Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Reading Online Text: A Comparison of Four White Space Layouts

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
I have always maintained that white space is an important element in web page design (the same dictum extends to things like email messages). While not the last word on the subject, this study lends empirical support to my belief, showing that while people read pages with margins a bit more slowly, they comprehend more. And while leading (the space between lines) does not affect comprehension, readers report dissatisfaction and greater eyestrain with suboptimal leading. I wish the article had looked at more things, such as the length of paragraphs (more than eight lines is pushing it, in my view) and typestyle. Via Column Two.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 06, 2024 9:55 p.m.

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