Banerjee Jayeeta, Bhattacharyya Moushum
Govt. Degree College, Dharma Nagar, North Tripura, Pin- 799250, India.
J Hum Ergol (Tokyo). 2011 Dec;40(1-2):47-62.
There is a rapid shifting of media: from printed paper to computer screens. This transition is modifying the process of how we read and understand text. The efficiency of reading is dependent on how ergonomically the visual information is presented. Font types and size characteristics have been shown to affect reading. A detailed investigation of the effect of the font type and size on reading on computer screens has been carried out by using subjective, objective and physiological evaluation methods on young adults. A group of young participants volunteered for this study. Two types of fonts were used: Serif fonts (Times New Roman, Georgia, Courier New) and Sans serif fonts (Verdana, Arial, Tahoma). All fonts were presented in 10, 12 and 14 point sizes. This study used a 6 X 3 (font type X size) design matrix. Participants read 18 passages of approximately the same length and reading level on a computer monitor. Reading time, ranking and overall mental workload were measured. Eye movements were recorded by a binocular eye movement recorder. Reading time was minimum for Courier New l4 point. The participants' ranking was highest and mental workload was least for Verdana 14 point. The pupil diameter, fixation duration and gaze duration were least for Courier New 14 point. The present study recommends using 14 point sized fonts for reading on computer screen. Courier New is recommended for fast reading while for on screen presentation Verdana is recommended. The outcome of this study will help as a guideline to all the PC users, software developers, web page designers and computer industry as a whole.
从纸质印刷品转向电脑屏幕。这种转变正在改变我们阅读和理解文本的方式。阅读效率取决于视觉信息呈现的人体工程学程度。字体类型和大小特征已被证明会影响阅读。通过对年轻人使用主观、客观和生理评估方法，对字体类型和大小对在电脑屏幕上阅读的影响进行了详细调查。一组年轻参与者自愿参加了这项研究。使用了两种字体：衬线字体（宋体、新宋体、宋体）和无衬线字体（微软雅黑、Arial、Tahoma）。所有字体都有10、12和14磅大小。本研究采用6×3（字体类型×大小）设计矩阵。参与者在电脑显示器上阅读18篇长度和阅读难度大致相同的文章。测量了阅读时间、排名和总体心理负荷。用双眼眼动记录仪记录眼动。宋体14磅的阅读时间最短。参与者对微软雅黑14磅的排名最高，心理负荷最小。宋体14磅的瞳孔直径、注视持续时间和凝视持续时间最短。本研究建议在电脑屏幕上阅读时使用14磅大小的字体。推荐宋体用于快速阅读，而在屏幕展示时推荐微软雅黑。这项研究的结果将有助于为所有个人电脑用户、软件开发人员、网页设计师以及整个计算机行业提供指导。
