Johnson Chapter 6 Reading is Unnatural

Reading is Unnatural We’re wired for language, but not for reading Speaking and understanding spoken languages is a natural human ability Reading is an artificial skill that we learn by systematic instruction and practice, like playing a violin, juggling, or reading music

Learning to read involves training our brain Paragraphs Phrases: idiomatic expressions, sentences Words Morphemes: “farm” “tax” “ing” Patterns—letters, numeric digits, concepts (e.g., Chinese) Features: lines, contours, shapes

Is reading feature-driven or context-driven Feature-driven = bottom-up, context-free First recognize basic features (lines, edges, angles, etc.) Then recognize morphemes, words, and phrases Context-driven = top-down Start by recognizing high-level patterns like words phrases and sentences Then determine what the components of the high-level pattern must be

The rain in Spain falls manly in the plain

Mray had a ltilte lmab, its feclee was with as sown Mray had a ltilte lmab, its feclee was with as sown. And ervey wehre that Mray wnet, the lmab was srue to go.

Twinkle, twinkle little star how I wonder what you are

To let

Skilled and unskilled reading uses different parts of the brain Letters are matched and their corresponding sounds Morphemes and words are recognized

Poor information design can disrupt reading Unfamiliar terms Your session has expired. Please reauthenticate Use “controlled language” Difficult scripts and typefaces 1: This sentence is difficult to read 2: This sentence is difficult to read

Information buried in repetition How to renew your driver license in person How to renew your driver license by mail How to renew our driver license by internet How to renew your instruction permit

Centered text

Much of the reading required by software is unnecessary It’s easy to locate a dealer. Click and hold box number 1 to select your search by Area Code, City, Dealership Name, or State. 2. Enter the Zip Code, City or Dealership Name in the box marked number 2. 3. If searching by state only select the state form the pull-down menu n box number 3. **If choosing to search by city or state, type the city in box 2 then select a state in the box marked number 3 to make your search complete. 4. Once finished, simply click the “Search” button. Search by: Select a State: Enter Zip Code, City, or Dealership name: Zip Code Choose One Search

Find a Dealer Enter Zip Go e Go

Structure Enhances People’s Ability to Scan Long Numbers Easy (415) 123-4567 Hard: 4151234567

Data-specific Controls provide even more structure E-mail Address: fred @ bedrock . com

Visual Hierarch lets People Focus on the Relevant Information Organize and prioritize the contents of a page by using size, prominence, and content relationships. Let’s look at these relationships more closely. The more important a headline is, the larger its font size should be. Big bold headlines help to grab the user’s attention as they scan the Web page. The more important the headline or content, the higher up the page it should be placed. The most important or popular content should always be positioned prominently near the top of the page, so users can view it without having to scroll too far Group similar content types by displaying the content in a similar visual style, or in a clearly defined area.

Visual Hierarch lets People Focus on the Relevant Information Size. Organize and prioritize the contents of a page by using size, prominence, and content relationships. Let’s look at these relationships more closely. The more important a headline is, the larger its font size should be. Big bold headlines help to grab the user’s attention as they scan the Web page. Prominence. The more important the headline or content, the higher up the page it should be placed. The most important or popular content should always be positioned prominently near the top of the page, so users can view it without having to scroll too far Content Relationship. Group similar content types by displaying the content in a similar visual style, or in a clearly defined area.