Site graphic improvements

[tvanepps]

A few notes on the graphic language of the site:

• if I had to choose between a light and dark mode for reading text, I would choose light mode. Or give users the option to switch between both
• for longer blocks of copy, I would strongly suggest using a serif font (eg. Times New Roman is a common Serif font). Serifs help our eyes track between words, and make for a better reading experience. (not necessarily needed for header / section text, of course)

[InsideTheSim]

I’ll play with this next time I have a day I can dedicate to UI work.

[nesbocaj]

• for longer blocks of copy, I would strongly suggest using a serif font (eg. Times New Roman is a common Serif font). Serifs help our eyes track between words, and make for a better reading experience. (not necessarily needed for header / section text, of course)

Unfortunately, it's not that simple:

"The old usability guideline for online typography was simple: stick to sans-serif typefaces. Because computer screens were too lousy to render serifs properly, attempting serif type at body-text sizes resulted in blurry letter shapes.

The old guideline was dictated by the poor screens on all mainstream computers. Now that we have high-quality screens, it's time to change the guideline.

In general, usability guidelines remain unchanged decade after decade because they're determined by human characteristics. However, every so often, some guidelines change due to the influence of technology or a change in user habits. For example, 10% of the original web usability guidelines from the 1990s have now changed because of technology improvements. Count this article as changing one more of those old guidelines.

Unfortunately, the new guideline is not as clear-cut as the old one. Legibility research is inconclusive as to whether serif fonts are truly better than sans serif.

Almost all mainstream printed newspapers, magazines, and books use serif type, and thus people are more accustomed to reading long texts in this style. However, given the research data, the difference in reading speed between serif and sans serif is apparently quite small. Thus, there's no strong usability guideline in favor of using one or the other, so you can make the choice based on other considerations — such as branding or the mood communicated by a particular typographical style."

-- https://www.nngroup.com/articles/serif-vs-sans-serif-fonts-hd-screens/