Abstract
Previous research has shown that typographical factors of online text may influence its readability. This study examines the effects of line length on reading speed, comprehension, and user satisfaction of online news articles. Twenty college-age students read news articles displayed in 35, 55, 75, or 95 characters per line (cpl) from a computer monitor. Comprehension was assessed using six question types — title, main idea, main factual, structure, incidental, and recognition (Dyson & Haselgrove, 2001). Results showed that passages formatted with 95 cpl resulted in faster reading speed. Structure questions were found to be more challenging overall when compared to factual and other lower-level questions. Overall satisfaction was not affected by line length; however, users indicated a strong preference for the extreme line lengths.
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