diff --git a/serde/src/de/mod.rs b/serde/src/de/mod.rs
index e90ced27..a590f4c6 100644
--- a/serde/src/de/mod.rs
+++ b/serde/src/de/mod.rs
@@ -1011,6 +1011,12 @@ pub trait Deserializer<'de>: Sized {
     fn deserialize_ignored_any<V>(self, visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Self::Error>
     where
         V: Visitor<'de>;
+
+    /// Returns whether the serialized data is human readable or not.
+    ///
+    /// Some formats are not intended to be human readable. For these formats
+    /// a type being serialized may opt to serialize into a more compact form.
+    fn is_human_readable(&self) -> bool { true }
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/serde/src/ser/mod.rs b/serde/src/ser/mod.rs
index 4356f930..fd7daf05 100644
--- a/serde/src/ser/mod.rs
+++ b/serde/src/ser/mod.rs
@@ -1363,6 +1363,12 @@ pub trait Serializer: Sized {
     fn collect_str<T: ?Sized>(self, value: &T) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error>
     where
         T: Display;
+
+    /// Returns wheter the data format is human readable or not.
+    ///
+    /// Some formats are not intended to be human readable. For these formats
+    /// a type being serialized may opt to serialize into a more compact form.
+    fn is_human_readable(&self) -> bool { true }
 }
 
 /// Returned from `Serializer::serialize_seq`.
diff --git a/serde_test/src/assert.rs b/serde_test/src/assert.rs
index 2af2ebf5..31eb622f 100644
--- a/serde_test/src/assert.rs
+++ b/serde_test/src/assert.rs
@@ -84,7 +84,17 @@ pub fn assert_ser_tokens<T>(value: &T, tokens: &[Token])
 where
     T: Serialize,
 {
-    let mut ser = Serializer::new(tokens);
+    assert_ser_tokens_readable(value, tokens, true)
+}
+
+/// Asserts that `value` serializes to the given `tokens`.
+///
+/// See: `assert_ser_tokens`
+pub fn assert_ser_tokens_readable<T>(value: &T, tokens: &[Token], human_readable: bool)
+where
+    T: Serialize,
+{
+    let mut ser = Serializer::readable(tokens, human_readable);
     match value.serialize(&mut ser) {
         Ok(_) => {}
         Err(err) => panic!("value failed to serialize: {}", err),
@@ -183,7 +193,14 @@ pub fn assert_de_tokens<'de, T>(value: &T, tokens: &'de [Token])
 where
     T: Deserialize<'de> + PartialEq + Debug,
 {
-    let mut de = Deserializer::new(tokens);
+    assert_de_tokens_readable(value, tokens, true)
+}
+
+pub fn assert_de_tokens_readable<'de, T>(value: &T, tokens: &'de [Token], human_readable: bool)
+where
+    T: Deserialize<'de> + PartialEq + Debug,
+{
+    let mut de = Deserializer::readable(tokens, human_readable);
     match T::deserialize(&mut de) {
         Ok(v) => assert_eq!(v, *value),
         Err(e) => panic!("tokens failed to deserialize: {}", e),
diff --git a/serde_test/src/de.rs b/serde_test/src/de.rs
index 9e465a73..4b0bc8ab 100644
--- a/serde_test/src/de.rs
+++ b/serde_test/src/de.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ use token::Token;
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct Deserializer<'de> {
     tokens: &'de [Token],
+    is_human_readable: bool,
 }
 
 macro_rules! assert_next_token {
@@ -48,7 +49,11 @@ macro_rules! end_of_tokens {
 
 impl<'de> Deserializer<'de> {
     pub fn new(tokens: &'de [Token]) -> Self {
-        Deserializer { tokens: tokens }
+        Deserializer::readable(tokens, true)
+    }
+
+    pub fn readable(tokens: &'de [Token], is_human_readable: bool) -> Self {
+        Deserializer { tokens: tokens, is_human_readable: is_human_readable }
     }
 
     fn peek_token_opt(&self) -> Option<Token> {
@@ -364,6 +369,10 @@ impl<'de, 'a> de::Deserializer<'de> for &'a mut Deserializer<'de> {
             _ => self.deserialize_any(visitor),
         }
     }
+
+    fn is_human_readable(&self) -> bool {
+        self.is_human_readable
+    }
 }
 
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/serde_test/src/lib.rs b/serde_test/src/lib.rs
index 391837d1..0ccf578a 100644
--- a/serde_test/src/lib.rs
+++ b/serde_test/src/lib.rs
@@ -168,8 +168,8 @@ mod token;
 mod assert;
 
 pub use token::Token;
-pub use assert::{assert_tokens, assert_ser_tokens, assert_ser_tokens_error, assert_de_tokens,
-                 assert_de_tokens_error};
+pub use assert::{assert_tokens, assert_ser_tokens, assert_ser_tokens_error, assert_ser_tokens_readable,
+                 assert_de_tokens, assert_de_tokens_error, assert_de_tokens_readable};
 
 // Not public API.
 #[doc(hidden)]
diff --git a/serde_test/src/ser.rs b/serde_test/src/ser.rs
index 31ba72ee..c7d64d29 100644
--- a/serde_test/src/ser.rs
+++ b/serde_test/src/ser.rs
@@ -15,12 +15,17 @@ use token::Token;
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct Serializer<'a> {
     tokens: &'a [Token],
+    is_human_readable: bool,
 }
 
 impl<'a> Serializer<'a> {
     /// Creates the serializer.
     pub fn new(tokens: &'a [Token]) -> Self {
-        Serializer { tokens: tokens }
+        Serializer::readable(tokens, true)
+    }
+
+    pub fn readable(tokens: &'a [Token], is_human_readable: bool) -> Self {
+        Serializer { tokens: tokens, is_human_readable: is_human_readable }
     }
 
     /// Pulls the next token off of the serializer, ignoring it.
@@ -282,6 +287,10 @@ impl<'s, 'a> ser::Serializer for &'s mut Serializer<'a> {
             Ok(Variant { ser: self, end: Token::StructVariantEnd })
         }
     }
+
+    fn is_human_readable(&self) -> bool {
+        self.is_human_readable
+    }
 }
 
 pub struct Variant<'s, 'a: 's> {
diff --git a/test_suite/tests/test_de.rs b/test_suite/tests/test_de.rs
index 9fbfed46..e1a015e2 100644
--- a/test_suite/tests/test_de.rs
+++ b/test_suite/tests/test_de.rs
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ extern crate fnv;
 use self::fnv::FnvHasher;
 
 extern crate serde_test;
-use self::serde_test::{Token, assert_de_tokens, assert_de_tokens_error};
+use self::serde_test::{Token, assert_de_tokens, assert_de_tokens_error, assert_de_tokens_readable};
 
 #[macro_use]
 mod macros;
@@ -1078,3 +1078,39 @@ declare_error_tests! {
         "invalid type: sequence, expected unit struct UnitStruct",
     }
 }
+
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq)]
+struct CompactBinary((u8, u8));
+
+impl<'de> serde::Deserialize<'de> for CompactBinary {
+    fn deserialize<D>(deserializer: D) -> Result<CompactBinary, D::Error>
+    where
+        D: serde::Deserializer<'de>,
+    {
+        if deserializer.is_human_readable() {
+            <(u8, u8)>::deserialize(deserializer).map(CompactBinary)
+        } else {
+            <&[u8]>::deserialize(deserializer).map(|bytes| {
+                CompactBinary((bytes[0], bytes[1]))
+            })
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn test_human_readable() {
+    assert_de_tokens(
+        &CompactBinary((1, 2)),
+        &[
+            Token::Tuple { len: 2},
+            Token::U8(1),
+            Token::U8(2),
+            Token::TupleEnd,
+        ],
+    );
+    assert_de_tokens_readable(
+        &CompactBinary((1, 2)),
+        &[Token::BorrowedBytes(&[1, 2])],
+        false,
+    );
+}
diff --git a/test_suite/tests/test_ser.rs b/test_suite/tests/test_ser.rs
index 9dfb7053..a623e5d6 100644
--- a/test_suite/tests/test_ser.rs
+++ b/test_suite/tests/test_ser.rs
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ use std::str;
 extern crate serde;
 
 extern crate serde_test;
-use self::serde_test::{Token, assert_ser_tokens, assert_ser_tokens_error};
+use self::serde_test::{Token, assert_ser_tokens, assert_ser_tokens_error,
+                       assert_ser_tokens_readable};
 
 extern crate fnv;
 use self::fnv::FnvHasher;
@@ -474,3 +475,26 @@ fn test_enum_skipped() {
         "the enum variant Enum::SkippedMap cannot be serialized",
     );
 }
+
+struct CompactBinary(String);
+
+impl serde::Serialize for CompactBinary {
+    fn serialize<S>(&self, serializer: S) -> Result<S::Ok, S::Error>
+    where
+        S: serde::Serializer
+    {
+        if serializer.is_human_readable() {
+            serializer.serialize_str(&self.0)
+        } else {
+            serializer.serialize_bytes(self.0.as_bytes())
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn test_human_readable() {
+    let value = CompactBinary("test".to_string());
+    assert_ser_tokens(&value, &[Token::String("test")]);
+
+    assert_ser_tokens_readable(&value, &[Token::Bytes(b"test")], false);
+}