Effects of different interaction modes on fatigue and reading effectiveness with mobile phones

Reading on touchscreen mobile devices is common in modern society. However, it is difficult to determine which interaction mode has the best reading effect when reading texts of different lengths. Using memory tests, eye-movement data analysis, and task load scale, we studied the effects of paging and vertical scrolling modes on the memory level, visual fatigue, task load, and reading speed of 28 participants reading both long and short texts. The results showed that vertical scrolling has a better memory effect than paging mode when reading short texts, but there was no difference in effect when reading long texts; the blink frequency in paging mode is higher than in scrolling mode whether reading long or short texts; no significant differences were found in reading speed in scrolling or paging mode when reading short or long texts; and in task load, the mental and temporal demands in scrolling mode were lower than in paging mode whether reading long or short texts. Considering that most current mobile readings do not differ in interaction mode according to the length of reading material, our conclusions provide valuable design recommendations to designers working on mobile reading apps. •Scrolling mode yields better memory effect than paging when reading short texts.•The visual fatigue in paging mode is lower than scrolling mode.•No significant differences in reading speed in both modes.•The mental and temporal demand in scrolling mode is lower than paging mode.