Research Study Compares Reading on the iPad, Kindle, PC and the Book

Written by Andy Brovey

A few weeks ago I wrote about an iPad usability study by the Nielsen Norman Group. Jakob Nielsen has now published a study of people reading text on tablet devices. He compared Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle, a PC monitor and a printed version of a short story by Ernest Hemingway. The sample size was 24 participants, all of whom liked reading and frequently read books. Findings indicated reading the printed material took the least time. Reading on the iPad was 6.2 % slower and on the Kindle was 10.7% slower, though Nielsen is quick to point out that the difference between the iPad and the Kindle is not statistically significant. More on this study and the results here.

Bookmark and Share

Posted on 5 July 2010

Tags: reading, research, study, text

About the Author

Dr. Andy Brovey, The Portable Prof, has over twenty-five years experience in educational technology, including teaching, administration and professional development. In 2007, Apple Inc. recognized his work and named him an Apple Distinguished Educator. Andy now runs a professional development business, working on site and online to help others make sense and make use of digital tools. He started the iPad Academy blog shortly after the first iPad went on sale, and is the author of the self-published eBook - iPad Academy: Tips, Tricks and Clever Techniques. He also created and directs the iPad Academy Master Class, an online video training series to help others become more comfortable and competent with the iPad. Video Message from Andy

iPad Academy