The Effects of Hangul Font and Character Size on the Readability in PDA

Abstract

As the use of mobile devices increases these days, it is necessary to study the user interface of those devices. In this study, experiments were carried out using different Hangul fonts and character sizes to enable better readability in PDA. As evaluation indicators on readability, subject performance measured with reading speed and error rate, fatigue measured with the count of eye-blinking, and subjective preference were used. As a result, there was significant difference in reading speed depending on the character sizes. Among three different levels, 8 pt and 10 pt showed better readability. In terms of error and fatigue rate, there was no significant difference depending on different Hangul fonts and character sizes. In the subjective preference, there was significant difference depending on Hangul fonts. According to our posterior evaluation on the subjective preference, subjects showed most efficient reading performance with Gulim style. In conclusion, the readability was best with Gulim style and with 8 pt and 10 pt of character sizes.