Quote:
Originally Posted by tomsem
It is -2 (if you have Special Offers) and -3 otherwise.
One might well think or assume that ‘more is better’, but my experience is that it feels more focused and relaxed. To the extent that I flip through pages of my library looking for something to read, it is easier to give focused attention to 5 items than 7 or 8. More focused attention is good, not bad. (By comparison, an iPad screen shows more items, but it feels harder to ‘browse’.)
Perhaps this parallels studies of ‘subitizing’ (the ability to enumerate objects without counting), which find that we can quickly enumerate 3 or 4 objects, but larger quantities require the cognitive load of ‘counting’, which is slower.
I’m not suggesting that the designer(s) took 5 to be the magic number, but I cannot agree that there is nothing to like about it.
“Don’t bite off more than you can chew”
I would like to take this even further and be able to Filter by Started, so that I only see books I’ve Started and the rest would be hidden until I’m ready to start something new. I am going to revive my Started collection and prototype this. But I’d like it to be more automatic.
Also, people like me who switch reading devices (iPad, iPhone etc) can appreciate the consistency of look and feel, though as I’ve said, please let us customize the tap zones to match as well.
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On a Kobo one can filter to see only the books one has started to read and has not yet finished. On a Kindle the filter includes the finished books too, so it isn't as useful.
As to the rest of your post, I don't agree. Excessive white space doesn't help me focus, it bothers me. And having to constantly turn pages while browsing the library certainly interferes with my focus as well.
But that's me. Some people seem to love all that white space, as seen from the comments here. Incomprehensible to me, but there it is.