Glossary entry

Legibility

Definition

How understandable a system’s actions, reasoning, and ownership are to the people it decides about. With explanations a person can act on and a visible owner of the system's rules, it lets people find who decided, why, and how to respond. Legibility is discoverability of who/why/what-next; it does not guarantee the system can be changed.

Structural

Tests that show it is in place

  • Decision notices include a plain-language rationale, owner, and next step for challenging it.
  • The people it decides about can reach the policy basis and escalation path within a single click or call.

Hypothetical example

  • Residents receive a plain-language notice that names the office, rule, and appeal path behind a zoning decision.

Related terms

Administrative reality

References

Cite this glossary entry · v1.17.1 · updated Oct 6, 2026 · CC BY-SA 4.0

APA

Ethotechnics Institute. (2026). Legibility. Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/legibility

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute. "Legibility." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/legibility.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute. "Legibility." Ethotechnics glossary. Oct 6, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/legibility.

BibTeX

@misc{glossary_legibility,
  title={Legibility},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/legibility},
  version={v1.17.1}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - Legibility
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/legibility
ER  -

Authorship

Contact: hello@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

  • Published: Dec 3, 2025
  • Last updated: Oct 6, 2026
  • Version: v1.17.1

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the term title and version, and link to the glossary permalink.

Archive: Wayback Machine history

Latest change

v1.17.1 · Oct 6, 2026 — Editorial revision. Titles are in sentence case. Pasted spec blocks are replaced with prose and worked examples, 79 operational tests are rewritten as pass conditions, 22 origin notes are rewritten or sourced, and unsourced superlatives are cut. No terms were added or removed, and permalinks are unchanged.

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