News
In the news
Media requests →- December 2025The New York TimesThe State Department drops Calibri, and readability researchers weigh the choice.
- June 2025Readability MattersThe consortium’s second Vision Sciences Society workshop takes readability beyond reading speed.
- August 2024UCF News“Research in 60 Seconds”: how digital text can improve reading speed and comprehension.
- June 2024Fast CompanyA type company joins The Readability Consortium to advance readability research.
- June 2024Readability MattersStanding room only at the consortium’s first vision-science workshop.
Earlier coverage
- December 2023Readability MattersFitting text format to the reader speeds basic arithmetic.
- June 2023The Washington PostTest fonts yourself: the right one can speed on-screen reading by 35 percent.
- August 2022UCF TodayAn AI model recommends each reader’s font, and age matters most.
- July 2022UCF TodayLike eyeglasses for text: a reader’s own font speeds reading 35 percent, and comprehension holds.
- May 2022Fast Company“Are fonts ageist?” Font choice changes everyone’s reading speed, and matters more for readers over 35.
- May 2022TechTargetPoor readability hurts marketing, and personalization matters most.
- February 2022EdScoop“Fonts matter”: UCF’s new consortium unites 50-plus researchers.
- February 2022UCF Graduate StudiesPeople perceive text differently; a consortium forms.
- October 2021Readability MattersPhysicians read health records 15 percent faster, comprehension intact.
- May 2021UCF TodayFrom more than 4,000 entries, Fast Company honors UCF’s readability technology.
- May 2021Readability MattersFast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas recognizes Readability Matters in its Experimental category, for work with UCF and Brown.
Talks and events
- October 22, 2026Executive AI RoundtableHosted by the lab at UCF Downtown, by invitation. With Erica Castilho, a lab alumna, and Ben D. Sawyer.
- May 9, 2026Open Lab DayAI Natives Laboratory, Tech Commons II
- 2026Design and Engineering of On-road InformationInternal: company
- 2026The lab opens in Tech Commons IIUniversity of Central Florida, Orlando
- 2025Readability Research for Accessibility and Flexibility AIInternal: company
- 2025Anything and Everything AIInternal: company
- 2025Readability Research: Opportunities in EducationInternal: company
Earlier talks and events
- May 19, 2025The vision science of digital readabilityWorkshop run by The Readability Consortium, Vision Sciences Society, St. Pete Beach, Florida
- November 7, 2024Enhancing Digital Reading Experiences for Older AdultsDoctoral defense, Shalah Dean Thomas
- October 31, 2024Typography and English as a Second Language (ESL) ReadingDoctoral defense, Md Mamunur Rashid
- May 2024The vision science of digital readabilityWorkshop run by The Readability Consortium, Vision Sciences Society
- 2024FontGPT and ContentGPT: Toward Flexibility AIInternal: company
- 2024Readability at scaleInternal: company
- 2024Readability in XR: My Initial Thoughts on Apple Vision ProInternal: company
- 2024Vision science, measurement, and accessibility parity with digital surfacesInternal: company
- 2023Navigating with Sharks: How the Marketing Practices Help to Create Successful Phishing EmailsDoctoral dissertation, Erica Castilho Grao
- March 31, 2023Contrasting Extended Reality (XR) and Traditional Tablet Technologies: Usability, Workload, and Military Operations Situation AwarenessMaster’s defense, Betsy Guzman Laxton
- 2023Text in automotive interfaceInternal: company
- 2023LLM ReadabilityInternal: company
- 2023Format-aware LLMs in large document clustersInternal: company
- 2023Typography for vehicle-based information designInternal: company
- February 15, 2022The Readability Consortium launches at UCFUniversity of Central Florida, Orlando
- 2021Variable typography as a tool for psychophysical understanding of readabilityInternal: company
- 2021Session opening: Building a Virtual Readability LaboratoryInternal: company
- 2021Physicians and their Patience: Redefining Healthcare Relationships through Readability OptimizationHonors thesis, Rachel V. Ball
- October 20, 2020The Virtual Readability Lab launchesAn online reading lab, 2020 to 2024
- 2020Building reactive readability in digital devicesInternal: company
- 2019Readability: A Ten Year Technology-based ApproachInternal: company
- 2018Engineering reliable, relatable machinesInternal: company
- 2017Human factors in driving demand estimationInternal: company
- 2016Attention management: Demand mitigation through designInternal: company
- 2016Demand in the automobileInternal: company
Press kit
Sawyer Laboratory on first mention, Sawyer Lab after that.
Sawyer Laboratory at the University of Central Florida studies how people and machines exchange information, across readability, transportation, mixed reality, human–AI interaction, cognitive security and applied neuroscience.