Real Books Faster Read than E-Books?
I have the Kindle DX and I find myself reading at about twice the rate I did with regular books. As a result of my own experience this story surprised me:
It takes longer to read books on a Kindle 2 or an iPad versus a printed book, Jakob Nielsen of product development consultancy Nielsen Norman Group discovered in a recent usability survey.
The study found that reading speeds declined by 6.2% on the iPad and 10.7% on the Kindle compared to print. However, Nielsen conceded that the differences in reading speed between the two devices were not “statistically significant because of the data’s fairly high variability” — in other words, the study did not prove that the iPad allowed for faster reading than the Kindle.
A total of 24 participants (10 is about average for a usability survey) were given short stories by Ernest Hemingway to read in print and on iPads, Kindles and desktop PCs. Hemingway was chosen because his work utilizes simple language and is “pleasant and engaging to read.” The narratives took an average of 17 minutes and 20 seconds from start to finish — enough time to get readers fully “immersed” in the stories, Nielsen explained.
After reading, participants filled out a brief comprehension questionnaire to make sure no one had skimmed through a story. Users rated their satisfaction with each device; the iPad, Kindle and printed book scored 5.8, 5.7 and 5.6, on a scale of 7, respectively, while the PC received an average score of 3.6 — due, in part, because reading on a PC reminded readers of work. Participants also complained about the weight of the iPad and the Kindle’s weak contrast.
As Nielsen notes, the satisfaction ratings on the survey are promising for the future of e-readers and tablet devices. However, I can see universities and businesses taking less kindly to e-readers if further studies prove that they handicap reading speed.
What do you think of the results? Do you prefer to read on an e-reader, tablet or in print — and why?
Related articles:
- iPad and Kindle Reading Speeds (Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox) (useit.com)
- Kindle DX 2 vs iPad (ireaderreview.com)
- The Future of the Kindle Might Not Be on the Kindle (slog.thestranger.com)
- Should I Get the New Kindle? (news.ycombinator.com)
You can’t beat a good book…a proper one with pages and print and such like.
On this topic I am proud to be an anti-technology old fart!
Mike,
You’d mentioned how much you’d enjoyed “Horton hears a Who” on your kindle and that you’d be digging into “Spot sees a Squirrel” next. Cool man!
Print, print, print, forever print.
I’m a fan of technology (if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be hanging out here with you wonderful folks) but reading isn’t merely an intellectual exercise, it’s physical. The tactile sensation of turning the pages, the scent of the paper and binding (alright, not so much now with new productions; some of those chemical glues, yikes). You immerse yourself in it much more easily than on an electronic device. I guess if you travel a lot, they could come in handy instead of toting around 5 or 6 hefty tomes, but I’ll always be old-fashioned on this.
I love my Kindle 🙂