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1 answer
Font comparison
Below are screenshots of the word "Activity" in the tab at the top of the user page. They are taken in the current font, and in one of the fallback fonts. In each case they are shown at 3 zoom levels:
- 400%
- 200% (standard display on a high resolution screen with 200% scaling applied by the operating system)
- 100% (standard display on a lower resolution screen with no operating system scaling applied)
Red Hat Display (current font)
Arial (one of the fallback fonts)
Zoomed versions
These show the 100% versions zoomed in to show the pixel structure more clearly.
Current font
Fallback font
Observations
Even at 200% (the zoom that high resolution screens show by default on most operating systems) the dots above each i are not as easily distinguished in the current font as in the fallback font. At 100% (the zoom that shows by default on most 720p or 1080p screens, which are still common) the gap below the dot is less than a pixel in the current font, resulting in it blurring into the rest of the letter. In the fallback font there is still a clear gap of more than a pixel, making the letter i easier to recognise.
This answer is not intended to make a decision on which font to use, but I think it demonstrates that there is at least one font that could make a significant improvement. Note that the fallback font for the menu bars is already the current font for the rest of the page.
If it is decided to keep the current font for the menu bars, it's also worth considering adjusting the font weight. Notice the difference in legibility on the user page between the category bar containing "Q&A", "Site Proposals", "Blog", and the lower menu bar containing "Profile", "Activity", "Vote Summary". The lower bar has a higher font weight, making the dot larger but closer to the vertical of the i.
Weight comparison
Here's what the font would look like with the weight changed (showing at 100% and zoomed to show the pixel structure).
Current font at weight 600 (current weight)
Current font at weight 500 (matching the category bar)
I haven't considered the Sign Out button here, because it appears to have been improved since this question was posted, and now has a font weight of 400 and a more easily distinguishable dot.
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