In brief: A typographic river is an unwanted vertical or diagonal strip of white space created by accidental alignment of spaces across several lines of text, disrupting reading.
How I use a Typographic river in practice
I assess a Typographic river in the context of the entire page. Heading, text, controls, speed and feedback must together explain what can be done and what follows. I first fix obstacles that prevent the task; decoration and effects come only after the basics work.
What to watch out for
A component is not finished just because it works with a mouse. With a Typographic river I check keyboard use, contrast, zoom, screen reader, slow network and the no-script state. Accessibility and performance are not extras; they are part of the same experience.
Questions for a decision
- What task does the person want to complete on the page?
- Where might they hesitate, make a mistake or lose context?
- Does the solution work on mobile, with a keyboard and on a slow network?
- What signal will show that the change genuinely helped?