Legibility of Websites Which are Designed for Instructional Purposes

In this study, legibility of web pages which are designed for instructional purposes were compared according to font types and foreground/background color combinations. Three different font styles which are sans-serif (Verdana), serif (Times New Roman) and monotype (Courier New) were used. 15 background/foreground color combinations were investigated; basic colors that are available on most browsers were selected. Also four different background/foreground color contrast combinations were chosen (dark text on dark ground, light text on light ground, light text on dark ground and dark text on light ground). In the current study a survey method was used to investigate the attitudes of the students towards the legibility of web pages. The sample consisted of 124 students of the Computer and Instructional Technologies Department, Istanbul. All the students were capable of visual literacy and web technologies. At the end of the study it was found that Verdana is regarded as the most legible font type and white ground/black text is the best color combination for web pages. Also, there was a significant difference according to color contrast; web pages which are prepared with dark text on light ground are more legible than other combination.