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Research

Readability Research

As “tech people” committed to data-driven decisions, Readability Matters invites researchers from tech, education, publishing and typography to participate in further study with the goal to improve reading for everyone, everywhere. 

Readability Matters calls for further study of Readability Features to support implementation recommendations for personalized reading. Research must support all communities of readers, young and old, proficient and struggling, good and poor vision. Further, the research must be designed to include iOS, Android, and web platforms. 

What question do you want to answer? Join the research community that is building better reading for everyone, everywhere. 

  • Advocates like Readability Matters are key in our era of information overload. LabX is excited to be working side by side with them to prove out technologies that enhance reading instantly.
    — Dr. Ben D. Sawyer, Professor of Industrial Engineering & Neuroscientist, University of Central Florida
  • The Readability Matters team has brought invaluable insights to help guide our research directions towards impactful findings on optimal reading formats. We look forward to continuing to learn from each other.
    — Dr. Zoya Bylinskii, Research Scientist, Adobe
  • Readability Matters has served as the catalyst to bring together multiple groups of advocates, researchers, and professionals to help spur new research into the idea that every person, no matter their prior ability, can improve their reading ability with their optimal typeface. As a researcher, I am privileged to be working with such a group.
    — Shaun Wallace, Doctoral Candidate, Brown University
  • As a researcher, I am excited to explore the benefits of personalized reading formats for children. Readability Features may be an important new tool for educators in the area of individualized instruction.
    — Carol Connor, PhD, Chancellors Professor, School of Education, University of California, Irvine
  • ReadWorks is excited to team with Readability Matters and researchers exploring Readability impacts. We have a collective goal of improving outcomes for all learners.
    — Susanne Nobles, PhD, Senior Director of Teaching and Learning, ReadWorks

Research, White Papers and Reports

July 27, 2020
Readability Matters for College and University Learners

An Instructor Guide Engaging and Motivating College Student Readers through Customizable Reading Text Interface Jenae Cohn, Ph.D., Kathy Crowley, and Marjorie Jordan…
June 30, 2020
Individual Differences in Font Preference & Effectiveness as Applied to Interlude Reading in the Digital Age

Can we Accelerate Adult Reading? At the June 2020 virtual Vision Science Society conference, Shaun Wallace presented the results of a collaboration…
April 22, 2020
Building Word Knowledge with WKe-Books

In a 2018 Computers & Education paper, Connor et al. studied the potential impact of technology within learning opportunities provided in the…
April 21, 2020
Accelerating Adult Readers With Typeface

Published in the proceedings of the Computer Human Interaction (CHI) Conference 2020, was this study of font as a factor in accelerating…
April 20, 2020
The Great Typography Bake-off

In a paper published in Ergonomics, the International Journal of Research and Practice in Human Factors and Ergonomics, Sawyer, Dobres, Chahine and…
December 2, 2019
University Student Survey Reveals Unique Preferences for eReading Personalization

Readability Matters invited a professor at a top 75 US National University to conduct a quick survey of reading format preference. Thirty-seven…
November 20, 2019
Towards Readability Individuation…

In a newly published paper, researchers from Brown University, Adobe Inc., University of Central Florida, and Riverdale Country School studied the impact…
June 24, 2019
Base Font Effect on Reading Performance

Readability Matters advocates for the provision of a full set of Readability Features (including font choice, size, character spacing, character expansion, and…
May 7, 2019
Advancing the Reading Ecosystem

Readability Matters White Paper: Advancing the Reading Ecosystem Toward a Future of Personalized Reading: Human Factors Research + IT Systems Promise Value…
January 19, 2019
Tech Proof of Concept Results White Paper

Readability Matters White Paper: Maximizing Individual Reading Performance with Scalable Tuned Text Kathy Crowley and Marjorie Jordan Many researchers have demonstrated the value…
January 19, 2019
White Paper: Optimizing Reading Performance…

Optimizing Reading Performance by Manipulating the Shape, Size, and Spacing of Text to Match the Individual’s Visual Processing Capacity Bonnie Shaver-Troup, Kathy Crowley,…

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