Text on a computer screen slows our reading by 75%.
- text is harder to read on screen
- use short paragraphs
- use emphasis
Computer screens have come along way from the tiny green monitors of the first computers. The basic principles still apply – reading text on a screen is harder than reading text on paper.
When you read text on a piece of paper, light reflects off the paper and hits your eye, allowing you to read the information. Computer monitors project their light to the screen, and in turn to your eyes. Projected light is harder on the eyes than reflected light, as most of us grew up getting used to reflected light.
Computer monitors also have a lower resolution, so the level of detail they can display is lower than what you can get on a piece of paper. A computer monitor displays information at around 72 DPI (dots per inch) and an average printed page has between 300 and 1200 DPI. So text on a computer screen looks a little grainy or blurry.
This means readers slow down then they are reading large chunks of text, and are less likely to read large sections of text on screen because it is actually agitating to the eyes.
Short paragraphs (4 sentences max!) and short sentences with bold for emphasis help online readers to get through text online. Summarizing your points before or after your article is also a good technique for those visitors who are in a hurry.