User Experience
Readability
Plain English
It is about whether content feels easy to take in and understand.
Definition
Readability is how easily written content can be read and decoded, shaped by sentence length, vocabulary, structure, and typography. It measures the effort the text demands, not whether the meaning actually landed.
In practice
Used to assess glossaryClarityClarity is how easily users can understand what is happening and what they need to do.Open glossary term and serviceAccessibilityFind accessibility issues early, improve usability, and build products that are more inclusive, usable, and compliant.Open service.
In context
Formulas give a rough grade and miss the real barrier, which is usually vocabulary. A short sentence full of internal jargon scores well and communicates nothing.
The reality
If poor, people work harder than they should.
Compared with
Readability vs Comprehension
Readability is how easily text can be decoded: sentence length, word complexity, typography. glossaryComprehensionComprehension is whether users actually understand the content, instructions, or interface in front of them. It is the outcome that matters, and it can fail even when the text is short, clear, and well presented.Open glossary term is whether the meaning landed. Simplified text that omits the crucial condition is more readable and less understood.
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