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A team of designers and behavioural scientists at Australia’s RMIT University have developed a new font called Sans Forgetica to help people remember information better. It was designed using cognitive psychology principles to create ‘desirable difficulty’, an effect in which the brain engages in deeper cognitive processing. To achieve this effect, Sans Forgetica is more difficult to read than other fonts, triggering a deeper level of engagement and improving memory retention.

The RMIT University team designed three new fonts using the principles of cognitive psychology. To test which font was the most effective, over a hundred students were invited to the lab to complete memory tests in each of the three fonts. The best performing font was Sans Forgetica – it breaks enough design principles to engage the brain without becoming too illegible. The new font is free to download online and is compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems. Sans Forgetica is also available as a Chrome browser extension, allowing users to convert any text on-screen into the font.

Other studying innovations we have previously featured on Springwise include a browser plugin that turns ads into revision notes. The tool aims to make sure that students are still studying even when browsing the internet, turning procrastination into productivity. Another innovation is an online streaming service offering students access to textbooks. For a monthly fee, the service lets students have access to hundreds of thousands of digital books.