華文編排設計元素之閱讀舒適性研究

「閱讀」是一個複雜的心智活動，而編排設計的根本任務之一則是將作者所欲傳達的內容透過文字編排設計呈現出來，使讀者容易閱讀與接收訊息。根據研究者的觀察發現，經常可見圖像表現極為傑出的編排設計，但在文字編排表現卻不佳的例子，例如過小的字級、過大的行距以及過度花俏的字體。為了設計而設計的過度編排傾向，似乎忽略了閱讀本質「看」的行為。由於編排設計之根本目的就是文字的閱讀性，因此觀察近30年台灣華文文字編排設計的相關研究，是呈現豐富的閱讀機能性研究成果，但是基本的機能滿足後，研究者認為讀者還需要更高的視覺滿足。基於上述動機，本研究從文獻探討著手，以相關研究成果建構閱讀機能面的編排元素最佳化條件，再以藝術心理學的角度及美學實驗方式為基準，進行實驗設計及刺激物紙卡樣本製作，並分兩階段完成研究。第一階段為單因子的受測者內實驗設計，分別以行距、字體及字級為自變數，並將不同教育背景之受測者做為控制變數，依變數則為閱讀舒適性排序以及評量，成果用於建構下階段實驗之基礎。第二階段為3x4二因子實驗設計，系根據第一階段之成果，進行受測者內實驗設計，其結果再與閱讀機能等理性面相關文獻進行交叉比較，進一步了解受測者的閱讀舒適性與評量表現的差異及原因。針對內文編排元素之研究結果顯示：（1）透過文獻探討歸納出較佳閱讀機能的建議，分別為行距設定介於150％～200％之間，字體以襯線（Serif）字體的細明體字較佳，字級則會根據載體及讀者的生理差異，介於1.5pt~14pt之間。（2）閱讀機能不完全等於閱讀舒適性，整體來說行距的普遍性最為一致，約在200%的比例；字級的部分實驗結果是11pt~13pt；至於字體的部分產生比較大的歧異性，襯線（Serif）的字體有較佳的閱讀機能，而無襯線（Sans-Serif）的字體有較佳的閱讀舒適性。（3）透過兩階段交互比較，最適合內文編排的元素規範，以行距200%比例，無襯線字體最佳；若細體字則字級為11~12pt最佳能夠滿足最基本的「閱讀舒適」的感受。站在最單純的閱讀舒適性來看，看的舒服順眼就能夠滿足最基本的「美」的感受。因此，進行一般書籍內文編排設計時，設計師應從讀者的角度考量閱讀舒適性偏好，以「設計」做為平衡的工具，在專業與大眾之間，以閱讀舒適的共通性與普遍性來進行有設計感的內文編排設計。本研究結果可做為設計相關產業的參考及未來深入研究的基礎。

關鍵字

華文文字編排設計；行距；字體；字級；審美實驗；閱讀舒適性

並列摘要

Reading is a complex mental activity. One of the most basic strategies in layout design is to present the content that an author wishes to convey in a typed format to enable the intended message to be easily read and received by the readers. Based on the researcher’s observations, in several layout design cases, the graphic aspect is tastefully executed while the typography dimension is neglected. Some of the most commonly encountered typographic design problems include excessively small font size, exceedingly large leading, or overly fancy fonts. When layout designs are overcomplicated for the sake of esthetic, the visual requirement of reading is ignored. The ultimate purpose of a layout design is to ensure the readability of words. Therefore, an observation of Taiwanese Chinese typography design studies conducted over the past 30 years could yield rich research data accumulated on the topic of reading functionality. However, the researchers believe that, after readers’ basic reading functionality needs are met, they still need a higher level of visual satisfaction. Based on the aforementioned motives, the current study was conducted. First, the researcher reviewed relevant literature and identified the optimal layout design conditions. Subsequently, the researchers conducted a series of experiments. The setup of the experiments and the stimuli used were designed based on the psychology of art and esthetic experimental methods. The current study was conducted in two stages. Stage 1 of the study consisted of a single factor within-subject experiment. The independent variables obtained from Stage 1 were leading, font type, and font size, the control variable was educational background of the participants, and the dependent variables were the reading comfort ranking and assessment. The results of Stage 1 were used as a basis for constructing Stage 2. In Stage 2, the researchers adopted a 3x4 factorial within-subject experiment. They first designed a within-subject experiment based on the results of Stage 1. The results were subsequently cross-compared against the existing reading functionality literature, such that a better understanding could be obtained regarding the differences between the participants’ reading comfort levels and assessment performance, and the reasons behind such differences. The study results related to content layout elements indicated the following: (1) according to advice compiled based on a relevant literature review, the typographic elements that offered satisfactory reading functionality included a leading ratio of 150%–200% and the MingLiU font type under the Serif family. The font size that offered optimal reading functionality ranged between 10.5pt and 14pt, depending on the carrier and readers’ physical characteristics. (2) Reading functionality is not equivalent to reading comfort. Overall, almost all of the readers preferred a leading ratio of 200%. Experiment results regarding the font size revealed that the best font size ranged between 11pt and 13pt. Some controversies exist regarding the choice of best font type. Serif fonts have better reading functionality, whereas Sans-Serif fonts offer better visual comfort. (3) The two-stage cross-comparison results indicated that the optimal content design specifications featured Sans-Serif font with a 200% leading ratio. For narrow fonts, a font size of 11–12pt could best provide the basic feeling of reading comfort. From the mere perspective of reading comfort, designs that are comfortable and pleasing to the eyes fulfill the most basic esthetic needs. Therefore, when engaging in the content layout design of conventional books, the designers should consider the reading comfort preferences from the reader perspective. Researchers could use design as a tool to balance popularity and professionalism and engage in content layout design based on the common and universal principles of reading comfort. The results of the current study could serve as a basis for design operations in relevant industries and further academic research.