Can the addition of sound enhance the reading experience on small screens when using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) for dynamic text presentation? In this paper we introduce Sonified RSVP and report findings from a usability evaluation where the experience of reading texts enhanced with nomic auditory icons was evaluated. At a comfortable pace 12 subjects read long Swedish texts of equal difficulty with and without the addition of sound on a handheld device. Reading speed (M ≈ 217 wpm) and comprehension (M ≈ 58% correct) did not differ significantly between the two conditions. The evaluation revealed a rather high task load for both conditions but no significant differences. However, the subjective rating of Immersion was rated significantly higher for the Sonified condition. Causes, implications and directions for further work are discussed based on these findings.
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