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Subject:Re: Favorite/Recommended Fonts From:Peter Martin <peterm -at- FOXBORO -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Wed, 7 Apr 1999 10:30:36 +1000
At 12:21 6/04/99 -0700, Susan W. Gallagher wrote:
.....[snip]
>One reason that I see used repeatedly to recommend serif fonts for text
>is that serifs speed up reading; sans serif text is read more slowly than
>serif text. I've often thought that in the presentation of highly technical
>information, slowing down the eye may actually be a good thing, that slower
>reading may increase comprehension. I believe that many readers of technical
>information subvocalize when they read, slowing down their reading speed
>even further than font manipulation could account for, to increase
>comprehension.
>If that is in deed the case, it hardly matters what font we use -- well,
>as long as we don't use some wacky display font, that is.
>
The reading research I've read doesn't support that view. (See Wheildon's
"Text and Layout"). Wheildon's research (repeatable: anyone want to
try it out with proper controls and statistics ?) shows good comprehension
levels dropped from 67% for serif fonts to 12% for sans serif on this
group tests.
If it don't work, it don't work.... even if it looks nice.
--
Peter Martin, Contract Tech. Writer peterm -at- foxboro -dot- com -dot- au
+61 2 9818 5094 (home) 0408 249 113 (mobile) peterm -at- zeta -dot- org -dot- au
