The visual communication of medicine information leaflets: ergonomic analysis of page layout and typography for the elderly

Abstract

Visual communication is the necessary manner in which to transmit information. Taking into account that medicine information leaflets present legibility difficulties for elderly consumers, an analysis was carried out, by means of a textual ergonomic investigation with regard to typography and page layout adequacy. A descriptive research was conducted through the analysis of medicine information leaflets and of two data collections of individual interviews with people over sixty five years of age. The analysis of the medicine information leaflet of Medicine X, revealed that the legibility factors proved inadequate due to the confusion of letters, their reduced size and reading problems linked to sight alterations of growing old. The first data collection confirms these reading difficulties; the second presents the Medicine X information leaflet compared with two different typefaces - Arial and Times New Roman. However, the same page layout was maintained, following the legibility factors from Dull's (1995)text. The results indicate that the typeface Arial provides better legibility. It can be concluded that there is a need for a balance between page layout and typography in the visual communication of medicine information leaflets.