DRS2012 Bangkok Proceedings Vol 4 - Design Research Society

1868 Conference Proceedings
DRS 2012 Bangkok
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok, Thailand, 1–4 July 2012
Typography Matters when Designing
Onscreen Reading Materials for Dyslexic
Learners
Myra THIESSEN
University of South Australia
Abstract
With the digital technology that is now available for e-readers an opportunity is presented
for tremendous advances to be made in how learning materials are designed for children
with dyslexia. Because users have the flexibility to customize presentations the learning
materials that are developed for digital reading devises have the potential to be more
effective than those generated in more traditional print formats. Previous research has
shown that differences do exist in the way that readers interact with content that is
presented onscreen as opposed to that in print formats; however, we know relatively little
about these differences and as a result cues are typically taken from print materials to
inform the design of reading materials for screen based applications. In addition, learners
who struggle with literacy development due to dyslexia present an entirely different set of
typographic considerations. If digital technologies are going to meet their potential as
learning tools, we must first learn how to generate typographic layouts that are more
beneficial for particular audiences (i.e. children with dyslexia) and that are specific to how
these readers interact with content in onscreen reading scenarios. This paper discusses the
context and approach for exploratory research that investigates the preferences and
reading performance of children with dyslexia for typographic presentations designed for
onscreen reading devices. This is part of ongoing research into how literacy materials can
be designed for digital reading devices to aid dyslexic children in literacy acquisition.
Keywords: typography, dyslexia, onscreen reading