Visual decorations inside text can distract readers with no comprehension gain
Visual Embellishments are Potential Distractions in Double-Column Reading
Human-Computer Interaction
Summary
Putting eye-catching images or graphics directly inside text paragraphs might seem helpful for understanding, but this study found that these decorations can actually distract readers. The researchers tracked eye movements and saw small increases in scanning across columns, but readers did not understand the text any better. Some readers even said that simple visuals were more distracting than plain text. These results are different from some previous studies and suggest more research is needed.
What this means in practice
- •For academic publishers: Design text layouts for journals to minimize embedded graphics that may distract readers without improving understanding.
- •For technical writers: Decide when to include inline visualizations cautiously, as they might interfere with readers’ flow and comprehension.
Authors
Songwen Hu, Chase Stokes, Marti Hearst, Cindy Xiong Bearfield
Abstract
Eye-catching graphics, such as circular figure labels and word-scale visualizations, are increasingly being placed directly within long-form text paragraphs. Some research has claimed that inline visualizations can help readers understand data-rich passages more clearly. However, research in the science of reading calls into question the introduction of images within the flow of text. In this work, we conduct an exploratory study of eye movement in both the presence and absence of visual embellishments. Using a high-resolution eye-tracker (EyeLink Portable Duo), we observed small mean increases in vertical and cross-column saccade rates among six participants, with substantial variation among readers and no detected difference in comprehension accuracy. Mean subjective ratings for the data-light circular-glyph passage indicated it is more distracting than its unembellished comparison passage. These exploratory observations differ from prior findings and motivate a larger, fully crossed study of inline graphics.