ReadEase

Research & Evidence

The science behind ReadEase.

Every feature ties back to peer-reviewed work on dyslexia, visual stress, and accessible typography. This page lists the studies we draw on and how they informed ReadEase.

Rello & Baeza-Yates (2013)

Typography & Spacing

Sans-serif fonts and increased spacing reduce visual crowding and aid decoding for dyslexic readers.

Implementation in ReadEase

  • Default to Atkinson/Arial/Verdana with optional OpenDyslexic
  • Letter spacing 1.2–1.5x; word spacing ~1.5x
  • Line height 1.5–1.9 with shorter line lengths

Key evidence

Readers with dyslexia improved reading time and comprehension with 13–14pt sans-serif fonts and ~1.3x spacing.

Schneps et al. (2013)

Line Length & Focus

Shorter lines reduce regressions and support smoother saccades for struggling readers.

Implementation in ReadEase

  • Clamp readable column widths and offer a reading guide bar
  • Keyboard controls to nudge the guide line
  • Maintain semantic HTML to preserve screen reader flow

Key evidence

Shorter line lengths improved speed and accuracy for readers with dyslexia; the guide bar reduces eye drift.

British Dyslexia Association Guidelines

Color & Contrast

Soft tints like cream or pale yellow reduce visual stress compared to pure white backgrounds.

Implementation in ReadEase

  • Preset overlays: cream, yellow, blue, dark
  • Text color auto-adjusts for contrast
  • Respect user prefers-reduced-transparency

Key evidence

Colored overlays and moderate contrast reduce glare; harsh black-on-white can trigger visual distortion.

Emerging practice + clinical observations

Reading Guides & Bionic Reading

Focus aids help some readers maintain line tracking, while bionic reading can improve fixation for others.

Implementation in ReadEase

  • Optional line highlight that follows the pointer or arrow keys
  • Bionic reading toggle bolds the first half of words
  • Instant revert to avoid locking users into a mode

Key evidence

User testing shows mixed preference—guides help many, distract others—so features remain opt-in.

How ReadEase applies these findings

  • Font + spacing: defaults to Arial/Atkinson with 1.3x letter spacing, 1.5x word spacing, and 1.6 line height. Users can widen or tighten safely.
  • Contrast: swaps pure white for cream, yellow, or blue tints; text color adjusts to keep AA contrast or better.
  • Focus: optional guide bar plus bionic reading. Both are reversible and off by default, respecting user preference variance.

Design choices

  • Minimum 18px body text with generous line height.
  • Dyslexia-friendly OpenDyslexic font with readable fallbacks.
  • Ample whitespace to avoid crowding; limited motion for comfort.
  • Keyboard and screen reader friendly: focus styles, semantic HTML.

This website follows the same principles: calm backgrounds, readable contrast, and no unnecessary ornamentation.

Bibliography (APA)

  • Rello, L., & Baeza-Yates, R. (2013). Good fonts for dyslexia. Proceedings of ASSETS '13.
  • Schneps, M., Thomson, J., Chen, C., Sonnert, G., Pomplun, M., Chen, C., & Heffner-Wong, A. (2013). Shorter lines facilitate reading in those who struggle. PLoS ONE, 8(8).
  • British Dyslexia Association (2018). Dyslexia Style Guide: Creating dyslexia-friendly content.
  • Bionic Reading® (practitioner reports). Emerging evidence—used only as an optional aid.
  • Gonzalez, A. (2024). OpenDyslexic: a typeface designed to mitigate common reading errors for dyslexic readers. Retrieved from https://opendyslexic.org