Readability survey
Encyclopedia
A readability
survey is a statistical survey
of the ability of people to read given passages of text, written, formatted and/or laid-out
in a variety of styles. The intent is to discover which are the preferable styles to use in order to maximise the ability of the reading audience to receive the intended message.
Tests may be performed by surveying real people reading the works, or an abbreviated test may be followed, where a number of works are surveyed using pre-determined scoring methodologies
, which were themselves developed by systematically surveying real people's response to given texts.
These tests are commissioned or performed by entities like publishers, educators, design houses and government
s, and have resulted in divination of a number of rules of thumb based on statistical analysis of results which demonstrate a level of consistency in certain parameters http://www.avery.com/promotions/color/facts_combinations.html, such as the quantity and location of whitespace which obtains maximum readability (eg, 20% whitespace in text body, margins should be around 40% of the width, for English
textbook
s, preferably including a column down the left side of the page, or split over both sides, or down the right side as a last resort if sufficient room on the left is not available).
A readability survey implementation may use one or more readability test
s in scoring the works.
Here is one which is a survey of readability of surveys!
Many more may be found by searching the literature, for example
Readability
Readability is the ease in which text can be read and understood. Various factors to measure readability have been used, such as "speed of perception," "perceptibility at a distance," "perceptibility in peripheral vision," "visibility," "the reflex blink technique," "rate of work" , "eye...
survey is a statistical survey
Statistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
of the ability of people to read given passages of text, written, formatted and/or laid-out
Page layout
Page layout is the part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement and style treatment of elements on a page.- History and development :...
in a variety of styles. The intent is to discover which are the preferable styles to use in order to maximise the ability of the reading audience to receive the intended message.
Tests may be performed by surveying real people reading the works, or an abbreviated test may be followed, where a number of works are surveyed using pre-determined scoring methodologies
Readability test
For the main article, see ReadabilityReadability tests, readability formulas, or readability metrics are formulae for evaluating the readability of text, usually by counting syllables, words, and sentences. Readability tests are often used as an alternative to conducting an actual statistical...
, which were themselves developed by systematically surveying real people's response to given texts.
These tests are commissioned or performed by entities like publishers, educators, design houses and government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
s, and have resulted in divination of a number of rules of thumb based on statistical analysis of results which demonstrate a level of consistency in certain parameters http://www.avery.com/promotions/color/facts_combinations.html, such as the quantity and location of whitespace which obtains maximum readability (eg, 20% whitespace in text body, margins should be around 40% of the width, for English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
s, preferably including a column down the left side of the page, or split over both sides, or down the right side as a last resort if sufficient room on the left is not available).
A readability survey implementation may use one or more readability test
Readability test
For the main article, see ReadabilityReadability tests, readability formulas, or readability metrics are formulae for evaluating the readability of text, usually by counting syllables, words, and sentences. Readability tests are often used as an alternative to conducting an actual statistical...
s in scoring the works.
Example readability surveys
- EJ085819 - A Readability Survey of Technical and Popular Literature, Kwolek, Journalism Quarterly, 50, 2, 255-64, Sum 73
- Color Test Results, Scharff et al., Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas website accessed 20070121.
Here is one which is a survey of readability of surveys!
- Variation in the Readability of Items Within Surveys, Calderón et al., American Journal of Medical Quality, Vol. 21, No. 1, 49-56 (2006)
Many more may be found by searching the literature, for example
- http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearch_Operator_2=and&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=de&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_2=&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_1=&ERICExtSearch_Operator_1=and&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_1=kw&ERICExtSearch_PubDate_To=2007&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=readability+AND+surveysEducational Resources Information Centre (ERIC) search: (Thesaurus Descriptors:readability AND Thesaurus Descriptors:surveys)] accessed 20070121
- Reading Online Text: A Comparison of Four White Space Layouts, Chaparro et al., Usability News, February 24, 2006
- Reading Online Text with a Poor Layout: Is Performance Worse?, Chaparro et al., Usability News, February 24, 2006