Re: Using ragged right in technical publications

Subject: Re: Using ragged right in technical publications
From: Chuck Martin <cmartin -at- SEEKERSOFT -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 10:23:33 -0700

At 07:40 AM 9/16/97 -0600, you wrote:
>Mike Dannenberg calls foul on a specious justification:
>======================
>
>> Beth Agnew schrieb:
>>
>> > A study done at a company I used to work for (CAL Technologies Ltd.)
>> > found
>> > that ragged right was easier to read over right justified text
>> because
>> > it
>> > provided a "relief" factor for large blocks of text with complicated
>> > content. This was especially true for people who were not employed
>> in
>> > very
>> > technical roles. It was also found that people who were continually
>> > immersed in technology, such as developers and engineers, felt more
>> > comfortable with justified and structured text when the content was
>> > more
>> > touchy-feely. This gave them a security factor when they had to deal
>> > with
>> > "wild" content. Technical "types" also preferred justified text for
>> > *any*
>> > type of documentation.
>>
>> I'm sorry, but this sounds like the worst piece of pop-psychology I've
>> heard in quite a while. Like, yeah I'm an engineer, I get really
>> scared
>> when I read something that's not about maths or computers, so at least
>> it should look real technical... Give me a break!
>=====================
>
>My understanding (and I gleaned this from someone a few years ago) is
>that the irregular spacing between words in justified text creates a
>readability issue, causing readers' eyes to move inconsistently along
>the line they're reading. Unfortunately, I have no documentation
>supporting this claim.
>
>Bill Burns
>Technical Writer
>ILE Communications Group
>billdb -at- ile -dot- com
>
Readers' eyes don't move smoothly anyway. Watch someone who is reading.
You'll see their eyes jump across the page, taking in blocks of text each
jump.

I fought this battle at a previous company and lost, despite reference
books and messages on this list that documented the higher usability of
ragged-right text.
--
"You don't look American"
"Everyone looks American, because Americans are from everywhere"
- Doonesbury
Chuck Martin
Technical Writer, Seeker Software, Inc | Personal
cmartin -at- seekersoft -dot- com | writer -at- grin -dot- net
www.seekersoft.com | www.grin.net/~writer

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