Improving the Usability of E-Book Readers
Eva Siegenthaler, Pascal Wurtz, Rudolf Groner
Journal of Usability Studies, Volume 6, Issue 1, November 2010, pp. 25 - 38
Abstract
The use of e-book readers (e-readers or electronic-readers) has become increasingly widespread. An e-reader should meet two important requirements: adequate legibility and good usability. In our study, we investigated these two requirements of e-reader design. Within the framework of a multifunctional approach, we combined eye tracking with other usability testing methods. We tested five electronic reading devices and one classic paper book. The results suggested that e-readers with e-ink technology provided legibility that was comparable to classic paper books. However, our study also showed that the current e-reader generation has large deficits with respect to usability. Users were unable to use e-readers intuitively and without problems. We found significant differences between the different brands of e-book readers. Interestingly, we found dissociations between objective eye-tracking data and subjective user data, stressing the importance of multi-method approaches.
Practitioner’s Take Away
The following list summarized take-aways that practitioners can get from this article:
- E-readers are not yet accepted as a replacement for a classic paper book.
- One of the primary reasons for this is poor usability.
- Another reason is that users expect more functions from an electronic reading device. This problem illustrates a challenge for future e-reader development; more functions should be integrated in such a way that they are usable intuitively.
- The legibility of the current e-reader generation is good; e-ink technology enables a reading process that is very similar to the reading process for classic paper books.
- For people with visual impairment, e-readers have the advantage of providing an opportunity to adjust the font size.
- Differences between subjective interview data and objective eye-movement data underline the importance of combining different methods in usability testing.
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Improving the Usability of E-Book Readers