Accessible Web Typography for the Visually Impaired
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Date
2018-05
Department
Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, Division of Science, Information Arts, and Technologies
Program
Interaction Design & Information Architecture
Citation of Original Publication
Rights
Attribution 3.0 United States
This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by the University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.
This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by the University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.
Abstract
Background: Visual impairments affect millions of people worldwide. Accessible web
typography is important in ensuring online legibility for this diverse group of users to
help them maintain their independence. However, existing typographic guidelines are
based heavily on best practices, with supported research based largely on printed
typography, and rarely considers the needs of visually impaired users. The purpose of this
research is to investigate which elements of typography have the most impact on visually
impaired users in an effort to work towards more accessible typographic guidelines.
Method: An in-depth analysis of existing online typography trends found that even with
copious resources available web designers are often not adhering to typographic
guidelines. This analysis helped build a solid foundation for experimental research with
visually impaired users by providing insight into how typography is actually being used
on the web. In response, both line height and font size were tested for their effects on
simulated macular degeneration. A second experiment tested line height across three
other simulated visual impairment types. Results: This study did not show significant
effects on legibility for simulated macular degeneration based on font size, although error
rate was nearly twice as high for smaller font sizes. Increased line height did significantly
reduce the error rate for simulated macular degeneration. When increased line height was
tested across other simulated visual impairments, the improvment was not statistically
significant. However, this study should be repeated with a within-subjects design before
these results are considered fully reliable. Conclusions: As past research has indicated,
there may not be one solution for typography that fits in in regards to visually impaired
users. Accomodations for the needs of one user may work against the needs of another
user. With online access essential to daily tasks, though, it’s important to consider how
visually impaired users interact with the web and continue to explore how enhancements
to typography can benefit the distinct needs of these users.