eyes spaz and my head avert. Am I the only one ...
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What should I do to get user know about scrollable content in the project/course
The project I am making has tables in it. I am working on responsive now. Big tables that do not fit in a small device, I have given them vertical scroll.
So my tables look like this in desktop
and ...
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Which font is the best for reading text (not code)? I mean font that has the best readability [closed]
Which font or type of font is considered the best for reading the regular text (not programming code)? Which font or type of font has the best readability?
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Quantifying Simplified Language
If you wanted to be able to quantify how much easier it is for users when you reduce the reading level of you text, how might you do that?
For example, how would you figure out how much longer it ...
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Readability of form input fields and confirmation
I have a form that the user inputs some data to send to a server but I'm wondering how does a user normally read a form for input purposes?
Should it be Input, Button, Confirmation then close:
Or ...
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Single column or two-column layout for text? Which is better for readers?
I'm trying find evidence to support my case to change this page. So far, the pushback has been that there's no evidence to say simple, single column text is better than what you see here. Am I wrong?
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Best Practice for indicating part of a week textually (specifically contiguous days)
I realise I'm probably splitting hairs here, but I feel like there should be some sort of convention or best practice for this situation, but I haven't been able to find anything online, and I can't ...
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How to improve readability of highly-structured text
NOTE: This question explores methods for increasing readability for a target user group.
Background: Readability is invaluable when dealing with large amounts of text. For some users, programmers, ...
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Why are chart x-axis values slanted bottom up for long labels?
Anyone knows why when we need slanted values at the x-axis, for example for a bar chart, why slanted values are always left to right, bottom-up (as in the image), instead of being displayed up-down?
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Making a network graph more readable
I have a graph showing nodes on the map of the US. There are between 100 and 400 nodes, and all two nodes have a line connecting them.
The problem is that there are so many connections that the graph ...
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What is the optimal way to display a multiple choice list?
I'm looking for suggestions for displaying multiple choice lists.
My first (and naive) solution. Obviously, 90° vertical text is unnecessarily hard to read and takes up a lot of vertical screen real ...
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