<i>FontUnit Bridge</i> : Unifying the Language of Font Size for Practical Application

Research on font size is highly interdisciplinary, involving fields like vision science, typography, education, and web design. However, researchers and practitioners in different fields use different units to describe font size, which could be physical (e.g., millimeters), typography-related (e.g. points), or visual angles (e.g., degrees). This project aims to bridge this gap by developing a web-based tool, FontUnit Bridge, that not only provides real-time conversion between units of font size, but also offers ballpark estimates for common usage scenarios to provide more practical context. For example, a clinician could use it to answer, “What font size would be too small on my patient’s phone if their visual acuity is 0.4 logMAR?” Future developments of the tool include iterative updates to improve its functionality based on user testing. Ultimately, this tool aims to overcome barriers for interdisciplinary research communication and results synthesis, facilitating the application of research findings across different fields.