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E-book Reader and the Necessity of Divergence from the Legacy of Paper Book

Authors:
Alma Leora Culen
Andrea Gasparini

Keywords: digital libraries; e-book readers; HCI; interface; co-design

Abstract:
The traditional paper-based book as we know it has been read and loved for hundreds of years. The first generation of e-book readers, based on electronic ink, attempted to emulate the traditional paper-based book, both in content and functionality. In this paper we discuss how the reading of e-books starts to diverge from the legacy of paper books. Many still favor the sensory experience of touching an actual book, smelling the paper, and hearing the sound of turning pages. However, huge memory, easy readability, the possibility of sharing text between users (such as Nook allows), the multi-functionality (such as iPad has) and the ease of downloading books, all make e-book readers increasingly popular. Based on insights gained from ethnographic studies, workshops, focus groups, and questionnaires, we discuss some advantages and disadvantages of e-book readers, speculate on how they may change the way we read, in particular actively, and propose some guidelines for future e-book reader functionality design specifically aimed at the student population. The first prototype resulting from co-design work with primary school students is presented as an example of our design approach.

Pages: 267 to 273

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2011

Publication date: February 23, 2011

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4138

ISBN: 978-1-61208-117-5

Location: Gosier, Guadeloupe, France

Dates: from February 23, 2011 to February 28, 2011