The RMIT University has created a free typeface they claim enhances memory retention by introducing '
principles of cognitive psychology to create an effect known as desirable difficulty, in which minor obstructions to learning processes cause the brain to engage in deeper cognitive processing'.
They've produced a short video at:
https://youtu.be/CEXzSehu5HMPersonally, I find it uncomfortable to read, but do you think there's anything in the claim that it enhances memory?
Comments
The gist: there is pretty much no evidence that this typeface actually enhances memory. The study was poorly designed, with some post-hoc additions to make it seem a success.
As a cognitive neuropsychologist in training, I can tell you that this will not make any waves in science. The premise that an attention demanding typeface could improve memory is not entirely without merit, but any effect is likely the result of simply spending more time with the text. And then there is also the question of text comprehension.
But a typeface that forces people to just skip a text, rather than actually sit down and read through it, is not such a useful tool.
Presenting obstacles is not always the same thing as activating deeper engagement.
Sometimes it’s just off-putting.
If we’re having a conversation and I keep challenging every word you utter, am I engaging you more deeply, or am I just going to piss you off?
I would love for this idea to work, and it seems plausible. I'd be interested in evidence that confirms the theory.
I agree. I think it looks interesting and promising, but when you enter the scientific realm, presenting evidence is a prerequisite.
If you want to learn and remember what you read, there are proven ways to do it, based on scientific research. (See Make It Stick.) You don't need a magical font.
Type design and typography are arts.
Measuring the effectiveness of one typeface versus another is not science, it is product testing.
Besides which, readability, defined in numeric terms, is a banal and paltry measure of the reading experience.