Article published In: AILA Review
Vol. 38:1 (2025) ► pp.105–128
Does the reading platform matter?
An eye-tracking study
Akshay Mendhakar | University of WarsawWarsaw | University of ViennaVienna | Université Clermont AuvergneClermont-Ferrand Cedex
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.
For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.
Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University of Vienna.
Published online: 31 July 2025
https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.24033.men
https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.24033.men
Abstract
Most reading technologies claim to provide experiences similar to reading on print paper. This study compared
reading across different digital platforms and print books. Digital reading mediums used in this study were reading on a PC
screen, a handheld e-reader and an iPad. A total of eighty participants enrolled in various university courses took part in this
experiment. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of the reading conditions, and subsequent eye-tracking measurements were
compared. Results indicated that the mean fixation duration was statistically different only for the reading from the PC
condition, whereas it was similar across all other conditions. The reading time and the total number of fixations were comparable
for the dedicated e-reader, iPad and printed book. This study provides empirical evidence that e-reading tools closely mimic
book-reading conditions.
Keywords: reading, medium, eye-tracking, digital, screen, technology
Article outline
- Introduction
- Methods
- Participants
- Materials
- Procedure
- Experimental condition 1
- Experimental condition 2
- Experimental condition 3
- Control condition
- Data analysis
- Results
- Reading time
- Fixation measures
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Conflict of interest
- CRediT author statement
- Data availability statement
- Acknowledgements
- Note
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