You can't judge a book by the cover: Your copy may be too complicated for most of your audience. Learn readability stats that matter.

1. Readability
by the numbers

2. “This is too easy
to read.”
Kate Meyer, “Writing Compelling Digital Copy,” Nielsen Norman Group, San Francisco UX Conference

3. “This is too easy
to read.”
— Nobody ever
Kate Meyer, “Writing Compelling Digital Copy,” Nielsen Norman Group, San Francisco UX Conference

4. 0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Nonliterate Below basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
12%
36%
34%
14%
4%
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013
> 1/2
> 1/2 of U.S. adults read at basic level or below.

5. That means most can … But most cannot …
• Sign forms
• Compare ticket prices for two
events
• Look up shows in a TV guide
• Find places on a map
• Calculate the cost of office
supplies from a catalog
• Compare viewpoints in two
editorials
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013

6. “The problem with
communication
is the illusion that it
has been accomplished.”George Bernard Shaw

7. 4% of U.S. adults can’t read well enough
to take a literacy test.
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Nonliterate Below basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
12%
36%
34%
14%
4%
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013

8. That means most can … But most cannot …
Locate a single piece of
information in familiar copy
Identify which candidate
earned the fewest votes from
a simple table identifying
three candidates and the
number of votes they each
received
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013

9. 14% of U.S. adults read at below basic levels.
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Nonliterate Below basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
12%
36%
34%
14%
4%

10. That means most can … But most cannot …
Identify which candidate earned
the fewest votes from a simple
table identifying three
candidates and the number of
votes they each received
Count the number of countries
in which the generic drug
market accounts for 10% or
more of drug sales from two
paragraphs and a chart of
generic drug use in 15
countries
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013

11. 0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Nonliterate Below basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
12%
36%
34%
14%
4%
34% of U.S. adults read at basic levels.
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013

12. That means most can … But most cannot …
Count the number of countries
in which the generic drug
market accounts for 10% or
more of drug sales from two
paragraphs and a chart of
generic drug use in 15 countries
Identify the link leading to the
organization’s phone number
from a website with several
links, including “contact us”
and “FAQ”
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013

13. 0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Nonliterate Below basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
12%
36%
34%
14%
4%
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013
36% of U.S. adults
read at an intermediate level.

14. That means most can … But most cannot …
Identify the link leading to the
organization’s phone number
from a website with several
links, including “contact us”
and “FAQ”
Click to the second page of
search results from a library
website to identify the author
of a book called Ecomyth
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013

15. 12% of U.S. adults read at proficient levels.
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Nonliterate Below basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
12%
36%
34%
14%
4%

16. That means most can … But most cannot …
Click to the second page of
search results from a library
website to identify the author
of a book called Ecomyth
Review search results from a
library website to identify a
book suggesting that the
claims made both for and
against genetically modified
foods are unreliable
U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013

17. U.S. literacy, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, 2013
Too few U.S. adults to count
read at advanced levels.
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Nonliterate Below basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
12%
36%
34%
14%
4%

18. In this environment,
how do we
reach more readers? …

19. Rev Up Readability
April 1-2 | Austin, TX | bit.ly/RevUpReadability
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