Sans Forgetica: Innovation for the consumption of educational materials
(A2020-63542)

AUTHORS

Janneke Blijlevens, RMIT University; Joanne Laban-Peryman, RMIT University; Stephen Banham, RMIT University

KEYWORDS

Memory; Typeface; Desirable difficulty

ABSTRACT

We facilitate consumption of written material with a new typeface that helps consumers remember written text. The ‘desirable difficulty’ principle suggests that an obstruction to the learning process increases memory retention through deeper processing. An optimal level of typeface difficulty (not too easy or difficult) leads to highest memory retention of written text. We tested consumers’ memory recall of word pairs presented in three newly designed typefaces that increase in perceptual difficulty. We find a quadratic relationship between three new typefaces and memory, with typeface 2, coined Sans Forgetica, scoring highest. In experiment 2, we find content of text emphasized in Sans Forgetica leads to higher memory retention in a multiple choice quiz than for text presented in plain Arial, and that this effect seems mediated by desirable difficulty. Sans Forgetica can be used to facilitate the consumption of written material.

REFERENCES

We would like to thank Naked Communications for funding this research