June 2020
Beginner
256 pages
5h 38m
English
Content preview from 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People, 2nd Edition
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17 Reading a Screen is Harder than Reading Paper
Reading text on a screen is different from reading text on paper. When you read on a screen, the image is not stable—it is being refreshed, and the screen is emitting light. When you read text on paper, the image is stable (not being refreshed), and instead of emitting light, the paper is reflecting light. The refreshing of the image and emitting of the light on the screen are tiring on the eyes. Electronic ink (as in the Kindle) mimics the appearance of ink on paper. It reflects light and holds the text stable without refreshing.
To make text on a screen easier to read, make sure you use a large enough font and create enough contrast between foreground and background. Figure 17.1 shows the best ...