P‐34: The Effects of Illuminance on Visibility of Reading Tablet Devices and E‐paper

Abstract

We carried out experiments to evaluate the visibility of reading tablet devices and e-paper under staged illuminance conditions (10 lx, 100 lx, 1,000 lx, 10,000 lx). In the experiments, we measured reading time, viewing distance and conducted subjective evaluations. This study found a dependency between visibility and illuminance of each device.

Measuring the effects of lighting on the readability of electronic devices

“…As expected, the evaluations for the LCD (iPad) were higher at lower levels of illuminance but dropped above the 500 lx level, while the reverse was true for the reflective device (Kindle DX) . As with other studies, the evaluations of the reading of conventional paper increased until the 2000 lx level . The trend was reversed between 500 and 750 lx, when participants found the reflective type displays more readable.…”

“…32 As with other studies, the evaluations of the reading of conventional paper increased until the 2000 lx level. 33 The trend was reversed between 500 and 750 lx, when participants found the reflective type displays more readable. The limitation in this experiment was that the objective measurement was of a short duration because of the large number of readings required to meet the needs of the 14 different levels of ambient illuminance.…”