Thanks to TidBITS, which comments:
Do you read faster or slower on a device like an iPad or Kindle, in comparison with a physical book? The overall answer, according to usability expert Jakob Nielsen, is about 5% to 10% slower (with the same comprehension of what was read). That's statistically significant, though not all that much slower. (We suspect it may have to do with years of familiarity with the form factor of the book.) More interesting was that on a 1 to 7 scale, users rated their satisfaction at 5.8 for the iPad, 5.7 for the Kindle, and 5.6 for the physical book, with the traditional PC trailing behind at only 3.6.
Update: Ganesha Games says:
This is so odd to me. Since I have the kindle, and then the iPad, my reading speed has increased by roughly 25%, with better comprehension (I read in English, which is a second language to me, so the in-built dictionaries and word search functions are a bliss).
The extreme portability of both devices also means I can read a lot when on trains, at the dentist's, in line at the post office or bank, and so on, and the availability of cheap or free reading materials have vastly increased the quantity of my reading.
But I've always been a heavy reader so maybe I'm out of the norm (a novel a week, plus a non-fiction book spread over maybe three weeks if it's heavy, plus rulebooks for games and reference materials/blogs/websites on a daily basis, and 7-8 comics a week are an average for me).
Eolake:
When I was a kid and teen, my father drove us to the library every Monday when it was open in the evening. And I remember that every week I would borrow and fully read about five to six books. Per week! Plus school reading. Of course, each book was not War And Peace, but still, now it seems rather extraordinary. 'Smatteroffact it must have been extraordinary, because I hardly remember seeing anybody but me and my father there in those evening hours.
I am probably also faster reading on the iPad, I haven't tried to measure it, but at least I now prefer it over reading on paper.
this is so odd to me. Since I have the kindle, and then the iPad, my reading speed has increased by roughly 25%, with better comprehension (I read in English, which is a second language to me, so the in-built dictionaries and word search functions are a bliss).
ReplyDeleteThe extreme portability of both devices also means I can read a lot when on trains, at the dentist's, in line at the post office or bank, and so on, and the availability of cheap or free reading materials have vastly increased the quantity of my reading.
But I've always been a heavy reader so maybe I'm out of the norm (a novel a week, plus a non-fiction book spread over maybe three weeks if it's heavy, plus rulebooks for games and reference materials/blogs/websites on a daily basis, and 7-8 comics a week are an average for me).
but at least I now prefer it over reading on paper.
ReplyDeleteGanesha mentioned comics, which is the only thing I would use it for if I had one. They take about five seconds to read, and I can download even the newest that week for free. Illegal, sure, but there's no way I'm paying what they want for them these days. Especially since they cost 25 cents in my youth and, even adjusting for inflation, have gone up hugely even in the last few years. Without an increase in quality. In fact, quality has decreased. The writing is poorer, and there aren't any artists that really stand out. Possibly Brian Hitch. But he doesn't seem able to meet deadlines very well. Then add the computer lettering and coloring in and I'd much prefer to buy a copy of one of the DC Archive books or Marvel's Masterworks line to get the classic stuff.
The extreme portability of both devices also means I can read a lot when on trains, at the dentist's, in line at the post office or bank, and so on,
It's kind of strange how some people can't seem to go five minutes without being entertained. It's like those ones who have to have the radio on all the time, or have the TV on in the background. You know, being easily bored and having to be entertained all the time is one of the hallmarks of a psychopath. ;-)