A few days ago, we discussed on the blog an interesting infographic from Random House that examined the topic of who reads ebooks . It compiled and classified the groups in which ebook readers have the greatest impact , whether by age, reading habits, proximity to or affinity with the latest technologies, etc.
Without losing sight of this study, today we are going to review a group of readers (people) for whom electronic readers are a great help; I don't dare to call them indispensable, but they do represent an element that can significantly improve the reading experience.
In my family, there are more than a few avid readers, and I still remember my grandfather reading the newspaper with his magnifying glass when age and failing eyesight made it difficult for him to continue enjoying one of his great passions. With that image in mind, I can't help but think how happy he would have been if he'd had an e-reader like the ones we have in so many homes now.
I also have to admit that my grandfather was a very modern man and was always willing to try out new gadgets, so an e-reader or a tablet would have provided him with many hours of entertainment, I'm sure. However, many older people are reluctant to use these types of devices , even though they reduce eye strain and make reading easier, allowing them to read text faster and with less effort without affecting comprehension.
Well, rather than being reluctant to try new things, we could say that for many older people (and not so old) a "real" book is a paper book . Anything else might be something else, but it's not a book... And that's when they bring up the feel and the smell.
To further convince older people who are hesitant to make the switch to electronic reading devices, we can review the study conducted at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz , Germany, comparing brain activity and eye movement of two groups of different ages reading texts on paper, on e-ink readers and on tablets: 36 people aged between 21 and 34 years and a second group of 21 people over 60 years old.
The methodology was simple: each participant had to read nine texts ordered according to their difficulty , ranging from fiction to academic texts, and each text was read on paper, on an e-reader, and on a tablet. None of the participants had difficulty understanding the texts, but differences were observed depending on the reading device.
Brain activity and reading time in the younger group were not affected by the reading device. However, in the group over 60, reading on paper took more time and effort , while reading on a tablet resulted in faster reading speeds and less effort.
The greater contrast offered by backlit devices such as tablets makes reading easier for older people, and although I am not in favor of them for reading, the study did not conclude that they produced greater eye strain than other devices without backlighting.
Apart from the conclusions reached by the study, there are other characteristics of e-readers that, as simple users, allow us to appreciate how useful they can be for older people:
- lighter than a good part of the books on paper.
- They offer the possibility of choose font and size source that best suits our needs at all times.
- Some readers allow us invert the screen (black background and "white" letters) in a way that improves reading under artificial light.
- La dictionary search it is more comfortable than with the paper book.
For most people, using electronic reading devices may be a simple matter of convenience; for an elderly person or someone with vision problems, a reader can mean the difference between being able to enjoy reading or having to give it up.
More information – Who reads ebooks?
Source – Electronic readers 'better than books' for older people