Readability Research: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Abstract
Readability is on the cusp of a revolution. Fixed text is becoming fluid as a proliferation of digital reading devices rewrite what a document can do. As past constraints make way for more flexible opportunities, there is great need to understand how reading formats can be tuned to the situation and the individual. We aim to provide a firm foundation for readability research, a comprehensive framework for modern, multi-disciplinary readability research. Readability refers to aspects of visual information design which impact information flow from the page to the reader. Readability can be enhanced by changes to the set of typographical characteristics of a text. These aspects can be modified on-demand, instantly improving the ease with which a reader can process and derive meaning from text. We call on a multi-disciplinary research community to take up these challenges to elevate reading outcomes and provide the tools to do so effectively.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2107.09615,
title = {Readability Research: An Interdisciplinary Approach},
author = {Sofie Beier and Sam Berlow and Esat Boucaud and Zoya Bylinskii and Tianyuan Cai and Jenae Cohn and Kathy Crowley and Stephanie L. Day and Tilman Dingler and Jonathan Dobres and Jennifer Healey and Rajiv Jain and Marjorie Jordan and Bernard Kerr and Qisheng Li and Dave B. Miller and Susanne Nobles and Alexandra Papoutsaki and Jing Qian and Tina Rezvanian and Shelley Rodrigo and Ben D. Sawyer and Shannon M. Sheppard and Bram Stein and Rick Treitman and Jen Vanek and Shaun Wallace and Benjamin Wolfe},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2107.09615},
year = {2021}
}
Comments
This paper was generated collaboratively over the course of a series of online workshops, the results of which were extensively edited by Dr. Zoya Bylinskii, Dr. Ben D. Sawyer, and Dr. Benjamin Wolfe. Original illustrations by Bernard Kerr. Corresponding Author: Dr. Ben D. Sawyer