Searching the web on studies around accessibility has me guessing what are the best fonts to use. I have also read a few blogs regarding the matter on how typography should be your first port-of-call when the brief demands accessibility.
What I am trying to say is that if the typeface you’re thinking of using isn’t right for all abilities, the design simply isn’t comprehensive for every type of user. This includes the huge number of users that include the visually impaired, the elderly and users who in-fact endure having dyslexia. I have dyslexia (a mild form of it) and I do struggle every now and again when it comes to reading or even surfing the web.
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia a general term for disorders that involve issues with the learning to read or interpret words, letters, and alternative symbols, however, that doesn’t have an effect on the general intelligence of someone. They say even Albert Einstein was dyslexic.
The signs and symptoms of this learning disorder do differ from person to person. Every individual with the condition can have a unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses.
Dyslexia may be a learning difficulty that primarily affects the abilities involved in fluent and accurate word reading and spelling, but according to The Rose Report the definition of dyslexia is “characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal process speed.” And the “Co-occurring difficulties may also be seen in aspects of language, motor coordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation, however, these don’t seem to be, by themselves, markers of dyslexia.”
Now that we have dug a little into the meaning, I thought I would make it even more relevant to what Fifteen do which is design including typography.
Which fonts are the easiest and best to read?
Dyslexia may be a disability that can be incredibly sensitive to some typefaces, in both websites and print. In this blog, we will show you of some of these typefaces that are recommended to suggest in what materials that are being created, they’re accessible to a everyone.
Dyslexic individuals notice all kinds of different texts where it can vary greatly relying on that the font used. I actually wish to stipulate that some typefaces are recommended to be used and to be used by people who have dyslexia throughout all types of materials and technology.
Font, especially fonts that are Serif typefaces, ‘ticks’ and their ‘tails’ located near the top and end, with most typefaces the strokes (as located in most traditional fonts like Georgia or even Times), do tend to uniquely obscure shapes of the letterforms, therefore sans-serif typefaces can be generally the most well-liked. Thus we tend to see many dyslexic individuals browse a font easier that appears almost like handwriting as they’re familiar to this and this is the reason why teachers prefer to them.
So, most of those forms of typefaces could result in confusion, and therefore combinations of letters like “oo” and “rn”; “oa” and the “m”, in my experience, could get extremely muddling and impair how I would read something that is in front of me. This said, reading a sentence incorrectly and I worry about people are judging me or completely misunderstanding what I am reading is something that I had to deal with.
This scale of the ascender letters and the descender letters (which are ‘stems’ on such letters like y) are additionally vital. Dyslexic people do believe in recalling that the letter form of words is thanks to poor awareness. When the ascenders and the descenders are short, the word which is formed can get harder to spot and may make the reading of the sentence slower, or even read incorrectly.
In that case, what makes a typeface accessible? What must you look out for once you opt for one with people who have dyslexia?
10 tips on type styles for accessibility
- Having a clean user-friendly sans serif typeface with large open counters is to be the more suitable of all the typestyles. This could be used for sub-headings where the text is 16pt and above
- Fonts with an optimum character are best to assist legibility
- Take care with the negative areas and also the positive areas too, in and around the letters – proper kerning
- Using a serif font to be added to the ‘i’ could enhance the character’s recognition
- A character stroke that is about 20% of the x-height
- Letterforms on darkened backgrounds could look tighter. With this, it could also appear to have a glow
- Numbers should be clearly simple. 0 (ze