Consistent and controlled use of fonts help respondents easily distinguish between the various elements of a form. For example, survey questions versus data entry codes.
Follow the guidelines in this chapter to select appropriate fonts for your survey form. Refer to additional resources for more information about typography.
Note: The styles mentioned in this chapter are what we use for our surveys. Other survey organisations may use different styles that reflect their context.
Only underline key words where emphasis is essential for data quality.
Avoid underlining words unnecessarily because it interferes with the readability both for average people and also for those with reading disabilities like dyslexia. Underlines disrupt letters that extend below the baseline (letters such as p, q, y, and g) which can make it harder for people to read your text, especially if long phrases or sentences are underlined.
Underlining for emphasis is generally unsuitable for multi-modal surveys. Underlining typically denotes a hyperlink in web forms so is not recommended for emphasis. The paper form equivalent should use the same method of emphasis for consistency.
Use other methods in this chapter for emphasis rather than underlining (see 'Questions').
Keep line lengths short so respondents are not required to move their eyes too much. People can lose track of which words they are reading and misinterpret the text or have to spend time backtracking through the form.
Line length on forms include questions, headings, text within notes boxes and all other text.
Aim to keep line length to about 110mm when using a 10 to 12-point text.
No line of text should exceed 115mm.
Avoid awkward sentence breaks over two lines when shortening a text block to fit within the maximum recommended line length (e.g. do not break a date over two lines).
Avoid having only one word on a new line when adjusting text to keep line length short.
Ensure the top line overhangs the bottom line for questions on more than one line. This prevents people jumping from the end of the first line to the end of the second without reading the words in between.
Online form access details such as passwords can be included directly on paper forms. Encourage online form uptake by ensuring that respondents can read and transcribe this on their first attempt.
Use 14-point bold type for printed form access details.
Select a font where each character is clearly distinguishable. For example, Consolas has a line through the zeros distinguishing them from the letter 'O'.
Break a long string of numbers or letters into clusters of three to four characters.
Use spaces between clusters rather than hyphens or dashes.
Do not use zero as the first numeral for a string of numbers.
Do not use vowels, zero, 1, or lower-case L in passwords.
Do not use the same letter or number three or more times in a row (e.g. 'ccc' or '333').
Do not use capital letters.
We use both serif and san serif fonts in ABS paper forms. Serif refers to the small lines at the end of strokes within letters.
You can use one font for questions and another for other parts of the form. This creates recognisable patterns that respondents will follow. For example, whichever font is used for questions, you can use an alternative font for data entry or processing codes.
Bringhurst, R. (2004). The Elements of Typographic Style. Hartley and Marks Publishers.
Lupton, E. (2010). Thinking with Type 2nd edition: A critical guide for designers, writers, editors and students. Princeton Architectural Press.
Santa Maria, J. (2015). On Web Typography. Adams Media.
Wheildon, Colin (1990) Communicating or just making pretty shapes: A study of the validity or otherwise of some elements of typographic design. Newspaper Advertising Bureau of Australia Ltd, Sydney.
Typography in Inclusive Design Part 2: Choosing Typefaces and Laying Out Text Content | Vision Australia. Blindness and Low Vision Services. www.visionaustralia.org/business-consulting/digital-access/blog/typography-in-inclusive-design-part-2.
