Multiple-Column Online Text
J. Ryan Baker published at usability news a paper about Hotspots and Hyperlinks: Using Eye-tracking to Supplement Usability Testing
" This study investigated the effects of multi-column displays and justification on reading performance and satisfaction of an online narrative passage. Participants read a short story displayed in one of six formats (one, two, or three columns, in either a full or left-justified format). Results showed a significant column x justification interaction with reading speed significantly faster for the two-column full-justified text than for one-column full-justified, and significantly faster for one-column left-justified than for one-column full-justified or three-column full-justified text. Post-hoc analyses indicate that the faster readers may have benefited most from the two-column justified format.
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The purpose of this study was to examine how multiple columns and text justification impact online reading in terms of reading speed, comprehension, and satisfaction of a narrative passage. Results from this study showed that reading speed was significantly faster for two-column full-justified text than for one-column full-justified text. Post-hoc analyses showed that it was the fastest readers that benefited the most from this format.
Slower readers showed their fastest reading and highest reading efficiency at the one-column left-justification condition. This may be because the very short lines impeded the reader’s ability to take in an optimal amount of information at each fixation. Gutherie & Wigfield (2000) assert that a slow reader may lose all information about the beginning of a sentence from short-term memory before he or she has read to the end. Slow readers may also have had difficulty “keeping their place” with the multiple line length conditions for this same reason.
Numerous factors contribute to the ease of online reading. As more types of documents become digital, and more people read from online sources, finding the optimal presentation of these materials will become critical in the near future. Reading and comprehension tests are moving into the digital domain and studies such as this one can help researchers and designers know which types of layouts are best for their audience. A two-column full-justified format is best for situations where fast readers are the primary audience. However, for more a more equalized setting, a layout with no strong advantages or disadvantages may be best.
The results of this study suggest that there is not one best way to present text online. Although fast readers performed best at the two-column full-justified condition, slow readers benefited from a single column non-justified layout. This suggests that users should have the option to customize web pages to suit their reading needs. To date, there are very few sites that allow users to tailor information displays into multiple columns or adjust justification styles or font types. Giving users these options can help increase their reading speed with the text, and eventually may lead to a more optimal online reading experience."
Internetverweis
Usability News: Is Multiple-Column Online Text Better? It Depends!