Abstract

Often in displays of alphanumeric data the maximum possible number of characters per line is not quite sufficient to meet the needs of tasks fully. Some of the available line capacity is occupied by spacing, to separate groups of characters visually. A series of simple exploratory experiments has been conducted to examine the feasibility of substituting colour for spacing.Passages of English text were presented to be read aloud. Alternate words were delimited by one of several coding dimensions: differently coloured characters, differently coloured backgrounds or different brightness contrasts. Measures of reading speed, reading errors and comprehension were employed.In general, undelimited monochrome text without spacing was much more difficult to read than text delimited by any alternative means. The results seem promising enough to treat the idea seriously. Its main applications may be to alphanumeric tabular data rather than to text, and these applications are now being explored.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.