Effects of cathode ray tube display formats on quality-assurance auditor's performance

The auditing process is a necessary and integral part of a quality-assurance system. The tendency of using computers in the auditing process is a necessity. This work describes three experiments designed to explore the effects of presenting written material variables on reading speed and comprehension. Five graduate students who consented to participate first completed the font style selection process among six Arabic font styles. “Simplified,” “Traditional,” and “Koufi” font styles were selected from the typography style selection process to be implemented in the next two experiments. Eleven auditors and fourteen undergraduate students with and without knowledge of using computers participated in the second and the third experiments. The font types (Simplified Arabic, Traditional Arabic, and Monotype Koufi) and the font sizes (10, 13, and 16 point) were independent variables in the second experiment. Color combinations (white-black, black-white, blue-white, and white-blue), column types (one and two columns) that are crossed within auditors and naive students were the independent variables in the third experiment. Reading speed, comprehension levels in terms of accuracy of answering recognition and recall questions, and discomfort subjective measures were the dependent variables in both experiments. Results showed that the quality-assurance auditors were superior to students at reading speed and comprehension. A 13-point Simplified Arabic font type was better than other font type and font size combinations in terms of reading comprehension and discomfort measure. In addition, white characters on a black background screen color was superior to other characterbscreen color combinations in terms of reading speed, reading comprehension, and discomfort measure. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.