the science of word spacing
the science of word spacing
Uniform word spacing is for robots.
Uniform word-spacing is for robots.
Variable word spacing is for humans.
Read about the science or see examples.
eye movements
eye movements
Asym formatting provides visual cues.
These visual cues help good readers read faster and understand more.
These cues also help poor readers have the same saccades as good readers.
there are differences between good readers and not-so-good readers
Saccades
There are differences between good readers and not-so-good readers. These differences come down to eye movement patterns called saccades. Good readers have eye movement patterns that make reading quicker and easier. Not-so-good readers have eye movement patterns that make reading slower and more difficult.
Good readers tend to have longer eye movements, shorter pauses during reading, and backtrack less
Different readers = Different patterns
Good readers tend to have longer eye movements, shorter pauses during reading, and backtrack less. Not-so-good readers tend to have short eye movements that see very few words at a time, tend to pause longer when reading, and look back over text more often.
Asym’s unique approach to spacing words helps poor readers read text the same way good readers read text
Helpful visual cues (for everyone)
Asym’s formatting provides visual cues that help poor readers read text the same way good readers read text. Basically, Asym chunks long strings of text into shorter chunks of meaning. This "chunking" helps poor readers read better and helps good readers read faster and understand more.
using this approach improves reading speed, comprehension, and enjoyment by up to 40%
60 years of science
This technique of emphasizing units of meaning with visual cues has been studied and field-tested by scientists from many different fields for the past 60 years, and results have been published in dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles. These studies show that using this approach improves reading speed, comprehension, and enjoyment by up to 40%. In our own efficacy studies, the early results are promising. We see 10%-33% lifts in display ad click throughs and 10%-15% lifts in web landing pages call to action with Asym spacing.
It is straightforward: the lower the effort, the better the perceived experience
Cognitive Load
Changing the spaces between words breaks text into chunks of meaning. This makes text easier to understand. It's called reducing cognitive load, a proven way to increase the usability of a text.
Cognitive Fluency
The easier it is for people to understand something, the higher they rate the information and the more credible and more trustworthy it appears. It's called increasing cognitive fluency. We think it's a good idea.
peer-reviewed science
peer-reviewed science
A 30.9% improvement in reading comprehension.
Graf, Richard, and Jane W. Torrey. "Perception of phrase structure in written language." American Psychological Association Convention Proceedings. 1966.
A 26.3% improvement in reading comprehension.
Mason, Jana M., and Janet Ross Kendall. "Facilitating Reading Comprehension through Text Structure Manipulation." Alberta Journal of Educational Research 25.2 (1979): 68-76.
A 40% improvement in reading comprehension.
Walker, S., Schloss, P., Fletcher, C. R., Vogel, C. A., & Walker, R. C. (2005). Visual-syntactic text formatting: A new method to enhance online reading. Reading Online, 8(6). Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=/articles/r_walker/
A 14.9% improvement in reading comprehension.
Negin, G. A. (1987). The effects of syntactic segmentation on reading comprehension of hearing impaired students. Reading Psychology: An International Quarterly, 8, 23–31.
A 31% increase in reading speed.
Magloire, J.G. (2002). Eye movements by good and poor readers during reading of regular and phrase-segmented texts. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
A 17.9% increase in reading speed.
Jandreau, S.J., Muncer, S.M., & Bever, T.G. (1986). Improving the readability of text with automatic phrase-sensitive formatting. British Journal of Educational Technology, 17, 128–133.
use the science
use the science
Asym in action
Asym in action
Move the blue slider side-to-side
Move the blue slider side-to-side
Slide to see before Asym formatting
Slide to see after Asym formatting
Subtle and effective – without being disruptive
Maximum Asym Effect
Maximum Asym Effect
Recommended Asym Effect
Recommended Asym Effect
Sample 2
Consider using landscape mode
Maximum Asym Effect
Maximum Asym Effect
Recommended Asym Effect
Recommended Asym Effect
Sample 3
Consider using landscape mode
Maximum Asym Effect
Maximum Asym Effect
Recommended Asym Effect
Recommended Asym Effect
