Ergonomics, or human factors, is the study of the relationship between people as functioning physical beings and the world in which they exist and this includes the textual material that they read. The presentation of textual material can be considered from two points of view: (1) the qualities of the text as impacted by the author; and (2) the qualities of the text as impacted by the format. This paper examines the influence of formal and textual organization as important factors in literacy achievement. Educators in general and instructional systems designers in particular need to be aware of these interactions between people and the material they read. An individual's interaction with the text is important: (1) to the individual, because it assists with job and academic success; (2) to educators, because it enables them to succeed with students who might otherwise be unsuccessful; and (3) with employers, because it reduces the time required for employees to read necessary texts. The ergonomics of literacy analyzes those physical characteristics which enhance a text's readability. Among the important physical attributes of a text are type face, type size, type emphasis, margin justification, line width, leading, and other vertical and horizontal spacing. By fitting the text to the reader, ergonomics can make more text understandable to more readers. The resulting improvement in the quality of the lives of individuals and to society may be invaluable. (Thirty-eight references are attached.) (SG)