Abstract
While important information is often communicated via text, people read only a small fraction of textual content. Ignoring text is particularly prevalent among Generation Y, who prefer image-based communication and exhibit impatient viewing behavior. One way to improve the effectiveness of text-based communication for younger users is to construct textual information in a way that it can be understood with short glances, a hallmark of Generation Y’s impatient viewing behavior. To test this assertion, we used a set of plain language standards (PLS) to simplify a text passage from an actual website. The results of our eye tracking study showed that PLS were successful in improving textual communication for Generation Y users. The simplified text passage was processed with shorter glances, facilitated a more effective visual search behavior, and improved task performance significantly.
Recommended Citation
Djamasbi, Soussan; Shojaeizadeh, Mina; Chen, Ping; and Rochford, John, "Text Simplification and Generation Y: An Eye Tracking Study" (2016). SIGHCI 2016 Proceedings. 12.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/sighci2016/12