New Pioneering System Improves Online Reading
Learn how to read digital text faster.
Today, many people spend a lot of time reading online. Whether its reading news, social media, or e-books, people are spending more time eyeballing screens.
While online reading opens up a myriad of knowledge to people, there are some drawbacks too, according to My Modern Met. This includes eyestrain, headaches, as well as difficulty in focusing on the text. Now a new reading system has been designed to help people overcome these issues and read faster online.
it’s incredible how reading this feels like finally unlocking 100% of your brain
Bionic Reading to the rescue
A reading system – dubbed Bionic Reading – developed by Swiss typographic designer Renato Casutt was constructed keeping in mind that your brain can read faster than your eyes. The system involves bolding the first few letters of each word which actually allows your eyes to skip over parts of the text while your brain fills in what is missing. This new “bionic” system is designed to cause less eyestrain and increases reading comprehension.
“It’s incredible how reading this feels like finally unlocking 100 percent of your brain,” Juan Buis, a UX writer, tweeted.
it’s incredible how reading this feels like finally unlocking 100% of your brain
— juan (@juanbuis) May 18, 2022
(via @christophepas) pic.twitter.com/nU6CblVZWT
Does it work?
Cassut stumbled on the system by accident. He was working on designing a book in a foreign language and realized he could read it if he sectioned it off. He worked for six years to develop Bionic Reading and is still working to finetune it, reported The Guardian.
A preliminary study was conducted by the Swiss Institute InnoSuisee, according to the Bionic Reading website but more research is needed before it can be definitively shown that the system improves reading. But people with ADHD and dyslexia attest that Bionic Reading helped them focus and comprehend what they are reading.
Cassut’s goal is to integrate the system into all apps and online services. “In a digital world dominated by shallow forms of reading,” he said on the website, “Bionic Reading aims to encourage a more in-depth reading and understanding of written content.”
The prototype is available in the following apps, Reeder 5, Fiery Feeds, Lire, and Next App. The best way to know if the Bionic Reader helps you read better online is to try it yourself and find out what the hype is all about.
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