Evaluation of Thai National Fonts: Using the Empirical Approach

Abstract

In this paper, the thirteen Thai national fonts were assessed through the short exposure technique and the preference rating. These empirical methods investigated whether type forms affected human vision and recognition. The research procedures started by evaluating confusing letter pairs, and followed by recruiting participants voluntarily online. 403 participants were randomly selected by using the stratified sampling method. Next, the participants were divided into two groups to prevent the order effect. The confusing letter pairs were presented on the computer screen approximately at 50 MS. The participants were asked to name the letters they saw on the screen. After this procedure, the correction rates were compared between the groups. The result from the short exposure technique found that there was no high significance between the fonts. The data from the preference rating also showed a similar trend. Therefore, the results may support the familiarity hypothesis supported by Zuzana Licko (1990), which explains that type forms is less important than the familiarity.