REDESIGNING ORDINARY TEXT to serve older eyes is a growing need. The number of Americans over the age of 65 will double to 65 million by the year 2030. As a result, more of the elderly will be reading text originally designed for younger readers.

In Hartley's (1996) research, much of the focus is on the physiological and biological effects of aging. For the purpose of text design it is important to keep in mind that the elderly will most likely experience a sharp decrease in eyesight as well as reduced capacity for remembering details. Therefore, the designer must consider using text that features additional word spacing, larger type size with a heavier weight, and a clearer layout.

Spacing is an important feature of text design. Most elderly readers find it easier to read text with more spacing between words, letters and lines. Avoid bizarre or deocrative fonts that may confuse the reader.

Hartley (1996) also wrote that using Gill Sans (a sans-serif face) instead of Plantin (a serif face) afforded a 4% improvement among elderly readers.

When choosing type face and weight consider type that is larger than would be adequate for younger readers: 12 or 14 point type appears to be more appropriate for the older reader. Avoid typefaces that are light and small. Instead use medium and bold type weights that are easier to read.

Along with larger type sizes and a font that provides adequates spacing between letters and words, use paragraph indents. Indents help elderly readers navigate from one line to another. 

Indented Text:

Un-indented Text: 

Keep in mind also that working memory declines with age. It is important to keep the paragraphs and line lengths short -- around seven to eight words is a useful rule of thumb. A final suggestion from Hartley's (1996) article was to not wrap text around illustrations.

Design instructional text for the elderly by carefully considering spacing, font size and weight, and typographical layout. Text designed for elderly eyes may also prove easier to read for traditional readers.

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Janine Kunin. Department of Educational Technology, San Diego State.