Ergonomical effects of reading eBooks versus paper books

Ergonomical effects of reading eBooks versus paper books

Have you ever thought about physical factors affecting your body while reading eBooks and paper books?

What is ergonomics?       

Ergonomics is designing anything keeping in mind the human factors of health, safety and comfort so that when a product is used by humans then it feels them comfortable.

According to  Merriam-Webster Dictionary Ergonomics is " an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely — called also biotechnology, human engineering, human factors"

In present scenario the users from their childhood are developing the reading, comprehension and learning skills in both arenas of Print and Digital. Because of increased habits of reading eBooks worldwide, the question of human physical factors while reading eBooks also arise.

In this digital era also some users are not able to keep balance between the print reading and digital reading, their reading, comprehension and learning capabilities are different on different platform (Print and screen). However, it may be different for different users based on their cognitive skills.

Advantages of eBooks over prints

1.   eBooks are cheaper.

2.    People can carry a library within a small space.

3.  Texts can be customized according to reader needs (font size, font color, font type and luminescence).

4. E-ink display like kindle paper white and LCD e-readers like tablets offer  a reading experience in all lighting conditions either in bright sunlight or night reading.

5. Not just a replacement for a book, rather multi-functional devices.

Disadvantages of eBooks over prints

1. Lack of tactile and olfactory feedback which results less emotional and personal involvement.

2.   Piracy issues (e-books are easier to copy).

3.  Interest of reading for long time in eBooks is less than the print books in which physical touch of progressive pages while reading keeps reader more involved.

Factors affecting while reading

1. Reading speed: A number of intervening variables, such as the size, type and quality of the visual display may affect reading speed.

2. Haptic dissonance: Many studies have found that olfactory smell of paper, visual appearance, feeling touching paper while reading paper book is more comfortable then digital reading.

3. Visual  fatigue: Reading through readers results in visual fatigue, which can be measured by the blinks per second and visual fatigue scale.

4. Health factors: Prolonged use of electronic devices may lead to high stress levels and depression and eyesight weakness. 

Based on these factors  I want to know from the readers of this post that which medium of reading they find more comfortable with. Please reply and let's try to find out the exact situation.

To know more: https://nghscrimsontimes.com/2901/student-life/ebooks-vs-print-books/