Empirical Research on the Readability of the Latin Typefaces in Japanese Textbook Typefaces

-Focusing on Readers with Developmental Dyslexia

Abstract

In this research, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of newly developed Latin typefaces in a kyokashotai typeface, or Japanese textbook typeface, UD Digital Kyokashotai, which was designed as a typeface that takes into consideration the reading difficulties associated with learning disabilities such as developmental dyslexia.
We conducted rapid reading tasks regarding objective measures of readability (duration of reading, number of errors, and number of self-corrections) and investigation regarding subjective measures (preferences) of readability of 16 readers with dyslexia and 19 readers without dyslexia to clarify the readability of 5 different Latin typefaces.
The results indicate that typefaces affect both objective and subjective measures of readability, and readers with dyslexia make fewer errors and are more comfortable reading in Latin typefaces in UD Digital Kyokashotai compared to other typefaces.