The Effects of Line Length 18Jul05

A. Dawn Shaikh published at usability news a paper about The Effects of Line Length on Reading Online News

"This study examined the effects of line length on reading speed, comprehension, and user satisfaction of online news articles. Twenty college-age students read news articles displayed in 35, 55, 75, or 95 characters per line (cpl) from a computer monitor. Results showed that passages formatted with 95 cpl resulted in faster reading speed. No effects of line length were found for comprehension or satisfaction, however, users indicated a strong preference for either the short or long line lengths.
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This study examined the effects of line length on reading performance. Reading rates were found to be fastest at 95 cpl. Readers reported either liking or disliking the extreme line lengths (35 cpl, 95 cpl). Those that liked the 35 cpl indicated that the short line length facilitated “faster” reading and was easier because it required less eye movement. Those that liked the 95 cpl stated that they liked having more information on a page at one time. Although some participants reported that they felt like they were reading faster at 35 cpl, this condition actually resulted in the slowest reading speed.

Circulation of newspapers at 814 of America’s largest daily newspapers declined 1.9% from September 2004 to March 2005 (Shin, 2005). This decline is part of a 20-year trend in newspaper circulation and is due, in part, to the increased use of the Internet and other forms of media (cable, satellite, etc). As users continue to choose online news sources, it is imperative to understand factors that contribute to improving the overall online reading experience for news. Participants were able to read news articles significantly faster while maintaining high reading efficiency using 95 cpl. Despite the fact that there were no differences in satisfaction scores, a line length that supports faster reading could impact the overall experience for users of online news sources."

Internetverweis

Usability News: The Effects of Line Length on Reading Online News