Inimloetav

Inimloetav is an Estonian adjective meaning “readable by humans.” It describes information, interfaces, or formats that are easy for people to understand without specialized tools or training. The term is commonly used to contrast human readability with machine readability (masinloetav), which emphasizes how data or messages are processed by computers.

In practice, achieving inimloetavus involves using clear language, logical structure, and explicit explanations. It is often a consideration in web content, documentation, and user interfaces to improve accessibility and user experience. While data and software must be machine-processable, presenting results, messages, and instructions in a human-friendly form helps users interpret and act on them correctly.

Examples of inimloetav content include plain-language notices, well-ordered data tables with descriptive headers, error messages that explain what occurred and how to fix it, and web pages that use straightforward layout, plain language, and locale-appropriate formatting. Date and time representations that align with local conventions (for example, 28.12.2025 in Estonian contexts) are also part of human-readable design, as they reduce confusion compared with compact or ambiguous formats.

The concept is widely emphasized in public services, education, and software development to support clarity and inclusivity. In ministerial guidelines and digital government practices, inimloetav content is promoted to ensure that information is accessible to a broad audience, including people with varying levels of digital literacy.

See also: masinloetav, loetavus, accessibility, user experience.