Text Timing

May 06, 2021

What's a good rule of thumb for timing between text boxes? I like to give the reader time to read the previous text before the new text comes in, but sometimes it seems like I'm giving too much time in between.  

3 Replies
Judy Nollet

Hi, Marshall,

When I'm taking a course, it's frustrating when I have to wait for text to appear. No doubt other fast readers feel the same. 

IMHO, it's best to do either of the following:

  • Just show all the text at the same time. 
  • If you want to parse out the text, show the first piece, and let the user click something to reveal each subsequent piece. In other words, create a build, but put the user in control of when the items appear. 
Nancy Woinoski

I agree with Judy. It is impossible to set the pace of timed  text for all readers. Unless  there is some specific reason you need to include timed text I would avoid it.

Better to display all the text or give the user control over when to display it. Also be a little careful about how much clicking a reader has to do to get to the information because too much unnecessary clicking can be as disrupting as poorly timed text.