-
1 Mental maps are harder to build
According to a study People build mental maps while reading which include the location of the information they are reading. In a book it's easy to recall where a piece of information was but on an internet article or PDF it's much harder to do the same and that's why reading becomes harder.
-
2 Physical touching helps people build the mental maps
When a person holds a book he can easily feel it's weight and know exactly how far he went through the book. This makes the process of building the mental map , which includes determining the location of information, much easier.
-
3 It might be harder to focus on a computer screen
Because people on the internet usually jump from one action to another the mental state they experience when they read from a screen can prevent them from staying focused for long.
-
4 Varying fonts
The varying fonts on computer screens can make it hard for some people to read some material that are written with small fonts.
-
5 Eye strain
Some people experience eye strain when they look at computer screens for long periods of time. Those people usually find it hard to read directly from a screen.
-
6 More cognitive effort needed
In one study it was claimed that comprehension is reduced when a person reads from the screen. As comprehension becomes harder more mental effort is required and thus reading from a screen can be harder (See also why some people find it hard to read).
-
7 Reading from the computer screen is slower
According to NNgroup reading from a computer screen is 25 percent slower and so more effort need to be exerted to read the same text from the screen (See how much users read on the web).
-
8 The availability of so many options prevents people from focusing properly
The availability of so many options on the web puts the reader in a non focused mental state as he always keeps assessing the material he is reading to find out whether he should continue reading it or whether he should leave.
-
9 Differences in lighting
The lighting settings is different on computer screen than when a person reads from paper. This can make some people find reading uncomfortable especially if the lighting conditions are not properly adjusted.
-
10 The computer screen keeps refreshing
The image we see on a computer screen is constantly refreshing. This can be tiring for some people.
Why is it so hard to read on a computer screen?
Trouble Reading Your Computer Screen? Why is it hard to read on a computer screen?

0 Comments