Navigation in e-readers

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

Tap left or right margin to turn page forward. Tap left or right bottom corner to turn page back. (Swiping works too, and there are also two physical page turning buttons.) Tap left top corner to close book. Tap right top corner to add bookmark. Tap middle of the page to open menu. Not a bad system, I suppose, once you get used to it, but you need to know it.

I finally understand your first post now. I've never heard of another ereader with such strange controls.

[dickloraine]

But it doesn't sound bad, if you are familiar with it. Solves the left hand only problem . But I think it would be better for pocketbook to make that an option instead of the default, as it is quite unintuitive. Like Kobo does it.

[HarryHutton]

For kobo, do you tap the top of the screen to get the menu - same as kindle?


Got a video of some issues, I used the Kindle Voyage for comparison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkEGsDvWLjk

The video shows four reading scenarios where e-readers are deficient, based on some academic articles*

1. Going back to find a related passage
2. Bookmarking
3. Going to a specific location e.g. Page 102 or Chapter 7
4. Non Linear Reading

Do you think navigation is OK or could it be improved?


*
PEARSON, J., BUCHANAN, G. & THIMBLEBY, H. (2010) HCI Principles for E-Readers
SIEGENTHALER, E., WURTZ, P. & GRONER, R. (2010) Improving the Usability of E-Book Readers. Journal of Usability Studies
PEARSON, J. & BUCHANAN, G. Improving Interaction in Digital Books. Swansea University
PRATT, K. (2010) Netbook, eReader, or iPad? - that is the question
SELTHOFER, J. (2013) Design of e-books: readers’ expectations in a comparative perspective. Libellarium, VI, 1 – 2 (2013): 91 – 97.
GOLOVCHINSKY, G. (2008) Reading in the Office. ACM
CHEN, N. et al. (2008) Navigation Techniques for Dual-Display E-Book Readers
BROWN, G. & COE, M. (2012) Ebook Navigation: Browse, Search and Index. The Australian Library Journal

[kacir]

Originally Posted by HarryHutton

Do you think navigation is OK or could it be improved?

Navigation is NOT OK.
When all you use >99% of time is "page forward" most of the other functionality is "page back" then a well configurable e-ink reader, prefferably with touch AND well placed hardware buttons is adequate.

Despite being huge fan and a long time user (started before there were any e-ink readers) of ebooks I strongly prefer paper books for studying.

If I have to use electronic book for studying then I require a PC with a large monitor, mouse (at vert least a touchpad) and keyboard.

[HarryHutton]

Originally Posted by kacir

Navigation is NOT OK.
When all you use >99% of time is "page forward" most of the other functionality is "page back" then a well configurable e-ink reader, prefferably with touch AND well placed hardware buttons is adequate.

Agreed, though I think that Scenario 1 - 'Going back to check out a related passage' happens a lot more than I would have initially given credit to, especially when reading a good fiction book - something knotty with plot twists. Every so often I'll have a moment of realisation, and go back a few pages to doublecheck something.
Couldn't really be bothered doing this on e-readers.

Originally Posted by kacir

Despite being huge fan and a long time user (started before there were any e-ink readers) of ebooks I strongly prefer paper books for studying.

If I have to use electronic book for studying then I require a PC with a large monitor, mouse (at vert least a touchpad) and keyboard.

Yeah for sure, the way current e-readers are geared, they only do a page at a time, where non-fiction and educational books generally do a lot of jumping around.

I'm a student too, I hate reading from PC screens but generally its the only option.

[dickloraine]

Navigation is ok for novels. You have some advantages by digital reading too: Search beeing the big one. Going to a chapter is okay too and bookmaring can be improved but is okay too.
But paper books help and are very good, to navigate by remembeing where in a book specific information was. That's the one thing I miss. I often knew where on a page and how far into a book specific things were. I don't have this intuition in ebooks. There are some studies about this too.
Finally skimming through a paper book is of course also easier.
For educational reading I think there could be improvements. But it also depends on use case and maybe on familiarity with ebooks.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by HarryHutton

For kobo, do you tap the top of the screen to get the menu - same as kindle?


Got a video of some issues, I used the Kindle Voyage for comparison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkEGsDvWLjk

The video shows four reading scenarios where e-readers are deficient, based on some academic articles*

1. Going back to find a related passage
2. Bookmarking
3. Going to a specific location e.g. Page 102 or Chapter 7
4. Non Linear Reading

Do you think navigation is OK or could it be improved?


*
PEARSON, J., BUCHANAN, G. & THIMBLEBY, H. (2010) HCI Principles for E-Readers
SIEGENTHALER, E., WURTZ, P. & GRONER, R. (2010) Improving the Usability of E-Book Readers. Journal of Usability Studies
PEARSON, J. & BUCHANAN, G. Improving Interaction in Digital Books. Swansea University
PRATT, K. (2010) Netbook, eReader, or iPad? - that is the question
SELTHOFER, J. (2013) Design of e-books: readers’ expectations in a comparative perspective. Libellarium, VI, 1 – 2 (2013): 91 – 97.
GOLOVCHINSKY, G. (2008) Reading in the Office. ACM
CHEN, N. et al. (2008) Navigation Techniques for Dual-Display E-Book Readers
BROWN, G. & COE, M. (2012) Ebook Navigation: Browse, Search and Index. The Australian Library Journal

How odd, I find that all these areas you point out are precisely where ereaders hold a huge and well-exploited advantage.

Well, except for bookmarks, those are marginally more accessible in a pbook -- but I rarely use them, since AFAIAC their only purpose is to get back to your reading position after putting the book away for a while... where once again, ereaders hold a tremendous advantage.

I wouldn't trust those academic articles further than I could throw them... which would be fun.
They are in good company -- along with E-readers 'damage sleep and health,' doctors warn and Report: Readers absorb less on Kindles than on Paper.

Highlighted parts of the Kindle:

Back arrow: This can be accomplished by holding your fingers in between pages, sure. But the back arrow can keep going back as you run out of fingers.

Search: Why point this out? Books can't do this. It shouldn't count against the ereader, because it provides extra functionality. To be equivalent to the book, just ignore it: and now it doesn't matter where it is.

Menu: Why point this out? It leads to functionality that books don't have.

Go to: Yep, you can flip pages, potentially finding a spot faster. But wait: Go to can go directly to a chapter/page. You'd at least have to flip back to a ToC, if you have one, or flip through lots of pages.

X-Ray: Again, why highlight this? It's something books don't have.

Bookmarks: Do you know how many times bookmarks have fallen out of my books? When I take a bookmark out while reading, should I place it elsewhere in the book, or maybe on my nightstand? I've had to search for lost bookmarks countless times this way. But wait! With my Kindle, I don't even need to access the bookmarks in general, because it remembers where I left off.

Back/forward: I can turn pages one-handed. With a book, you have to carefully grasp a page to turn it (make sure you don't grab 2 or 3!); or you can try to flip with your thumb (make sure you don't flip 10 or 20!) With my Voyage, I can use buttons, tap the screen, or swipe on the screen. I'd much rather tap a thumb (my usual method) than flip pages.

Quick preview (whatever that "swipe up" bottom bit is called): For flipping, I cede to books. If my goal is to flip quickly through pages, my Kindle is inferior to books.

Basically, this image seems to criticize ereaders for having extra functionality. That, to me, is bizarre. There are a multitude of things I think my Voyage does better than books, and a couple of things I think books do better than my Voyage.

[eschwartz]

Why would someone want to flip quickly through their book? Surely it makes more sense to go directly to what you are interested in...

[dickloraine]

Flipping through makes sense for example if you search for something, where you approximately know where it is.

[eschwartz]

Yes, that is why electronic devices have a search function. Flipping through is a terribly inelegant and inefficient way of searching for stuff.

All I can say is, I find myself looking things up from previously-in-the-book more often now that I read from said electronic device.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Yes, that is why electronic devices have a search function. Flipping through is a terribly inelegant and inefficient way of searching for stuff.

Yes, in many cases. But you might be looking for an image, for example. Or have a reference-style book that you want to jump to non-specific locations in (think of a kid flipping through an encyclopedia, or me flipping through The Dictionary of Imaginary Places).

I wouldn't argue that flipping through a book's pages happens very often, but when it does, I think a physical book makes it easier.

On the other hand, for the types of book I mentioned above, I tend to prefer the paper version, anyway, for other reasons (mainly page size/color).

[theducks]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Yes, that is why electronic devices have a search function. Flipping through is a terribly inelegant and inefficient way of searching for stuff.

All I can say is, I find myself looking things up from previously-in-the-book more often now that I read from said electronic device.

The Centerfold
Manga

Search does not work well on Pictures and charts, but then, I can't remember the last time I need to use search on my device.
I mostly read Fiction

Oh! Wait...
Those Photoshoped CF's...

Definatly Fiction

[HarryHutton]

Originally Posted by Colerson

Highlighted parts of the Kindle:

Back arrow: This can be accomplished by holding your fingers in between pages, sure. But the back arrow can keep going back as you run out of fingers.

Search: Why point this out? Books can't do this. It shouldn't count against the ereader, because it provides extra functionality. To be equivalent to the book, just ignore it: and now it doesn't matter where it is.

Menu: Why point this out? It leads to functionality that books don't have.

Go to: Yep, you can flip pages, potentially finding a spot faster. But wait: Go to can go directly to a chapter/page. You'd at least have to flip back to a ToC, if you have one, or flip through lots of pages.

X-Ray: Again, why highlight this? It's something books don't have.

Bookmarks: Do you know how many times bookmarks have fallen out of my books? When I take a bookmark out while reading, should I place it elsewhere in the book, or maybe on my nightstand? I've had to search for lost bookmarks countless times this way. But wait! With my Kindle, I don't even need to access the bookmarks in general, because it remembers where I left off.

Back/forward: I can turn pages one-handed. With a book, you have to carefully grasp a page to turn it (make sure you don't grab 2 or 3!); or you can try to flip with your thumb (make sure you don't flip 10 or 20!) With my Voyage, I can use buttons, tap the screen, or swipe on the screen. I'd much rather tap a thumb (my usual method) than flip pages.

Quick preview (whatever that "swipe up" bottom bit is called): For flipping, I cede to books. If my goal is to flip quickly through pages, my Kindle is inferior to books.

Basically, this image seems to criticize ereaders for having extra functionality. That, to me, is bizarre. There are a multitude of things I think my Voyage does better than books, and a couple of things I think books do better than my Voyage.

Hi Colerson

No criticism of the features intended, simply the higgledy piggledy way they have been laid out, compared to the rather simple way the navigation features of a pbook are "laid out"

I believe the next generation of ereaders should be better than printed books in terms of features AND usability.

[HarryHutton]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Yes, that is why electronic devices have a search function. Flipping through is a terribly inelegant and inefficient way of searching for stuff.

All I can say is, I find myself looking things up from previously-in-the-book more often now that I read from said electronic device.

I disagree, for two reasons.


1. Flipping through can be useful for understanding.

Serendipity, for example - accidentally coming across something interesting and pausing for a moment to read it. Perhaps not efficient - as it is a diversion of the original task, but useful nonetheless as a general part of increasing understanding and pleasurable reading of the text.

2. Flipping through can be faster in many situations

Try timing yourself as you search for something. It takes quite a while to bring up the menu, hit search, carefully type in the word(s) without typos, and select the right page from the results. Often, the users sense of context and physical location in a paper book allows them to quickly flip to the correct page in seconds. The key is to replicate this in an ereader.



I find search is quite useful when looking for multiple instances of things - e.g. "Snape" in a Harry Potter book, or if its something that I literally have no idea where it is - perhaps having not read that far.