Readability Matters Expands Commitment to Improving Reading Outcomes Announces K-8 Readability Study October 16, 2020 – Readability Matters announces funding for a remote learning Readability study of 450 K-8th grade students. Dr. Shannon Sheppard of Chapman University will lead the research, with collaboration from Dr. Susanne Nobles of ReadWorks.org and Dr. Sofie Beier of…
A Discussion of the First Use of the Virtual Readability Lab with College Students Readability Matters recently virtually sat down with Dr. Shelley Rodrigo, Senior Director of the Writing Program and Associate Professor in Rhetoric, Composition at The University of Arizona. Dr. Rodrigo was the first university professor to pilot the use of the…
The New Readability Sandbox Software developers often create a test environment, called a sandbox, with elements for the intended users to try before the code is built, tested, and deployed. Research has demonstrated that small changes to text formats can improve reading speed, accuracy, and comprehension. The Readability Matters sandbox was designed to demonstrate the…
Learn More About Readability Panel Experts from Adobe, the University of Central Flordia, and the University of Arizona Discuss Research (an online-only event, free for everyone) Adobe officially announced that its largest annual conference, Adobe MAX, would be moving online. The company promises to make Digital MAX 2020 “one of the most immersive, imaginative, and innovative digital events…
Research Highlight Chiron A.T. Oderkerk and Sofie Beier of the Centre for Visibility Design at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Denmark, presented a poster at the June 2020 virtual Vision Sciences Society conference. The study “Fonts of Wider Letter Shapes Improve Recognition in Peripheral Vision,” investigated the effect of font width…
“Adobe unveils ambitious multi-year vision for PDF: Introduces Liquid Mode” Today Ashley Still, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Digital Media at Adobe, announced Liquid Mode and new Readability Features in Adobe Reader. Given the frustrations of reading documents on mobile devices, Adobe has made these new features available first in the free Adobe…
United Nations Focuses on Improving Learning Outcomes to Benefit Business and Society This week the United Nations marked the 75th anniversary of the signing of the U.N. charter. Leaders gathered virtually to address challenges and issues facing our global community. The UN site notes, “The UN is marking its 75th anniversary at a time…
Forbes reports Low Literacy Levels Among U.S. Adults Could Be Costing The Economy $2.2 Trillion A Year The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy engaged Gallup to estimate the cost of adult literacy to the US economy. Gallup estimates that low levels of adult literacy could be costing the U.S. as much $2.2 trillion…
Variable Fonts Deliver New Possibilities for Enhanced Readability Readability Begins with Typography While not widely recognized beyond the research community, typography design is a foundational element of reading performance. Research demonstrates that readers respond differently to changes in character shape and spacing. These typographical features are fixed in the static fonts we use today,…
Hacks to Improve Readability The term “hack” entered general English language usage with a new sense of “solution” or “work-around,” as in the phrase “life hack.” A Readability Hack is a work-around that provides an improved reading experience today, in advance of a full set of Readability Features being implemented in a reading app.…