Usability question - font size

poster · 06-09-2006, 02:36 PM

Which font do you think is better:

http://www.usweb.com/
This site has relatively small font and looks professional. The majority of the marketing sites I have seen use this type of font.

http://www.wilsonweb.com/
This site looks less professional but has bigger font size.

What do you guys think? I am leaning more toward site number two because it's very easy to read, so I am guessing it should convert better. Btw, this is for my site in my sig. Right now I am using font similar to site number one but I think the font is not as readable as it could be. Am I the only one who prefers large font?

Thank you.

JamieJelly · 06-09-2006, 02:45 PM

I always set the font size to 62.5% for the body in my css file, ie

Code:

body {
font-size: 62.5%; /* resets 1em to 10px */
}

then in my content div set my font size to, say 1.1em

Code:

#content {
font-size: 1.1em;
}

By using em values for specifying font size you allow viewers to easily scale text if it is too small. You can either have a text size selector on your site or just let viewers adjust the text size through their browser.

This will keep your site accessible whilst still giving you the control you want of your initial font sizing.

poster · 06-09-2006, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieJelly

I always set the font size to 62.5% for the body in my css file, ie

Code:

body {
font-size: 62.5%; /* resets 1em to 10px */
}

then in my content div set my font size to, say 1.1em

Code:

#content {
font-size: 1.1em;
}

By using em values for specifying font size you allow viewers to easily scale text if it is too small. You can either have a text size selector on your site or just let viewers adjust the text size through their browser.

This will keep your site accessible whilst still giving you the control you want of your initial font sizing.

I think not all users increase the font size. Some just leave. I want to make sure that the page grabs attention right away.

paranoidandroid · 06-09-2006, 02:55 PM

Hi,

Not sure you can equate how professional a site looks based on it's font size, the two examples are very different sites, the second example may have a bigger font size but I think it looks very 'cluttered' which may be why it looks less professional. I am sure there must be plenty of sites out there that are high in usability (larger/easier to read text) and look very professional.

If you think a smaller font size looks better on your site, then you could always add a text resizer and give the user the oppourtunity to increase the size if required.

<edit>the text on your site looks ok to me, easy to read and looks professional</edit>

Johan007 · 06-12-2006, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poster

I think not all users increase the font size. Some just leave. I want to make sure that the page grabs attention right away.

Resizing fonts is important! However with IE7 and all other browsers all websites will have resizable fonts. If you use a valid doc type then I would use the values "Small" and "Medium" for titles.

samanthabrown · 06-16-2006, 05:29 PM

Hello,

I agree with Paranoidandroid. I think WilsonWeb is way to cluttered. The four column design is just too much. My eyes have no idea where they should be looking.

That being said, I do like the font better. So, if we’re voting on ‘font’ alone, WilsonWeb gets my vote.

-- Samantha

**John Scott** · 06-17-2006, 12:11 PM

Yeah, WilsonWeb is a bit too ad-heavy. But it is fun to make that talking chick say nasty stuff.

DarrenC · 06-17-2006, 12:19 PM

Font size / style is VERY important to the browser. Don't forget that not everyone has 20/20 vision. Read the Accessible Web Guidelines

poster · 06-17-2006, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samanthabrown

Hello,

I agree with Paranoidandroid. I think WilsonWeb is way to cluttered. The four column design is just too much. My eyes have no idea where they should be looking.

That being said, I do like the font better. So, if we’re voting on ‘font’ alone, WilsonWeb gets my vote.

-- Samantha

Yeah, I think I am going to change the font. I've tried it already, and it doesn't look as clean but I want people to read the copy. The text on wilsonweb is really easy to read for me. The design is cluttered though.

poster · 06-17-2006, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnScott

Yeah, WilsonWeb is a bit too ad-heavy. But it is fun to make that talking chick say nasty stuff.

Yep, I remember we had a lot of fun with her too

I used to see these ads everywhere.

mygrowth · 06-19-2006, 08:05 AM

Go the larger font - if its hard to read - people wont - I prefer arial font - it is
easier to read - I know the marketers talk a lot about using italics but use them
sparingly - because again they are harder to read when small
Danny Turner

CJ Jefferson · 06-19-2006, 08:51 AM

W3 has some advice about font size here:

http://www.w3.org/QA/Tips/font-size

They recommend that - for the sake of readability - we should avoid sizes smaller than 1em for text body.

In the eyes of w3 just about everyone is using too small font at the moment. I must admit, I wouldn't go to 1em on my sites because it looks unusually big compared with a typical modern site.

Johan007 · 06-19-2006, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJ Jefferson

In the eyes of w3 just about everyone is using too small font at the moment. I must admit, I wouldn't go to 1em on my sites because it looks unusually big compared with a typical modern site.

Agreed however in the long term with font smoothing (IE7) larger fonts will look just as good as the fonts we use so be prepared to up your font size in future.