Readability Improvement Solutions

I've been an editor for 7 years now. And here’s a truth bomb: 99% of editing advice online is generic. “Check grammar.” “Shorten sentences.” “Take a break.” Yes, but can we dig deeper? Today, I'm revealing the most underrated, unspoken editing hacks. No gatekeeping here: → Zoom Out to 50%: Sounds weird? Try it. Reducing text size makes formatting issues obvious. You’ll spot uneven line lengths and clunky layouts instantly. → Voice Note Test: Record yourself reading your draft aloud. Listen back without reading along. Awkward wording stands out painfully clear. → 'So What?' Technique: After every paragraph, ask “So what?” If there's no clear purpose—rephrase or remove. Keeps writing tight, engaging, purposeful. → One-Screen Rule: Keep each subheading's content fitting one screen. Scrolling mid-section causes reader fatigue. Break it down—short and crisp is key. → Color-Code Edits: Highlight different issues with different colors: 1) Pink for weak words (really, very, stuff). 2) Blue for unclear ideas. 3) Yellow for repetitive points. Visual cues speed up final revisions drastically. → Find-and-Replace for Punctuation: Search your commas, semicolons, dashes. Do you overuse them? Replace some with periods to punch up readability. → The Font Swap: Change your font temporarily. Your brain sees text as 'new' content. Mistakes and awkward phrasings jump right out. → Reverse Outline: Summarize each paragraph in 3-4 words. Is there logical flow? If not, rearrange or rework ruthlessly. Editing is surgery (don't question me). These hacks transform good content into remarkable content. But hey, I'm always learning. What's your top editing secret nobody talks about? Share it below 👇

The most overlooked feature in font legibility? It’s not the letters. When we talk about legibility, we usually focus on how the letters look. But what if I told you the space between the letters matters just as much? Many overlook tracking, leading, and word spacing, yet these are key to how easily we read. Tracking = space between letters → Too tight? Letters blend together. → Too loose? Words fall apart. Some readers, like beginners or people with dyslexia, benefit from slightly wider tracking. Leading = space between lines → Too little, and the text feels crowded. → With good leading, your eyes can move more easily from line to line. Word Spacing → If it’s uneven or too tight, words are hard to separate. → If it’s too wide, it breaks the reading flow. Even beautifully designed letterforms can become hard to read when the spacing is off. Small spacing adjustments can boost readability – without hurting aesthetics.

It doesn't matter how great your website messaging is if nobody can read it. Here are some tips 🔻 Open your website on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, and phone and make SURE everything (yes everything) is easy to read. Better yet, ask someone older (someone who will be honest with you). Some things to watch out for: 👉 If you're going to place text over an image or pattern, make sure there is a LOT of contrast between the image and the text color. Readability is WAY more important than using a cool image. 👉 Choose a font that is easy to read – in it's normal state, but also in bold and italics. Again, readability is more important than showing off a creative font. 👉 Use all-caps in moderation. Nobody wants to try to read a full paragraph of all-caps copy. 👉 Pay attention to contrast. Do not use a light color on white, or a dark color on black. There are contrast testers that will tell you if your text color is legible based on its background color. Link in the comments! 👉 Don't use complimentary colors (colors across from one another on the color wheel) on top of one another. It causes an odd vibration that is extremely uncomfortable to read. 👉 Give your text a LOT of room to breathe. Make sure that it's not running into the edges of your page or into images or other blocks of text. 👉 Use a font size that's large enough for older people or those with visual impairments to read. Again, clarity over design. 👉 Don't replace real text with images. Images won't work with screen readers, and can't be enlarged as easily with accessibility settings. * * * Did I miss anything? Is there anything that annoys YOU when you're trying to read a website?

💡4 strategies for optimizing text content for better readability For most products, written language makes up about 95% of the content — which means making text readable is vital if you want to offer a great user experience. 1️⃣ Content layout & structure ✔ Use headings (H1, H2, and H3) to create individual sections and guide readers through them. ✔ Write short sentences: Aim for 15-20 words per sentence. ✔ Use bullet points & numbered lists: Bullet lists both help improve scannability and highlight key points. ✔ Add callouts/quotes: Use them to emphasize critical information. 2️⃣ Optimal character count per line Too long lines make it difficult to track lines, causing fatigue and reducing comprehension.  Too short lines force frequent line breaks, disrupting reading flow and causing frustration. ✔ 40-60 characters per line (CPL), including spaces, is generally ideal. ✔ Shorter lines (20-40 CPL) are preferable for mobile devices and narrow screens. ✔ Longer lines (75-100 CPL) can work for wide displays but may reduce readability. 3️⃣ Content flow  ✔ Use inverted pyramid style: Place the most important information at the top to maximize the chance users will see it.  ✔ Utilise common content scanning patterns (F-shape, Z-shape, Spotted): https://lnkd.in/dnAQ3aqF  ✔ First sentences of paragraphs should summarize the main point or create context. ✔ Ensure smooth transitions between sections and ideas. Individual sections should always feel like parts of a whole rather than a collection of individual pieces of information.  ✔ Write short paragraphs: Limit paragraphs to 3-4 sentences to prevent overwhelming readers. ✔ Break up text with relevant visuals. Paired with a good layout structure, it will help you avoid walls of text 4️⃣ Font & formatting ✔ Choose readable fonts: Choose sans-serif fonts for body text. Fonts like Open Sans or Roboto are easier to read on screens. ✔ Use 16px or larger for body text to improve legibility ✔ Align type to the baseline grid (i.e., 8px) ✔ Choose line height proportional to type size. Use 1.5x line spacing for web content to give text room to breathe. ✔ Keep paragraph spacing in the range between .75x and 1.25x of the type size. 🛠️ Tools to Improve Readability ✔ Hemingway Editor Check for complexity and highlight long sentences. https://hemingwayapp.com/ ✔ Readability Score Checkers Aim for a Flesch-Kincaid score that suits your audience (8th grade or lower for general audiences). https://lnkd.in/dzQijnYw 🖼️ Line length and text readability by Google (Material Design) #UI #uidesign #productdesign #design #uxdesign

Most portfolios are lacking. Lacking legibility. Here is how to improve it. I look at designers' portfolios daily. More and more of you start using storytelling. But I often see hard to read walls of text. Hard to read = no read at all. Here's my starting point for a paragraph text styling (𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺): • Paragraphs length → 2-3 sentences at max. • Font style → Start with Sans Serif. • Font size → 16px at min. • Font weight → Regular to medium. • Line height → Start with 1.5 - 1.6 • Line length → 50-75 characters max. With spaces. • Text alignment → Left. Right if you read right to left. • Color contrast → 4.5:1 against the background. • Letter spacing → Slightly increase for the body, reduce for headings. As I mentioned, it's a starting point. It often changes depending on the font I choose. Also, • Headings → use them to make content scannable. • Whitespace → use it to improve focus, reduce clutter. • Multiple fonts? → use a single font family with multiple weights. What are your tips for text legibility? ✌️

Tight text = tired eyes. If your learning content feels hard to read, spacing could be the culprit. Two key terms every instructional designer should know: 📏 Leading = line spacing (top-to-bottom) 📐 Letter-spacing = spacing between characters (side-to-side) Here’s why they matter: ✅ Too little leading makes text feel cramped and overwhelming. ✅ Too much letter-spacing slows down reading, especially for paragraph text. ✅ The sweet spot improves readability, accessibility, and retention—without changing a single word. Good spacing helps the brain breathe. Especially for neurodivergent learners or those reading on small screens, it can make the difference between skimming and absorbing. 💡Design isn’t just decoration. It’s a reading experience. #InstructionalDesign #Accessibility #Typography #eLearningDesign #ClearCommunication