Readability of japanese electronic text with bunsetsu-based layouts

Abstract

We propose bunsetsu-based layouts to improve the efficiency of eye movements in reading Japanese text. When reading text, people tend to direct their gaze toward the center of a word. This is called the optimal viewing position. The optimal viewing position results in the shortest gaze durations and fewest re-fixations. In the case of Japanese text, the eyes tend to fixate on each characteristic Japanese linguistic unit (bunsetsu). An electronic Japanese text reader that facilitates accurate control of eye movements to bunsetsu segments could increase the reading rate and result in more efficient eye movements. In this study, we develop new techniques to decrease inefficient eye movements when reading Japanese text. In Experiment I, we investigate the effectiveness of the layout with bunsetsu-based line breaking. A bunsetsu- based linefeed layout breaks a line between bunsetsu segments, i.e., splitting a bunsetsu segment is prohibited. The reading speed for the bunsetsu-based linefeed layout was faster compared to the conventional text layout with line lengths of 5–40 characters per line. The improvements in reading speed were likely due to the optimization of eye movements near the edge of a line. In the case of 5–11 characters per line, the improvements in reading speed were likely due to an increase in the number of lines that can be recognized by a single fixation. These results indicate that the bunsetsu-based linefeed layout is an effective technique to improve reading efficiency. In Experiment II, we develop a new micro-vibration text reader with bunsetsu-based segmentation. The new reader vibrates each bunsetsu segment in a different phase to enhance boundary information for eye guidance. The reading speed for the micro-vibration text was approximately 7%–12% faster compared to the stable text with line lengths of approximately 11–29 characters per line. The improvements in reading speed were likely due to a reduction in re-fixations within a bunsetsu segment and an increase in the number of lines that can be recognized by a single fixation without horizontal saccades. Moreover, 76% of the participants did not experience illegibility or incongruousness with the micro-vibration text reader. These results indicate that micro-vibration is an effective technique to improve the efficiency of reading text with line lengths of 11–29 characters per line without an increase in cognitive load or a decrease in comprehension. In Experiment III, we develop a new stepwise incremental indent layout with bunsetsu-based segmentation and a vertical scrolling operation. The reading speed obtained by the proposed layout of 4.4 characters per line was comparable to the fixed-line length layout of 29 characters per line. This improvement is primarily achieved by a reduction in the number of fixations. Moreover, 85% of the participants did not experience illegibility or incongruousness with the stepwise incremental indent layout reading. These results indicate that this layout is an effective technique to improve the efficiency of reading text with line lengths of 5 characters per line without an increase in cognitive load or a decrease in comprehension. These experimental results indicate that the Japanese electronic text reader with these proposed techniques can improve the reading speed of text with line lengths of 5–40 characters per line without an increase in cognitive load or decrease in comprehension.