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The Impact of Web Browser Reader Views on Reading Speed and User Experience

Authors:

Meredith Ringel Morris,

Katharina ReineckeAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '19: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Paper No.: 524, Pages 1 - 12

https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300754

Published: 02 May 2019 Publication History

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Abstract

As reading increasingly shifts from paper to online media, many web browsers now provide a "Reader View,'' which modifies web page layout and design for better readability. However, research has yet to establish whether Reader Views are effective in improving readability and how they might change the user experience. We characterize how Mozilla Firefox's Reader View significantly reduces the visual complexity of websites by excluding menus, images, and content. We then conducted an online study with 391 participants (including 42 who self-reported having been diagnosed with dyslexia), showing that compared to standard websites the Reader View increased reading speed by 5% for readers on average, and significantly improved perceived readability and visual appeal. We suggest guidelines for the design of websites and browsers that better support people with varying reading skills.

Supplementary Material

ZIP File (paper524.zip)

We are providing all the stimuli (the 12 webpage screenshots and the list of associated comprehension questions and answers for each in a PDF file) used for the online experiment, described in Section 4.

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48.35 MB

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Cited By

Reed JMacfarlane AMakri S(2024)Mobile search made easier: An ability-based mobile search prototype for people with dyslexiaProceedings of the 2024 Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval10.1145/3627508.3638292(45-55)Online publication date: 10-Mar-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3627508.3638292
Cai TNiklaus AKerr BKraley MBylinskii Z(2024)COR Themes for Readability from Iterative FeedbackProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642108(1-23)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642108
Seidel NMenze D(2024)Von der Analyse zur adaptiven Unterstützung beim LesenInformatik Spektrum10.1007/s00287-024-01572-0Online publication date: 23-Sep-2024
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Index Terms

The Impact of Web Browser Reader Views on Reading Speed and User Experience
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Accessibility
  2. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Empirical studies in HCI

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '19: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

May 2019

9077 pages

ISBN:9781450359702

DOI:10.1145/3290605

General Chairs:
Stephen Brewster
University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
,
Geraldine Fitzpatrick
TU Wien, Austria
,
Program Chairs:
Anna Cox
University College London, UK
,
Vassilis Kostakos
University of Melbourne, Australia

Copyright © 2019 ACM.

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Published: 02 May 2019

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CHI '19 Paper Acceptance Rate 703 of 2,958 submissions, 24%;

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Cited By

Reed JMacfarlane AMakri S(2024)Mobile search made easier: An ability-based mobile search prototype for people with dyslexiaProceedings of the 2024 Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval10.1145/3627508.3638292(45-55)Online publication date: 10-Mar-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3627508.3638292
Cai TNiklaus AKerr BKraley MBylinskii Z(2024)COR Themes for Readability from Iterative FeedbackProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642108(1-23)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642108
Seidel NMenze D(2024)Von der Analyse zur adaptiven Unterstützung beim LesenInformatik Spektrum10.1007/s00287-024-01572-0Online publication date: 23-Sep-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00287-024-01572-0
Wang HYu CYang X(2024)Web Accessibility Enhancement for Medical Consultation PlatformsComputer Science and Education. Computer Science and Technology10.1007/978-981-97-0730-0_3(21-33)Online publication date: 26-Feb-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-0730-0_3
Enco-Jáuregui LMeneses-Claudio BAuccacusi-Kañahuire M(2023)Web accessibility for people with dyslexia: A systematic literature reviewEAI Endorsed Transactions on Pervasive Health and Technology10.4108/eetpht.9.42749Online publication date: 27-Oct-2023
https://doi.org/10.4108/eetpht.9.4274
Isik A(2023)Reading environment and fluent reading skillsPedagogical Research10.29333/pr/127238:1(em0148)Online publication date: 2023
https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/12723
Cai TNiklaus AKerr BKraley MBylinskii Z(2023)THERIF: Themes for Readability from Iterative FeedbackExtended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544549.3585679(1-11)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544549.3585679
Niklaus ACai TBylinskii ZWallace S(2023)Digital Reading RulersProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581367(1-17)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3581367
Gu KJun EAlthoff T(2023)Understanding and Supporting Debugging Workflows in Multiverse AnalysisProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581099(1-19)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
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Raptis GTheodorou VKatsini C(2023)Towards Evaluating Image Recommendations in Digital News and Media Ecosystem2023 International Conference on Computer and Applications (ICCA)10.1109/ICCA59364.2023.10401593(1-6)Online publication date: 28-Nov-2023
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