Effects of paper on cross-reference reading for multiple documents: Comparison of reading performances and processes between paper and computer displays

Abstract

This paper describes two experiments that compare paper and computer displays in cross-reference reading for multiple documents. The first experiment quantitatively showed the superiority of paper regarding reading speed and error-detection rate. To investigate the reason for this, in the second experiment, we microscopically analyzed the process of reading, focusing on users' interaction with documents. Results showed that pointing to text is frequently performed and takes less time moving documents horizontally when using paper. Considering the results, we discuss methodologies to improve electronic reading devices.