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Reading text from computer screens

Authors:

Carol Bergfeld Mills,

Linda J. WeldonAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), Volume 19, Issue 4

Pages 329 - 357

https://doi.org/10.1145/45075.46162

Published: 01 December 1987 Publication History

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Abstract

This paper reviews empirical studies concerning the readability of text from computer screens. The review focuses on the form and physical attributes of complex, realistic displays of text material. Most studies comparing paper and computer screen readability show that screens are less readable than paper. There are many factors that could affect the readability of computer screens. The factors explored in this review are the features of characters, the formatting of the screen, the contrast and color of the characters and background, and dynamic aspects of the screen. Numerous areas for future research are pinpointed.

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Reviewer: Eugen Grecu

The purpose of this up-to-date and well-documented paper is to review empirical studies on the factors that affect the readability of computer screens. It concentrates on research into presentation factors that influence the reading of complex, realistic displays of text. The authors focus on the readability, rather than the legibility, of text on computer screens. (They use “legibility” to refer to the identification of individual characters, and “readability” for the reading of words and sentences.) This paper is divided into five sections. The first section describes research that has compared the readability of computer screens and paper. The next four sections discuss research on features of the screen that may affect the readability of text: the character set, the formatting of the screen, the contrast and color of the characters and background, and the dynamic aspects of the text. This review of research results will help practitioners evaluate the guidelines they are currently using and determine the limitations of the available evidence. By concentrating on what has been found in experimental investigations of readability, areas for further research can be established. The difficulty of writing such a paper is considerable, due to both the large number of references and the synthetic effort required from the authors. The comparative study of paper versus screen readability at the end of the paper must therefore be highly appreciated.

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 01 December 1987

Published in�CSUR�Volume 19, Issue 4

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