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CHI 23 | Variable fonts will change the very nature of typography: How grade impacts readability
CHI 22| Towards Individuated Reading Experiences: Different Fonts Increase Reading Speed for Different…
VSS | Individual Differences in Font Preference & Effectiveness as Applied to Interlude Reading in the Digital Age
SXSW EDU | Personalizing Reading: One Size Doesn’t Fit all
Readability Matters | Build Better Reading
ADOBE | Enhance Reading Experiences
Articles
What’s your type? Try these tests to pick the perfect font for you.
You make font choices every day. You pick type designs each time you use a word processor, read an e-book, send an email, prepare a presentation, craft a wedding invite and make an Instagram story. It might seem like just a question of style, but research reveals fonts can dramatically shape what you communicate and how you read.
The Washington Post | 6.26.23 | Article
Start with digital documents to make your workplace more accessible
PDFs are fundamental to the way we live and work. It’s important for organizations to make these digital documents accessible to as many people as possible through inclusive technologies.
CIO | 6.20.23 | Article
Predicting Covid in Your Town?
UCF researchers used artificial intelligence to forecast the spread of COVID-19 in Florida. Their hyperlocal AI model predicted COVID-19 cases that were closest to the actual numbers.
Ivanhoe Broadcast News | 9.5.2022 | Article
Scientists Discover a Simple Trick To Boost Your Reading Speed by 35% While Maintaining Comprehension
Readability researchers have discovered that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for digital reading and that changing the font style and size can speed up reading while keeping comprehension.
AI Model Recommends Personalized Fonts to Improve Digital Reading, Accessibility
A study led by UCF and Adobe scientists indicated that a machine learning model developed by the software company can improve reading speed by matching reader characteristics with recommended fonts.
Adobe’s The Creative Educator Podcast Episode
Tacy Trowbridge is joined by lead researchers, Ben Sawyer, Ph.D., from the University of Central Florida, and Zoya Bylinskii, Ph.D., from Adobe’s Creative Intelligence Lab, to discuss how matching people with their most compatible reading format can greatly improve reading speed and comprehension.
Study Shows Personalized Fonts Speed Up Reading, Maintain Comprehension
This study, led by a collaboration of researchers from academia, industry, and the Readability Consortium found that changing font to one better suited to an individual resulted in a 35% increase in reading speed while maintaining comprehension. Researchers compared individuals’ reading speeds and comprehension levels when reading text in various fonts.
UCF Today | 7.6.2022 | Article | Paper
EurekAlert! | 7.12.2022 | Article
AIThority Interview with Amy White, Director of Social Impact and Communications at Adobe
Amy White, Head of Social Impact and Communications for Adobe, discusses the launch of The Readability Consortium and how the consortium is a digital revolution in the online space that may influence the adoption of digital tools in education and academic institutions.
AIThority | 6.30.2022 | Article
Reading Skills: Individual Prescription
Readability researchers are using a test that is similar to an eye vision exam where participants read passages in different fonts, font sizes, and line spacing to determine their “reading prescription.” The goal is to automatically carry that reading prescription across digital devices.
Letting machine learning choose the right font for everyone
This collaborative study investigated FontMART, a learning to rank model, that helps inform which font characteristics work particularly well for different types of readers. The findings helped to build these relationships into a model to recommend faster fonts for specific readers and increases motivation for including personalized font recommendations in future interactive systems.
Prescriptions for reading? Using vision science to get you to read faster, better.
When you have vision problems, you get a prescription to help you see better. Now, there may be a prescription for you to read better. Researchers at UCF are partnering with Google, Adobe, and Readability Matters on an individual reading prescription project to improve reading skills.
News4Jax | 6.9.2022 | Article
The Readability Consortium’s lessons for marketing content.
UCF researchers studying the readability of digital content have found that when individuals can format the content their way, they read faster, regardless of reading ability.
TechTarget | 5.31.2022 | Article
The need to personalize fonts for each individual reader
Adobe’s most recent research paper, published in ACM’s Transactions on Computer Human Interaction (TOCHI), explores how font selection affects the reading performance of a general population of adult readers.
Adobe Blog | 5.10.2022 | Article | Paper
Best Font for Online Reading: No Single Answer
A study led by Adobe Research Intern and Brown University Ph.D. Candidate, Shaun Wallace, found that participants read 35% faster in their fastest font (314 WPM) compared to that same person’s slowest font (232 WPM, on average).
Nielsen Norman Group | 4.24.2022 | Article | Paper
Adobe, Google and UCF Join Forces to Launch The Readability Consortium
Global technology leaders Adobe and Google have joined Readability Matters and UCF to launch The Readability Consortium. The Readability Consortium aims to enable the world to read better by tailoring text to the individual.
AIThority | 2.16.2022 | Article
Teaming Up to Improve Reading Research
Google joins The Readability Consortium, a collaborative research initiative with Adobe, UCF, and Readability Matters, focusing on how to customize the reading experience using fonts.
Google Material Design Blog | 2.15.2022 | Article
Fonts matter, claims new educational consortium at U. Central Florida
UCF, Google, Adobe, and Readability Matters announces the formation of The Readability Consortium. The consortium comprises of more than fifty researchers all sharing the same goal of personalizing reading formats.
EdScoop | 2.15.2022 | Article
Readability Consortium forms at UCF to Push Reading Research Boundaries
UCF, Adobe, Readability Matter, and Google collaborate to personalize digital reading and improve proficiency and comprehension.
UCF Today | 2.15.2022 | Article
Adobe announces readability consortium with Google and UCF to improve reading for all
Adobe, Google, UCF, and non-profit Readability Matters formed The Readability Consortium to make digital reading and reading comprehension more equitable for all people across the globe by investing in cognitive research, open-source tools, and user testing across a wide swath of age groups and abilities levels.
Adobe Blog | 2.15.2022 | Article
Readability Research: This New Field Can Help Us All Read Better
A glimpse into the context under which The Readability Consortium formed and the virtual platform developed to allow people to try out a 5-minute test to discover their best reading format. Try it for yourself here.
Adobe Research Blog | 2.15.2022 | Article
Want to improve your reading skills? You might just need more space.
Discusses how readers can find their best format, then store that information in a piece of personalized code, or a “token” that would work across digital text to improve reading.
Science News for Students | 11.29.2021 | Article
UCF Partners with Adobe to Personalize Reading Experiences for Students, Adults
UCF is working with Adobe on a digital reading project that aims to reduce information overload. The initiative includes a consortium of industry, nonprofit and university collaborators.
UCF Today | 10.20.2020 | Article
A Collaborative Interdisciplinary Readability Research Approach
Experts in their respective fields collaborate to form the Virtual Readability Lab at the University of Central Florida. Different fonts work for different people, shifting the focus from what is best for the population to what is best for the individual.
Readability Matters | Article
The Readability Consortium + UserTesting
UserTesting takes part in readability research allowing data to be collected virtually.
UserTesting | Article
Better reading for all
Adobe’s Liquid Mode allows readers to personalize their reading experience.
Adobe’s Readability Blog | Read announcement
Readability Features & Technology for Better Reading
EdTech Center @ World Education | 2020 | Article
Sneak Peek: 20% Increase in Student Comprehension
Early studies have shown researchers can increase student reading comprehension by an average of 20% by personalizing the digital-reading experience.
Readability Matters | 2021 | Article
Bringing Together Science and Typography
Investigates in what way the visual features of typography affect passage and word-level comprehension in children from ages five to fourteen. Studies the difference in the effect for each individual, results demonstrated significant improvement in both speed and accuracy.
Readability Matters | 2021 | Article
Readability Matters for College and University Learners
An Instructor Guide: Engaging and Motivating College Student Readers through Customizable Reading Text Interface. Published with Dr. Jenae Cohn of Stanford University, highlighting Adobe Liquid Mode Reading Settings.
Readability Matters | Article
Dr. Alexandra Papoutsaki, Pomona College shares her webGazer and Eye-tracking research
WebGazer acts as an online eye tracker that uses the webcams built into laptops and mobile devices as means of predicting eye-gaze locations.
Readability Matters | Article | Read interview