Unlocking Literacy: a Font for the Future

Digital Futures researchers are solving the US literacy crisis using a combination of design and emerging technology. Fewer than half of US eighth graders read proficiently, and almost one in three can’t read at even a basic level. For millions of children and adults, the written word can feel like a locked door.

For the Learning by Design (LD) Lab, this challenge is both a teaching problem and a design problem. The question they ask: how might font design, informed by emerging technology and human-centered research, create more accessible reading experiences?

For instance, if a learner is unsure what sound “g” makes in goose, a tap on the letter might turn it into a goose, reinforcing the g sound with visual association. The animation is lightweight, on-demand, and reversible, allowing readers to experiment, explore, and let the text return to its original form. Interested? Try it for yourself!

The system is designed to support a diverse range of literacy learners, including early readers, learners with dyslexia or other reading difficulties, adults, or even non-native English speakers. By keeping the learning and reading tasks intertwined rather than using a side tool or annotation, the font helps reduce cognitive load and stigma; learners never have to stop reading to consult a flashcard or dictionary.

Beyond individual reading sessions, the LD lab’s goal is to embed these design principles into real-life reading experiences: web readers, e-textbooks, or even public signage. They are now working to scale these prototypes, collect data from actual use, and partner with educators to pilot in real-world settings.