Сomparative analysis of the font design effect of electronic texts, presented on a laptop and tablet, on the visual analyzer of schoolchildren of basic General education

Abstract

The problem of increasing the prevalence of visual impairment in schoolchildren is becoming especially urgent at the present time, when e-learning programs and new e-learning contents are being implemented in schools. It seems relevant to search for optimal characteristics of presenting information on screens, taking into account the specifics of the electronic devices and age-related physiological features of the users’ visual system. It was shown that the initial indicators of the visual analyzer in schoolchildren of basic general education are near the lower limit of the norm. Pupilsof this age are highly sensitive to visual load. Reading texts in 16- and 14-point font of 200 and 400 signs was carried out at the stable functioning of the visual system and the improvement of the critical flicker fusion frequency indicators of schoolchildren regardless of the used electronic device.Reading texts in 16- and 14-point font of 600 signs and in 12-point font of 400 signs led to a decrease in the lability of the visual analyzer, which became significant only using a laptop. The screens of tablets provides create more favorable visual working conditions than laptops and can increase the resistance to visual and general fatigue among schoolchildren. The development of visual fatigue was observed after reading texts typed in 12-point font of 600 signs and in 10-point font of 200 signs, both from a laptop and tablet. The obtained results provide justification for creating hygienic requirements for the font design of electronic educational publications for schoolchildren of this age category.