I like the simplicity of black text on a white background (it makes for clear reading).

However, a white background of #FFFFFF might be a little too stark, with too much glare.

Oh, My Eyes!

As Maddox of The Best Page In The Universe says, staring at a white background while you read is like staring at a light bulb.

If you want a slightly off-white color to reduce the glare, you could try #FCFCFC (which is the new background color for this site — I might tweak it some more if I find a better shade), or #F5F5F5 (slightly darker).

The text should contrast against the background, so that content is more readable. Ideally, the text should be black, on a background of some shade of gray (such as bluish-gray). This creates a common ground between web designers and users.

But paper is white…

Black text on white paper is easy to read — however, this is designed to reflect light. A computer screen radiates light. So a pure white #fff background is likely to be stark.

PS: On MS Word, you can adjust the background color. Click on Format » Background.

I’ve not yet figured if there’s a way to save the settings.

Font Size & Content

I like to use a font size that’s at least 12px.

When I go to a web site, I’m interested in reading the content. I find micro-fonts less easy on the eyes, even though they might look more stylish in terms of design. But a good part of web design *is* how accessible your site is to readers, so yeah.

Online, readability should never be sacrificed for visual appeal.

PS: On Firefox, you can click View, then Text Size (to increase the font size if a website you’re viewing has really small fonts).

Eye Strain Relief

On a related note — to protect your vision, it’s good to take breaks since we possibly stare at comp screens for several hours quite often.

Here are a few steps for eye strain relief/prevention.

1. Blink more often

Blinking keeps your eyes from becoming dry and irritated.

According to studies, people blink less frequently when working at a computer — about five times less than usual.

Try this exercise: Every 20 minutes, blink 10 times by closing your eyes as if falling asleep (very slowly). This will help rewet your eyes.

2. Exercise Your Eye Muscles

To reduce eye fatigue from constantly looking at your screen, look away from the computer every 20 minutes. Gaze at a distant object outside (trees if available, are a good choice) or down the hallway. Looking far away relaxes the muscles inside the eye.

Another exercise is to look far away at an object for 10-15 seconds, then gaze at something up close for 10-15 seconds. Then look back at the distant object. Do this 10 times. This exercise reduces the risk of your eyes’ focusing ability to “lock up” after prolonged computer work.

3. Take Breaks Often

To reduce your risk for computer vision syndrome and neck/ back/ shoulder pain, take frequent breaks during your computer work day.

Many workers take only two 15-minute breaks from their computer throughout their work day. Discomfort and eye strain can be significantly lower when people take four additional five-minute “mini-breaks” throughout their work day.

During computer breaks, stand up, move, stretch your arms, legs, back, neck and shoulders.

4. Adjust Computer Settings

a) Sit at a proper distance from the screen.

b) Brightness/Contrast — Laptops

You can hold down the Fn key and use the left/right arrow keys to adjust the contrast.

Another method: Right click on a blank area of the desktop. Click Graphic Options and then Graphic Properties. Under the Color tab, you can set Contrast and Brightness. You can save options as different schemes (for example, a normal scheme, and a movie player scheme).

This way, you don’t have to keep resetting. Just right click on the desktop and click the scheme you want.

~

References: The overuse of white backgrounds on the web, Have You Ever Heard of Contrast?, Contrast/Brightness on Laptops

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