Designing Usable Electronic Text: Ergonomic Aspects Of Human Information Usage [Paperback]

A Dillon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 074840113X | ISBN-13: 978-0748401130 | Publication Date: April 15, 1994 | Edition: 1

Electronic documents offer the possibility of presenting virtually unlimited amounts of information to readers in forms which can be rapidly searched and structured to suit their needs. However, poor design and a failure to consider the user often combine to compromise the realization of this potential.; In this book, Dillon examines the issues involved in designing usable electronic documents from the perspective of the designer. It examines the human issues underlying information usage and emphasizes the issue of usability as the main problem in the electronic medium's failure to gain mass acceptance. In an attempt to provide a relevant description of the reading process that supports a more informed view of the issues, a series of studies examining readers and their views as well as uses of texts is reported. The results lead to the proposal of a user-centred framework that provides a broad qualitative model of the important issues for designers to consider when developing an electronic document.; "Designing Usable Electronic Text" focuses attention on aspects that are central to usability, and concludes with an analysis of the likely uses of such a framework and the realistic potential for electronic documents.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Designing Usable Electronic Text is without question an important resource to all professionals involved in the field of human-computer interaction and user interface designs.
- HCI International News, April 2005

[A]n engaging presentation of elements that play a role in reading text, be it on paper or electronic.
- The Indexer, Vol. 24, No. 2, Oct 2004 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Andrew Dillon is a Professor and Dean of the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin. A psychologist by training, he has written extensively on the human response to information technology and consulted with industry both in Europe and the US. He serves on the editorial boards of several major journals and writes a regular column on information architecture. He can be reached at [e-mail]. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press; 1 edition (April 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074840113X
• ISBN-13: 978-0748401130
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,217,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible, Thorough and Useful, December 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Designing Usable Electronic Text: Ergonomic Aspects Of Human Information Usage (Paperback)

I'm researching systems-development related topics at the moment and this book is one of the few I've encountered that gives an abundant amount of carefully considered information. Most books, it seems, can be summarized in a sentence or two. Dillon's work, on the other hand, is one of the most detailed--and purposeful--I've seen. I'd recommend this book not only to text designers but anyone interested in user-centered design. Its implications for users (who are often scanners, not readers!) are broad and significant, encompassing motivations (why people read, or why they visit websites and what they expect to get out of their experience) and navigation and wayfinding issues. Another useful component of the book is its discussion of using models and frameworks as a tool to faciliate structured research and development. Many thanks to Dillon for providing a first rate book on a pervasive, yet largely ignored topic. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best analysis of reading electronic text I have seen, August 26, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Designing Usable Electronic Text: Ergonomic Aspects Of Human Information Usage (Paperback)

This is by far the best analysis of reading of electronic text that I have seen. He provides an excellent insight as to what is, what might be, and what is not important for on-screen reading.

He does not limit text to just fiction/non-fiction categories, but instead discusses: WHY it is read professional/personal reasons, to learn or not, out of interest/need, etc. WHAT type of information it contains technical or non-technical, subject matter, general or specific, textual or graphic, etc. HOW it is read serially or non-serially, once or repeatedly, browsed or studied in depth, etc.

His book suggests to me that text should alter its format to the meet the users - Why, What, and How. Possible examples: switch to all caps when searching for words or phrases, turn off hyperlink indicators for linear reading, ...

He points out that there have been many studies on editing text, but few on reading text. A good fraction of the book deals with on-screen reading.

Screen reading was better with: high resolution characters, increased space between lines (leading), proportional font, limiting the number of characters on a line, and not splitting a sentence across a page boundary.

He indicates that users preferred on-screen reading over paper reading for some tasks when the screens had enough improvements.

Screen reading might be improved with: landmarks/navigation, serif fonts, full left/right justification, ...

Screen reading was no different than paper reading for: orientation of the media, flicker rate, screen dynamics, and visual angles (< 36 degrees).