Reading is the foundation for acquiring knowledge and sharing ideas. But millions of people around the world struggle to read proficiently. In 2022, Adobe formed The Readability Consortium. The founding members were the University of Central Florida (UCF) and Readability Matters. Last year, it welcomed Google as its newest member.
What is the Readability Consortium?
The Readability Consortium is a global initiative. Their goal is to make digital reading more equitable and accessible for all people. Regardless of their age, ability level, or reading skills. The consortium will invest in developing new solutions. They will address the fundamental issues with displaying fixed text on digital devices.
The consortium's key goal is to develop individualised digital reading experiences. This means that readers will be able to customize the appearance of digital text to their unique preferences. This includes font size, line spacing, and text colour. Individualised reading experiences can help to reduce eye strain, fatigue, and other barriers to reading.
It's also committed to developing tools and resources. These can help people improve their reading skills. This includes tools that can help readers identify and correct their reading errors. Plus tools that can help readers develop better comprehension.
This is a critical step towards making reading more accessible and enjoyable for everyone. They're bringing together experts from across the world. This can help people of all ages and abilities to read better.
What does this mean for readability?
This is a major development for the content readability space. Visual readability and the importance of plain language go hand in hand. The recognition of these powerhouses in digital is huge. It emphasises the general move toward greater user-friendliness. Part of this is about the user journey.
User-centric content design is about tailoring to the specific needs, goals, and preferences of your audience. It involves understanding what they are trying to achieve, and what kind of content would be most helpful to them. This determines the structure of your content.
Then, you can create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.
Readable has the most comprehensive readability tools. Want to see how you can bring your audience closer? Try for yourself.
Key takeaways
- Millions of people around the world struggle to read proficiently.
- The Readability Consortium aims to make digital reading more equitable for all.
- They will invest in developing new solutions for digital reading.
- Their key goal is to develop individualised reading experiences.
- This is a significant development for the readability space. Ensuring your content is user-centred and accessible will keep you one step ahead.
