A. Dawn Shaikh

A Survey of Online Reading Habits of Internet Users

This study evaluated the reading habits of Internet users across five document types. Internet users completed an online survey indicating whether they were likely to read a document online or on paper using five possible choices. Document types evaluated included journal articles, news, newsletters, literature, and product information. Results revealed differences in the reading habits based on document type. Journal articles were reported to be primarily printed while documents such as online news, newsletters, and product reviews were reported to be read mainly online. Users tended not to use online sources for reading literature. Primary factors determining whether a document was printed or read online were size, importance, and intended purpose of document.

Optimizing Presentation of AdSense Ads within Blogs

AdSense text ads have become a popular method of advertising on the web, specifically within blogs when using Blogger. With increasing popularity of blogs, AdSense ads are enticing to bloggers because they offer financial rewards with relatively little effort. The biggest challenge with AdSense is generating revenue through clicks or impressions. Google offers tips on optimal presentation for ads to generate higher revenue, but empirical evidence is lacking in this area. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine two important presentation elements of AdSense ads, location and color scheme. Results suggested more information is remembered about an AdSense ad when it has a high contrast color. Increased awareness can lead to higher recall of the ad, thereby, helping build the brand of advertiser which can increase clicks.

The Effect of Typeface on the Perception of Onscreen Documents

This study investigated the effect that typeface has on a readers perception of three different types of onscreen documents (business, email, and youth narrative stories). Participants read documents displayed in either a congruent, neutral, or incongruent typeface. Results suggest that the less congruent the typeface, the more the document was perceived in a negative fashion. That is, the typeface itself affected the perceived personality of the document and the perception of the author; thus, typeface appropriateness should be considered when writing an onscreen document.

The legibility of ClearType fonts

This article introduces six new ClearType fonts (Cambria, Constantia, Corbel, Candara, Calibri, and Consolas) developed by Microsoft. Legibility of the font lowercase letters, digits, and symbols was compared to two traditional fonts, Times New Roman and Verdana. Results show that the legibility, as measured by the number of correct identifications of briefly presented characters, was highest for the new fonts Consolas and Cambria, and lowest for Candara and Corbel. Old style numerals, such as 0,1, and 2, used in Constantia, Candara, and Corbel resulted in confusion with the letters o, 1, and z. Several symbols in Times New Roman were confused with both letters and other symbols.

Personality of Cleartype Fonts

Substantial research regarding typeface persona has not been conducted for onscreen media. Previous research indicates that printed typefaces have associated personas and have the potential to create meanings that extend beyond the printed text. This study examined six new ClearType fonts and six existing fonts representing serif, sans serif, and monospaced font groups. Fonts were examined using 15 personality pairs through an online survey. Results indicated that serif fonts were characterized as more traditional in personality; sans serif fonts were perceived as more casual; and monospaced fonts were described as plain and dull. Overall, this study makes an initial attempt to establish perceived onscreen personas common fonts while evaluating the newest Microsoft fonts.

The Effects of Line Length on Reading Performance of Online News Articles

Previous research has shown that typographical factors of online text may influence its readability. This study examines 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. Comprehension was assessed using six question types — title, main idea, main factual, structure, incidental, and recognition (Dyson & Haselgrove, 2001). Results showed that passages formatted with 95 cpl resulted in faster reading speed. Structure questions were found to be more challenging overall when compared to factual and other lower-level questions. Overall satisfaction was not affected by line length; however, users indicated a strong preference for the extreme line lengths.