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"... a variable font empirically shown to significantly improve reading-proficiency"

Marc OxborrowMarc Oxborrow Posts: 220
in Technique and Theory
The latest addition to Google Fonts claims to improve readability, based on a single study of 20 children.

https://thomasjockin.github.io/lexend/


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    James PuckettJames Puckett Posts: 1,970

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    John SavardJohn Savard Posts: 1,091
    It does seem to be quite a legible typeface. I'm not sure about readable, given that it is sans-serif, but then, if the intent is to help people with poor eyesight, legibility rather than readability is what you would need to improve.
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    Nick ShinnNick Shinn Posts: 2,145
    “Fonts are harming 7 out of 10 people. This one font can change this injustice”
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    K PeaseK Pease Posts: 182
    Well, it isn't especially ugly like most of the fonts that claim to cure dyslexia, but the "study" is more ridiculous than usual. And if we want to say there's a difference between legibility and readability, whatever it is, reading aloud is probably a whole third thing entirely, especially for a third-grader who only recently learned to write in sticks and circles.
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    Jens KutilekJens Kutilek Posts: 339


    Nice try.
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    Nick ShinnNick Shinn Posts: 2,145

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    Chris LozosChris Lozos Posts: 1,458
    We are all so desperately trying to prove we are real scientists ;-)
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    Craig EliasonCraig Eliason Posts: 1,399
    Yeah, controlling for size-on-the-body would've been the first step in a more credible presentation. 

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    John SavardJohn Savard Posts: 1,091
    Given that "Fonts are harming 7 out of 10 people. This one font can change that injustice" is a direct quote from an article about Lexend... yes, there is absolutely no excuse for a claim of that nature.
    7 out of 10 people have bad eyesight, and there is a great conspiracy to make all existing typefaces require near-perfect eyesight to read well? Try telling me another one.
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    Vasil StanevVasil Stanev Posts: 762
    edited August 2019
    As a voracious reader, I must attest reading speed depends on how much books you've read, in whatever script you are most familiar with. No fancy font is gonna change that. This is my personal opinion.
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    Chris LozosChris Lozos Posts: 1,458
    This dog has been beaten so many times it has whiplash
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