Improving the usability of e-book readers

Proceedings of the 2015 Federated Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems, 2015

New e-book readers and multifunctional mobile tablet devices are currently emerging, so bringing about a transition from printed to the electronic books. It is important to learn how usable these mobile devices are, by testing them on real users from various backgrounds. The paper presents a study which explores the perceived usability of two electronic reading devices, one dedicated reader and one multifunctional device. More specifically, the study employs eight tasks which users were required to complete within a specific time with two devices. Our results show that users functioned better on the multifunctional device in terms of performance measures, such as navigation, task difficulty and satisfaction.

Although reading is the main function of electronic reading devices (e-readers), previous studies demonstrated that a critical factor for perceived legibility is the usability of the device. If users have problems with the handling of a device, they will not like using the device for reading. Therefore, easy handling is a critical factor for a user's reading experience. One important device feature seems to be a touch screen. A touch screen tends to be very intuitive and saves space as no keyboard or mouse is required, which also tends to make for easier hand-eye coordination than a mouse or keyboard. This study investigated the effect of touch screen technology on the usability of electronic reading devices. Three different types of devices were compared: two e-readers with e-ink display (the Sony PRS 600 with a touch screen and the Sony PRS 505 without a touch screen) and one tablet PC with a backlit LCD (Apple iPad with a multitouch screen). Participants completed different use case scenarios for each device. Participants then completed a questionnaire that asked them to rate the usability of the navigation, design, handiness, and handling of each device. The results show that e-reading devices with touch screens correlate with better navigation ratings. Participants rated the navigation significantly better for the devices with a touch screen compared to a device without a touch screen. Overall results suggest that a touch screen allows for an easier and more intuitive interaction. Nonetheless, participants were not able to solve all tasks without problems, and significant differences were found between the devices. In conclusion there is still room for improvement, for the devices tested, in regards to usability aspects.

Displays, 2009

The objective of this study is to evaluate the usability of electronic books (E-books). An experiment was designed to compare the differences between reading an E-book and a conventional book (C-book) with objective measures. Twenty junior college students, ages sixteen to eighteen, participated in the study. Response measures included reading performance and critical flicker fusion (CFF). The results indicate that reading an E-book causes significantly higher eye fatigue than reading a C-book. Reading a C-book generated a higher level of reading performance than reading an E-book. In addition, females demonstrated better reading performance than males in reading either book.

2003

This paper outlines the methodology and results of the EBONI Project's evaluation of portable electronic books, in which staff from UK academia were provided with a selection of ebook readers and asked to report back on their experiences. A set of issues of importance to users of electronic books is uncovered, and compared with concerns arising from other experiments in the same field. Finally, recommendations for successful ebook design are made.

Bulletin of Electrical Engineering and Informatics

Interest in using ebooks by the academic community is very high. Still, there is a problem when readers are reading through screens, tend to read fast, only scan the necessary parts, and don't focus on paying attention to the content they read, so this reduces the quality of reading because readers don't study the overall meaning of the sentence. Hence, this research aims to build an interactive reader system by integrating eye tracker technology with a webcam which is expected to solve the problem of decreasing the quality of reading through the screen by helping readers stay focused on their reading and providing an interactive system that makes it easier for readers to control the computer while reading. This research adopts the waterfall method and is divided into six stages. The system is designed using class diagrams, use case diagrams, and activity diagrams. Also, the system is built using the Python language with the Django framework. Then, the interactive reader system was tested using black box testing and usability testing methods. Based on the test results, it is shown that the interactive reader system that was built can help improve the quality and concentration when reading activities take place.

2011

The traditional paper-based book as we know it has been read and loved for hundreds of years. The first generation of e-book readers, based on electronic ink, attempted to emulate the traditional paper-based book, both in content and functionality. In this paper we discuss how the reading of e-books starts to diverge from the legacy of paper books. Many still favor the sensory experience of touching an actual book, smelling the paper, and hearing the sound of turning pages. However, huge memory, easy readability, the possibility of sharing text between users (such as Nook allows), the multi-functionality (such as iPad has) and the ease of downloading books, all make e-book readers increasingly popular. Based on insights gained from ethnographic studies, workshops, focus groups, and questionnaires, we discuss some advantages and disadvantages of e-book readers, speculate on how they may change the way we read, in particular actively, and propose some guidelines for future e-book reader functionality design specifically aimed at the student population. The first prototype resulting from co-design work with primary school students is presented as an example of our design approach.

Purpose -This article aims to present a comprehensive evaluation of user satisfaction and usability concerns related to five of the leading eBook readers including: the Amazon Kindle; the Apple iPad MB292LL/A; Barnes & Noble's Nook BNRV100; Borders' kobo reader N647-BUS-S; and the Sony Digital Reader PRs-950. Design/methodology/approach -This study is based on a survey of 81 information studies graduate students, who responded about their ownership of specific readers, their likes and dislikes as well as perceived issues. Additionally, interested respondents were asked to volunteer for an ethnographic journaling study which allowed eight prospective users to live with each of the five eBook readers for a weekend or longer. Findings -The authors found that the Kindle is the most popular, but regardless of reader the respondents disliked the poor navigation and inability to loan titles in their collection. In addition, the respondents also liked the portability of the readers as well as the ability to have multiple books on a single reader. However, they also identified a major issue: notably, the licensing of titles versus outright ownership. In contrast to some other published reports, the respondents did not value non-Roman script support or color display. Originality/value -One of the first comprehensive surveys to analyze the top five eBook readers for user satisfaction and to identify usability concerns.

This paper reports the result of an experiment which tested the users' experience regarding electronic-or paper-based reading. The use of electronic means for reading is widely spread and utilized for a wider variety of tasks, including on-line or electronic reading. In addition, the development of "E-Book" has become fashion in IT industry and even been predicted to replace the conventional paper-based reading. Nevertheless, little research has been done to understand the association of user preferences between these means, in particular, with regard to Chinese environment. A qualitative performance measurement applied to 20 university students was carried out, in which recorded the user behavior and critical incidents in different reading modes based on an analysis of a videotape of reading process, in order to understand the usage of different means, as well as to monitor how people responded to various reading environments. The results showed that most people did not cope with e-based reading well. The disadvantages of paper-based reading, however, did not yet converted to advantages for e-based reading. The main barriers identified are the lower level of man-machine interactions and self-control during e-reading process. Other technical issues such as the glaze of screen, and layout and reading position were also reported. A list of recommendations was made in order to design an e-based reading device which can provide a more comfortable reading experience. Additional implications and future research directions were also discussed.

2011

The aims of the e-reader demonstrator project were to trial the potential of e-readers, designed for reading books, as a replacement for hard copy papers in two institutional committees and transform approaches to organising the business of committee meetings.The overall approach was recognition of the need to understand and evaluate individual motivations and behaviours around the introduction of new technologies and the processes involved. The factors for measuring success were demonstrating print reduction, efficiency gains, cost benefits and individuals’ sustained engagement with the technology through the trial period and its adoption for wider applications. A Sony Touch e-reader was issued to all members of the two committees and used for the trial. Evaluation was through observation, participant survey at the end of the project and a focus group. AQU moved from post- to pre- committee the activities to electronically package papers into one indexed set, to service the needs o...

International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 2007

This research has highlighted the importance of the prolonged reading of e-book displays, and three popular e-book displays including a personal digital assistant (PDA), an e-book reader (Reader), and a notebook computer (NB) were evaluated in ergonomic perspective. Twenty-two university students (11 males and 11 females) participated in the formal experiment. They performed three 100-min reading trials with a different display for each trial. Visual fatigue, reading performance, and subjective satisfaction were collected at the end of each trial. The results are as follows: first, visual fatigue was significantly greater when subjects read from the PDA compared with the other two displays. Second, reading speed and accuracy rate were not significantly different among the t hree displays. Third, f emale subjects tended to have better reading performance than male subjects did. Finally, the subjects preferred the NB to the other two displays, because the NB had the highest satisfaction ratings in text legibility, luminance contrast, and screen size. Furthermore, some recommendations were provided to select or design an adequate e-book display for prolonged reading. Relevance to industry With the increase in e-books publications, various e-book displays and their sales have continuously grown in recent years. For designing a good e-book display, it is necessary to understand what factors would affect user performances, visual fatigue, and satisfaction. Moreover, the significant effect of character size and screen size on visual fatigue and satisfaction may assist in improving e-book display related consumer products.