ZoomCaps Evolve

Reasons for Modifying the ZoomCaps Font

MTC moved to the American Printing House (APH) for the Blind APHont (http://www.aph.org/products/aphont.html), because current scientific evidence indicates it is the best choice for the majority of individuals with low vision. This font was specifically designed for and tested with low vision students. In our discussion with APH's project leader, Elaine Kitchel (EKITCHEL@aph.org), she assured us that APHont "meets the scientifically documented needs of persons who are large print readers." While the narrower strokes of APHont appear quite different when compared to the older ZoomCaps, the APH study demonstrated that users with low vision will ultimately find this font to be more readable than the bolder typeface used previously.

A font that is too bold causes loss of definition for many users. Non-bold APHont falls within the proportion requirements ("a stroke-width-to-height ratio between 1:5 and 1:10") of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG 4.30.2 Character Proportion, http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#4.30). ZoomCaps are designed to serve the majority of low vision users who need large-print keyboard labels. MTC continues to examine current research to determine whether a different degree of boldness or other color contrast pairs (e.g., yellow on black) might offer even better visibility for our users.

ZoomCaps now use a standard (i.e., not bold) 32-point typeface, which is the largest size font that will fit on key caps.


Figure 1 ZoomCaps Evolve - current 32-pt APHont is less bold than the previous generations of ZoomCaps.

Your opinion counts. Feedback from end-users of ZoomCaps is essential to developing a product that successfully meets the needs of individuals who have vision impairments.