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Enhancing Document Navigation Tasks With a Dual Display Electronic Reader

Authors:

Francois Guimbretiere

Cornell University

Cassandra Lewis

University of Belize

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We present a prototype dual-display e-book reader that is designed to improve the electronic reading experience. Our device uses lightweight embodied interactions to support unselfconscious local navigation. We incorporate mecha-nisms such as Space Filling Thumbnails, which take advan-tage of the increased display space on our device to aid global navigation. To accommodate the need for cross document operations and flexible layout of documents in the workspace, our prototype provides detachable faces that can operate independently.

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Enhancing Document Navigation Tasks With a Dual-

Display Electronic Reader

Nicholas Chen, Francois Guimbretiere, Cassandra Lewis

A.V. Williams Building

University of Maryland

College Park, MD 20742

Tel: +1-301-405-2715

{nchen, francois}@cs.umd.edu, clewis@umd.edu

Maneesh Agrawala

Soda Hall

University of California

Berkeley, CA 94720

maneesh@cs.berkeley.edu

ABSTRACT

We present a prototype dual-display e-book reader that is

designed to improve the electronic reading experience. Our

device uses lightweight embodied interactions to support

unselfconscious local navigation. We incorporate mecha-

nisms such as Space Filling Thumbnails, which take advan-

tage of the increased display space on our device to aid

global navigation. To accommodate the need for cross

document operations and flexible layout of documents in

the workspace, our prototype provides detachable faces that

can operate independently.

ACM Classification:

H5.2 [Information interfaces and

presentation]: User Interfaces.

- Graphical user interfaces.

General terms:

Design

Human Factors

Keywords:

E-book readers, multiple displays devices, em-

bodied interfaces

INTRODUCTION

Reading devices now on the market boast excellent battery

life and display quality. However, only a limited set of

reading activities can be performed using their single dis-

play surface. Laboratory and ethnographic studies point to

the importance of having multiple displays in reading;

Adler et al. [1] write:

“[…] judging by the degree to which multiple displays were

used across our whole sample, we can surmise that at least

two functionally interlinked screens might be more generally

useful.”

Fortunately, the e-paper [4, 8] found in existing reading

devices, with its unique property of only consuming power

when the display changes, directly enables the construction

of practical dual-display e-books.

To explore the potential of a multi-display device, we have

built a dual-display prototype using readily available tech-

nology (see Figure 1). We have also implemented a set of

interactions to support navigation tasks that people com-

monly perform while reading [1, 6, 7, 9]. These navigation

tasks fall into three categories. Unselfconscious local navi-

gation tasks include manipulating the material to expand or

contract the reading area [6], flipping backwards through

the document to re-read passages [6, 7], and casual flipping

while performing other activities. Global navigation tasks

include jumping to specific places of interest in the docu-

ment, and cross-document navigation tasks involve reading

from multiple documents simultaneously [1, 9].

In our demonstration, participants will have a chance to use

our prototype and examine how the unique affordances of a

dual-display reader allow for novel interfaces and interac-

tions that can improve the electronic reading experience.

A DUAL DISPLAY ELECTRONIC READER

Our prototype resembles and behaves similarly to a tradi-

tional paper magazine. The device consists of two faces that

are connected using a hinge. Each face contains an LCD

screen, sensors and a small computer. Initially, the user is

presented with two displays side-by-side, but the faces

swivel about the hinge to fold behind each other and can

also be detached from the hinge.

UIST'07, October 7-10, 2007, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

ACM 978-1-59593-679-2/07/0010

Figure 1 Top: Transitioning from side-by-side to

back-to-back configuration. Bottom: Using the

flipping gesture to advance a page in the docu-

ment.

On-board accelerometers in conjunction with a Bluetooth

link to a context server allow the system to sense motion

and compute the relative orientation of the two faces.

Through this, the system can detect gestures and automati-

cally update the displays as the user manipulates the device.

Unselfconscious Navigation

Our device aims to support unselfconscious local naviga-

tion activities with gesture-based controls that push these

frequent interactions into the background [5].

Reading Area Expansion and Contraction - In our device,

users can seamlessly transition between viewing a larger

portion of the document in a side-by-side view, and narrow-

ing the scope by folding one face behind the other in a

compact back-to-back configuration (Figure 1, top). Enlarg-

ing the reading area provides the reader with a broader

overview of the content, while contracting the reading area

allows the reader to prune away distractions [6]. Further-

more, the ability to change the form factor of the device

allows the device to adapt different reading environments.

For example, the back-to-back configuration is appropriate

when space is at a premium and also allows for one-handed

operation.

Flipping Back / Flipping Forward - When the user is in the

back-to-back mode, our device detects a flipping gesture

(Figure 1, bottom). Flipping the device in a clockwise mo-

tion shows the previous page and flipping counterclockwise

shows the next page. The flipping gesture provides a famil-

iar means to rapidly consult adjacent pages.

Face Fanning - In the side-by-side configuration, fanning a

face (moving one face toward the other) allows the user to

traverse the document. Fanning the right face moves one

page forward, the left face, a page backward. The fanning

gesture is an example of how physical properties unique to

a dual-display reader—the assembly of the faces, in this

case—provides opportunities for new interactions. The

ability to operate the device without having to search for

small controls allows users to more easily multi-task while

reading.

Global Navigation

We provide a Space Filling Thumbnail (SFT) system [3] to

present thumbnails of every page in the document and to

allow rapid access to any page. SFTs take advantage of the

increased display area of a dual-display device by showing

larger thumbnails with more recognizable features. A

bookmarking feature allows the user to quickly return to

locations of interest. Leveraging the fact that two displays

are available, users can use the bookmarking system to re-

call and perform side-by-side comparisons of different loca-

tions in a document similar to the feature in 3Book [2].

Cross-document Navigation

To facilitate operations across different documents, the two

faces of the E-book can be detached (Figure 2). When the

faces are detached, they can display different documents

and be operated in parallel. Physically separate faces also

aid multi-document navigation tasks by allowing the user to

lay the faces in an arbitrary configuration in the workspace,

enhancing organization and ergonomics [9]. When the faces

are reattached, the device automatically returns to dual-

display operation.

CONCLUSION

Thanks to advances in display technology, electronic read-

ing devices with two displays will soon be available. Con-

sequently, we set out to design interfaces and interactions to

leverage the affordances of a two-display electronic reader

to allow better support for the broad spectrum of interac-

tions during reading. To aid us in our exploration, we built

a prototype dual-display e-book reader with detachable,

motion-sensitive faces. The project was funded through

NSF Grants #00447730 and #0414699.

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Figure 2 W hen the two faces are detached, they

operate independently and can display different

documents.

Comparison of paper and computer displays in reading including frequent movement between pages

Conference Paper

Dec 2014

This paper describes experiments to compare reading with paper versus electronic media when reading with frequently moving back and forth between pages. In the first experiment, eighteen participants read aloud multi-page documents with endnotes in three conditions: paper, a large display, and a small display. Results revealed that reading from paper was 6.8% faster than reading from a large computer display and 11.4% faster than reading from a small computer display. Detailed analyses of the reading process showed that participants performed both reading and page-turning simultaneously in the paper condition. However, when using computer displays, reading and turning pages were performed separately. In the second experiment, 12 participants read documents using electronic system with more effective features for page-turning such as an overview of pages and links from reference symbols to notes. However, paper remained the most efficient medium to support reading with endnotes. This indicates that electronic media should be improved to support between-page navigation.

Intuitive page-turning interface of e-books on flexible e-paper based on user studies

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In this paper we propose an intuitive page-turning and browsing interface of e-books on a flexible e-paper based on user studies. Our user studies showed various types of page-turning actions such as flipping, grasping, and sliding by different situations or users. We categorized these actions into three categories: turn, flip through, and leaf through the page(s). Based on this categorized model, we have developed a conceptual design and prototype of an interface for an e-book reader, which enables intuitive page-turning interactions using a simple architecture in both hardware and software design. The prototype has a flexible plastic sheet with bend sensors, which is attached to a small LCD monitor to physically unite the visual display with a tangible control interface based on the natural page-turning actions as used in reading a real book. The prototype handles all three page-turning actions observed in the user studies by interpreting the bend degree of the sheet.

Effects of Paper on Page Turning: Comparison of Paper and Electronic Media in Reading Documents with Endnotes

Conference Paper

Jul 2011

This study compares the performances of paper and electronic media during a reading task that includes frequent page turning. In the experiment, 18 subjects read multi-page documents aloud while referring to endnotes using paper, a large display, and a small display. Results revealed that reading from paper was 6.8% faster than reading from a large electronic display and 11.4% faster than reading from a small electronic display. No difference was found between scores of recognition tests of important words of documents among the three conditions, which indicates that paper is the most effective medium for people to read text speedily without reducing comprehension. Detailed analyses of the reading process show that, in the Paper condition, people perform both text reading and page-turning simultaneously. However, when using computer displays, reading and turning pages were divided completely and performed separately.

Foreground and background interaction with sensor-enhanced mobile devices

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2005
ACM T COMPUT-HUM INT

Building on Buxton's foreground/background model, we discuss the importance of explicitly considering both foreground interaction and background interaction, as well as transitions be-tween foreground and background, in the design and implementation of sensing techniques for sensor-enhanced mobile devices. Our view is that the foreground concerns deliberate user activity where the user is attending to the device, while the background is the realm of inattention or split attention, using naturally occurring user activity as an input that allows the device to infer or anticipate user needs. The five questions for sensing systems of Bellotti et al. [2002] proposed as a framework for this special issue, primarily address the foreground, but neglect critical issues with background sensing. To support our perspective, we discuss a variety of foreground and background sensing techniques that we have implemented for sensor-enhanced mobile devices, such as power-ing on the device when the user picks it up, sensing when the user is holding the device to his ear, automatically switching between portrait and landscape display orientations depending on how the user is holding the device, and scrolling the display using tilt. We also contribute system architec-ture issues, such as using the foreground/background model to handle cross-talk between multiple sensor-based interaction techniques, and theoretical perspectives, such as a classification of recog-nition errors based on explicitly considering transitions between the foreground and background. Based on our experiences, we propose design issues and lessons learned for foreground/background sensing systems.

A Diary Study of Work-Related Reading: Design Implications for Digital Reading Devices.

Conference Paper

Full-text available

Jan 1998

In this paper we describe a diary study of how people read in the course of their daily working lives. Fifteen people from a wide variety of professions were asked to log their daily document activity for a period of 5 consecutive working days. Using structured interviews, we analysed their reading activities in detail. We examine the range of reading activities that our subjects carried out, and then pre- sent findings relating to both common characteristics and variation across the sample. From these findings, we discuss some implications for the design of digital readiig devices. will also vary depending on whether one is considering reading at work or at home, and will depend on the kind of work environment one considers. The purpose of the study reported in this paper is to begin to answer these questions in a systematic, empirical way, within real work settings. While not discounting reading for leisure, this study focuses on work-related activities, whether they happen "at work" or in the home. We deliber- ately chose a sample of people who have very different types of jobs, across a range of different vertical markets. We did this because we were interested in exploring the range and diversity of work-related reading activities, as well as any commonalities that might nonetheless emerge despite this diversity. Our approach was to ask subjects to keep daily logs of their document activities, and then to unpack and expand these descriptions through structured interviews (a method successfully used previously, e.g., (2,

Faster document navigation with space-filling thumbnails

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Full-text available

Apr 2006

Scrolling is the standard way to navigate through many types of digital documents. However, moving more than a few pages can be slow because all scrolling techniques constrain visual search to only a small document region. To improve document navigation, we developed Space-Filling Thumbnails (SFT), an overview display that eliminates most scrolling. SFT provides two views: a standard page view for reading, and a thumbnail view that shows all pages. We tested SFT in three experiments that involved finding pages in documents. The first study (n=13) compared seven current scrolling techniques, and showed that SFT is significantly faster than the other methods. The second and third studies (n=32 and n=14) were detailed comparisons of SFT with thumbnail-enhanced scrollbars (TES), which performed well in the first experiment. SFT was faster than TES across all document types and lengths, particularly when tasks involved revisitation. In addition, SFT was strongly preferred by participants.

A Comparison of Reading Paper and On-Line Documents

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Full-text available

Mar 1997

We report on a laboratory study that compares reading from paper to reading on-line. Critical differences have to do with the major advantages paper offers in supporting annotation while reading, quick navigation, and flexibility of spatial layout. These, in turn, allow readers to deepen their understanding of the text, extract a sense of its structure, create a plan for writing, cross-refer to other documents, and interleave reading and writing. We discuss the design implications of these findings for the development of better reading technologies.

3Book: a scalable 3D virtual book

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Apr 2004

This paper describes the 3Book, a 3D interactive visualization of a codex book as a component for digital library and information-intensive applications. The 3Book is able to represent books of almost unlimited length, allows users to read large format books, and has features to enhance reading and sensemaking.

Turning the page on navigation

Conference Paper

Full-text available

Jun 2005

In this paper, we discuss the findings of an in-depth observational study of reading and within-document navigation and add to these findings the results of a second analysis of how people read comparable digital materials on the screen, given limited navigational functionality. We chose periodicals as our initial foil since they represent a type of material that invites many different kinds of reading and strategies for navigation. Using multiple sources of evidence from the data, we first characterize readers' navigation strategies and specific practices as they make their way through the magazines. We then focus on two observed phenomena that occur when people read paper magazines, but are absent in their digital equivalents: the lightweight navigation that readers use unselfconsciously when they are reading a particular article and the approximate navigation readers engage in when they flip multiple pages at a time. Because page-turning is so basic and seems deceptively simple, we dissect the turn of a page, and use it to illustrate the importance and invisibility of lightweight navigation. Finally, we explore the significance of our results for navigational interfaces to digital library materials.

Designing e-Books for Legal Research

Article

Full-text available

May 2002

In this paper we report the findings from a field study of legal research in a first-tier law school and on the resulting redesign of XLibris, a next-generation e-book. We first characterize a work setting in which we expected an e-book to be a useful interface for reading and otherwise using a mix of physical and digital library materials, and explore what kinds of reading-related functionality would bring value to this setting. We do this by describing important aspects of legal research in a heterogeneous information environment, including mobility, reading, annotation, link following and writing practices, and their general implications for design. We then discuss how our work with a user community and an evolving e-book prototype allowed us to examine tandem issues of usability and utility, and to redesign an existing e-book user interface to suit the needs of law students. The study caused us to move away from the notion of a stand-alone reading device and toward the concept of a document laptop, a platform that would provide wireless access to information resources, as well as support a fuller spectrum of reading-related activities.

A Comparison of Reading Paper and On-Line Documents

Article

Dec 1999

Abigail Sellen

We report on a laboratory study which compares reading from paper to reading on-line. Critical differences have to do with the major advantages that paper offers in supporting annotation while reading, quick navigation, and flexibility of spatial layout. These, in turn, allow readers to deepen their understanding of the text, extract a sense of its structure, create a plan for writing, cross-refer to other documents, and interleave reading and writing. We discuss the design implications of these findings for the development of better reading technologies. KEYWORDS reading, paper, documents, digital document readers, hypertext, digital libraries, design, Web INTRODUCTION Jay Bolter, in his book "Writing Space" [2], heralded the computer as the fourth great document medium, next to the papyrus, the medieval codex, and the printed book. Implied in this is that the demise of the printed page is merely a matter of time. Certainly many of today's hot topics in human-computer interaction ...

Designing e-books for legal research

41-48

C C Marshall
M N Price
G Golovchinsky
B N Schilit

Marshall, C.C., M.N. Price, G. Golovchinsky, and B.N. Schilit. Designing e-books for legal research. Proceedings of JCDL'01, pp. 41-48.

Enhancing Document Navigation Tasks With a Dual Display Electronic Reader

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