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International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction

HCII 2022: Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Novel Design Approaches and Technologies pp 164–174Cite as

Animated Backgrounds on the Web Reduce Reading Speed: Some Empirical Evidence from a Remote Experiment

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 13308))

Abstract

It is generally considered a bad practice to place animations as backgrounds to text. There are many convincing arguments against using animated backgrounds, yet there are few empirical studies that have assessed effects of animated backgrounds in the context of the web. This study therefore set out to collect empirical evidence to support the recommendation of avoiding animated backgrounds. A remote web-based controlled reading experiment was conducted. The results showed that an animated background led to a significant slower reading speed and lower preference scores. Hence, the empirical evidence supports the established practices.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oslo Metropolitan University, 0130, Oslo, Norway

    Ana Flávia Vital, Mark van der Baan, Øyvind Ødegård Stenberg & Frode Eika Sandnes

Authors
  1. Ana Flávia Vital
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  2. Mark van der Baan
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  3. Øyvind Ødegård Stenberg
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  4. Frode Eika Sandnes
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Correspondence to Frode Eika Sandnes .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Margherita Antona

  2. University of Crete and Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Constantine Stephanidis

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Vital, A.F., van der Baan, M., Stenberg, Ø.Ø., Sandnes, F.E. (2022). Animated Backgrounds on the Web Reduce Reading Speed: Some Empirical Evidence from a Remote Experiment. In: Antona, M., Stephanidis, C. (eds) Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Novel Design Approaches and Technologies. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13308. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05028-2_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05028-2_10

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