Making text comfortable.
WHAT AFFECTS READABILITY
Size Line spacing Line length Contrast Alignment
WHAT SIZE
Large enough to read comfortably on a phone without zooming.
Text sized for a designer's large screen is frequently too small in use.
WHAT LINE SPACING
More than the default in most cases.
Tight lines are hard to track.
WHAT LINE LENGTH
Moderate. Very long lines make finding the next line difficult.
Constrain the width of body text rather than filling the screen.
WHAT ALIGNMENT FOR BODY TEXT
Left, in left-to-right languages.
WHAT TO AVOID
Justified text on the web, which produces uneven word spacing Centred paragraphs All capitals for anything longer than a few words Light weights at small sizes
WHY ALL CAPITALS
Word shapes disappear, and reading slows considerably.
WHAT TO KEEP CONSISTENT
A defined set of sizes, used throughout.
WHAT TO TEST
Reading a full paragraph on a phone, outdoors.
