Rule of Thumb for how long to leave text on screen?

Dec 19, 2014

Is there a rule of thumb for how long it takes people to read and process on-screen text? I'm hoping for something like

  • X seconds per Y words if it is simple
  • W seconds per Y words if it's a little harder
  • Z seconds per Y words if the user also has to examine pictures etc. on screen to understand the text.
1 Reply
Phil Mayor

If it is with audio I would add as long as the audio is on the screen or until the next page.

If it is with ought audio, I would make the user interact before the next ext appeared or ensure all text stays on the page until the user presses next.

It is next to impossible to time it for everyone and even then it doesn't account for someone looking away from the screen and potentially they have missed something important.

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