A reading grade level estimates the formal education needed to understand written content. Accessible visualization text should target grade 9 or lower, while complex terms should receive clear definitions. section 10.2.1
Improve a visualization’s reading level through a short review cycle:
- Collect the main text from the visualization and test it with the Hemingway app. section 10.2.1
- Find sentences marked hard or very hard to read, then split them into shorter sentences. section 10.2.1
- Move secondary technical detail, such as an IUCN reference, to a methodology section when it disrupts the introduction. section 10.2.1
- Retest the revised text and confirm that the overall result remains at grade 9 or lower. section 10.2.1
Simplifying chart instructions
A sentence explaining that each circle represents a cetacean and encodes size and population can be divided into two sentences. Separating the explanation and moving the IUCN reference to methodology lowers the introduction from grade 14 to a more accessible result; the revised project reaches grade 8. section 10.2.1
