Yu-Ting Lin

The Effects of Information Format and Reading Task on Mobile User’s Reading Behavior: A Cognitive Fit Perspective

The ownership of mobile devices rapidly expand which results to the behavior of reading is transformed. A central feature to the success of mobile publications is the design of an effective interface to link text to image information. However, the suitability of the prevalent information formats in supporting various mobile reading tasks is not known. Using the cognitive fit theory as the theoretical framework, we developed a research model to investigate the fit between information format and reading task, and examined its influence on mobile user’s reading performance and perceptions of reading experience. As the information format has been shown to affect readers’ mobile reading behavior, even when the information content is held constant, the practical implications for mobile publication designers include providing both types of information format on their mobile publications and matching the appropriate information format to the individual reader’s task.

Status and Trend of E-book Applications for iOS Devices: A Developer's Perspective

Modern smart mobile devices offer media-rich and native features that are highly useful for e-book applications. In particular, many e-book application developers have chosen Apples iOS mobile devices such as iPad, or iPhone as the target device to provide more creative and richer user experience, as evidenced by the rapidly increasing number of publication apps in Apples App Store. In this paper, three major types of e-book apps from the App Store were examined from a developers perspective to provide a focused overview of the status and trends of iOS e-book apps and an analysis of related technology, architecture, and user interface design issues. The three representative e-book apps were analyzed according to their purposes, functions, and user satisfaction, so that user interface design guideline is established for the developer implementation. It was clear that e-book apps still had plenty of room to grow to take full advantage of unique mobile platform features and truly fulfill their potential. In particular, introduction of two-or three-dimensional visualization and context-awareness for the behavior component could further enhance e-book apps usability and utility. This paper aims to serve as a reference point and guide for developers and practitioners interested in using iOS as a platform for e-book applications, particular from the technical point of view.