Personalized social reading: The effect of text markers and font size on the reading experience

Abstract

This study investigated how text markers (TMs) and font size (FS) affect the reading experience. College students (N = 45) read textual material presented in four TM formats (underline, highlight, margin note at right, and margin note at end) and three FSs (8 pt, 12 pt, and 14 pt). Their reading experience (immersion, social presence, and satisfaction) was assessed through subjective postreading ratings and interpreted through eye-tracking data. The results showed that different forms of TM affected the reading experience. Effects of TMs on immersion, social presence, and satisfaction were identified, along with interaction effects between TM and FS on immersion, first fixation duration, and total fixation duration ratio. Specifically, reading experience at smaller FSs (8 pt) was more likely to be influenced by TMs. Regarding eye-tracking metrics, first fixation duration was positively correlated with immersion, and total fixation duration ratio was negatively correlated with immersion. Although no correlation was found between immersion and social presence, a negative correlation was found in the actual reading process (i.e., the stronger the perception of the social presence of TMs, the lower the immersion). These findings can provide insights useful for the design of TMs in social reading from a user-experience perspective.