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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How much of the related text should be included in a hyperlink?

When adding hyperlinks to the markup in paragraph-sized runs of text, how much of the text relevant to each link should be included? So I know links that just say "here" or "this" are bad, but what ...
hippietrail's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Swipe direction for read document on iPad

Is there any recommendation about the direction of swipe for an app that allow user to read PDF documents? I mean if I have to chose is better the up/down or the left/right swipe? In my own ...
Luca Bernardi's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
291 views

Should static text be repeated in UI?

As you can see in the picture above there two version of displaying update date. One with just the date and the other with updated word prepended. My question is, what version actually to use? I ...
DarkLeafyGreen's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
257 views

Displaying a list of items in a neat and readable way [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: When displaying statistics to a user, is it better to bold the data or the label? I often have to display 2 column lists like this - Name: Bob Age: 30 Shoes: Trainers ...
Wander's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
173 views

If starting fresh, is a 140 character limit for tweets/status updates in general a good limit? [closed]

According to Why 140 characters and how to write more the limit on tweets was 140 because the SMS message limit is 160. They wanted tweets to be sent in one text (with space for username). However, ...
George Duckett's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
906 views

Can icons improve readability on a navigation?

Our app has many tools and we have a navigation of about 10 tabs. Tabs can be re-arranged and this forces the user to find them by reading the label. Would icons make it more usable?
ghislaineguerin's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
1k views

Relative dates/times- Rounding and how accurate?

I was reading this question about formatting relative dates and times, but there are still some issue that I felt have not been addressed yet. I would like to: Keep relative times to just 1 unit, ...
F21's user avatar
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19 votes
4 answers
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Is using a comma as a number separator a cultural thing?

In the US, it's very common to add a comma for numbers of more than 3 digits (ex: 1,000 for one thousand ; 1,000,000 for one million ; etc.). In France though, we don't use this at all and commas are ...
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0 votes
2 answers
735 views

Table user readability/clarity

I've got a table that displays data to users. Each line of data can have a report attached to it. The 2nd cell in the table is used to show users if there is a report present, if there is you get an ...
james4563's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
534 views

Do you think we should ban 11 pixels font size? [closed]

We know that serif and sans serif can perform equally well, if you choose a body text size above 12 pixels. Below 12 pixels serifed typefaces don’t render sharply enough, but on desktop monitors 12 ...
Benoit Meunier's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
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What is the optimal line length for body copy on the web? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Ideal column width for paragraphs online We’ve always been told that lines of text should not be longer than 55 - 65 characters or thereabouts but I'm also finding studies ...
Jared Christensen's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
19k views

How long does it take to read X number of characters?

I am creating an iPhone app where I need to show transient confirmation messages (called a toast in Android). For example, when a user submits a comment, I pop up a message saying "thanks for ...
JoJo's user avatar
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-1 votes
1 answer
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Other alternatives to comment replies indentation? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Hierarchical comments usability issues What are the best options to highlight a reply to a comment ? I'm thinking 3 levels maximum.
ghislaineguerin's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
256 views

Readability issues and presentation of Price

I am trying to find some research or thoughts on any readability issues around displaying price. We are tossing up the idea around displaying the price with a small $ symbol and small cents. An ...
corbijn's user avatar
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19 votes
5 answers
987 views

Which placement of list of ingredients is most convenient for the cook?

In the process of doing the layout for a cookbook, I'm faced with the problem of placing the list of ingredients for each recipe. I've looked at several cookbooks and seen numerous approaches. I can ...
Henrik Hansen's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
994 views

Is a number easier to read with the thousand separator?

This may sound like a stupid question but I'm being taken to task for this at the moment. Personally I believe that it's easier to read 1,234.56 than 1234.56. However there are others that are saying ...
Guy's user avatar
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11 votes
3 answers
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How to design usable web site terms & conditions?

What are some guidelines and examples for designing usable legal terms for web sites? I know that most users don't read it, but are there innovative ways to improve readability and presentation of ...
RianVDM's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
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How to represent "Beginning of Time" and "Infinite Future"

I am working on a reporting application and we fetch several records based on their start/end date ranges. Users can choose to leave both start and/or end dates blank. Examples: Example 1 - Date: 1/...
Joseph Ravenwolfe's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
7k views

What are user friendly ways to display XML for reading & scanning

I'm looking for examples and advice for displaying XML in a user readable way. The user does not edit the xml, but is just looking for information inside of the xml. I'm designing an interface for ...
Kusmeroglu's user avatar
10 votes
5 answers
965 views

How to automatically calculate contrast

Scenario: a user can change the default design of a site by selecting a color. This color is applied to the menu background color. The problem is that I have to change the menu text color depending on ...
Tarscher's user avatar
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7 votes
6 answers
6k views

Easiest to read fonts

Has there been studies to determine what fonts make it easiest to read? I'm interested in the font type, but also size and color. For example, is dark gray better than pitch black? Also of interest ...
Randomblue's user avatar
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52 votes
7 answers
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How long should a temporary notification (toast) appear?

For our intranet application we have little notification messages (toasts) that indicate successful operations like "information saved," "logged out" etc. Most of them are not important enough to ...
Ben Brocka's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
5k views

And vs "&" in web text, which is better? [closed]

I see a lot of web text that use "&" to mean "and" and I think it's terrible, not readable, nor friendly, can anyway confirm or challenge that? any real facts to put it in perspective? Same goes ...
Ayyash's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
2k views

XML editor design indents XML without tabs/spaces - disadvantages?

I've developed an XML text editor that indents XML using a 'floating' left-margin rather than the more common tab or space characters. Indentation is updated continuously and only relies on the XML ...
pgfearo's user avatar
  • 433
8 votes
4 answers
556 views

Designing for children and young readers?

I am a writer and a developer. I wanted to publish my stories online and wanted to create my own website to publish. I was looking for some inspiration of a simple, readability oriented design. Some ...
sabertooth's user avatar
18 votes
3 answers
7k views

Why not use sans-serif fonts on print design?

It's better to use sans-serif than serif fonts on the web, as their simpler letter form remain readable at low resolution. Serif fonts need more pixels to display their extra details. I was wondering ...
Grace kan's user avatar
  • 503
5 votes
1 answer
425 views

Apply the legibility principles to screen reading

How to apply the legibility principles to screen reading? What is important point for it? What is the difference between the "legibility" and "readability"?
Grace kan's user avatar
  • 503
13 votes
6 answers
3k views

Is highlighting important words a good idea?

Is it a good idea to highlight the important words in a text on a web page? What impact does it have on the reader? Does it help to understand the text or does it disturb?
Witek's user avatar
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