Portigal Consulting: Reading Ahead Research Findings

1
Reading Ahead
Research Findings

http://www.portigal.com/series/reading-ahead©2009 Portigal Consulting 2Reading Ahead Research Findings
Outline
• Our Team
• About Reading Ahead
• Introduction
• Executive Summary
• Project Overview
• Who We Met
• The Reading Experience
• The Social Side of Reading
• Books
• The Kindle
• Going Digital
• Looking Forward
• Wrapping Up

Our team
Steve Portigal
Dan Soltzberg

This Project: Reading Ahead
• An opportunity to explore something of our
choosing
• Demonstrate how we work with our clients
• Make our process transparent
• Share best practices
• Lots of blog posting along the way

Executive Summary
1. Books are more than just pages with words and pictures; they are imbued
with personal history, future aspirations, and signifiers of identity
2. The unabridged reading experience includes crucial events that take place
before and after the elemental moments of eyes-looking-at-words
3. Digital reading privileges access to content while neglecting other essential
aspects of this complete reading experience
4. There are opportunities to enhance digital reading by replicating, referencing,
and replacing social (and other) aspects of traditional book reading

Portigal Consulting
We help companies discover and act on new
insights about their customers and themselves

Typical Development Lifecycle
Iterate and improve
What to
make or do?
Refine ideas
and prototype
Launch

Where We Work
Take a fresh look at
people
What to
make or do?
Launch
Refine ideas
and prototype
Iterate and improve

Where We Work
What to
make or do?
Launch
Refine ideas
and prototype
Iterate and improve
Use existing ideas as
hypotheses

Where We Work
What to
make or do?
Launch
Refine ideas
and prototype
Iterate and improve
History provides context
to explore new
opportunities

Project Overview
• Objective: Explore the evolution of reading and books and
develop product, service, and business opportunities
• Recruited 6 active readers (3 books, 3 Kindle) in the San
Francisco Bay Area
• Photo-diaries: self-documentation of reading and
environments
• In-depth contextual interviews (with participatory design
component)
• Synthesis into findings, recommendations, and
opportunities (this document!)
• Ongoing: dialog with different audiences

Lead User Sampling
• Our sample is not representative of the general
population
– Fewer than half of Americans regularly read
literature (NEA, 2004)
– How many read as avidly as our sample?
– 400,000 Kindles sold (TechCrunch estimate)
• This isn’t a statistically valid quantitative study; it’s a
contextual exploration to uncover the issues, which
lead users are especially articulate about
• Market sizing question: what is the shape of the
general population?
0
many
0
many
Disinterested Enthusiast
Disinterested Enthusiast

Research Participants
Tracy Erica
Chris
Peter
Jeff Julie

Tracy
• Tracy is a stay-at-home mom and
part-time massage therapist, and is
going back to school in the fall to get
an MA in Occupational Therapy
• Reading is a big part of her family’s
life. She reads every night with her two
sons (including a two-hour Harry
Potter session the night before), and
told us she does different voices for
each character in the stories
• In addition to a regular set of reading
rituals with the kids, Tracy reads on
her own, which she describes as “My
way of getting completely unplugged”

Erica
• Erica is 28 and lives by herself in an
apartment in San Francisco
• She described growing up without a lot
of money but in a house where there
were “walls of bookshelves”
• She had been planning to open a
cookbook store, until the recent
economic slump. She’s working now
as an office manager at a software
startup and regrouping
• Erica talked about buying certain
books just because she likes them as
objects: “I love books. I almost like
books more than reading.”

Peter
• Peter works in web production and
lives in Vallejo. When describing
himself, he says, "I like gadgets”
• Peter’s had his Kindle for a couple of
years. He says when he first got it (as
a gift from his partner), it “got him”
buying books right away, and he used
it almost exclusively for around a year.
Now he’s back to reading print books
again
• The biggest frustration for Peter is that
he can’t share Kindle books

Chris
• Chris is a software engineer in his
early thirties. He lives in an apartment
in Mountain View with his wife and
their small dog. They moved here a
couple of months ago, after returning
from an extended stay in Europe
• When they left the US for Europe, the
couple got rid of many of their
possessions, including their books
• Now that they’ve settled in again,
Chris says he’s still trying to keep from
accumulating too much stuff, and has
been buying fewer books and using
the library more

Jeff
• Jeff is a former architect who works in
interaction design for a large Silicon
Valley company
• Jeff is extremely busy, and he likes the
ease and efficiency of the book-buying
experience the Kindle supports
• Jeff uses his Kindle for not only for
personal reading but for work as well,
and sometimes publishes documents
he needs to review to the Kindle. He
and his team have also experimented
with using the Kindle as a platform for
delivering presentations
• He calls the Kindle “One of my favorite
devices”

Julie
• Julie and her housemate have an
amazing library in their San Leandro
home, with three walls of alphabetized
floor-to-ceiling bookshelves
• With the bookshelves and quiet
ambiance of the space, being in this
part of their home feels just like being
a library
• While some of the people we met
described the Kindle as less-than-
satisfying compared to a printed book,
Julie has a long history of reading on
electronic devices, and finds the
Kindle a big step forward
• For Julie, reading a book and reading
on the Kindle are both equally positive
experiences

Artifacts and behavior
• Although we can conceive of reading and books as separate (verb and noun),
they are tightly coupled
• There is almost no way to talk about them separately: asking a participant a
question about reading quickly leads to a discussion of books, and vice versa
BooksReading

• Reading is much broader than eyes-looking-at-words
• The complete reading experience includes pre- and post-reading behaviors
What is “Reading?”
Post-readingPre-reading Reading

People grow up with reading and books
• They are an important part of many
people’s memories and formative
experiences
• Reading is often a life-long,
multigenerational activity
Tracy keeps books from her childhood on her
shelves and shares them with her children

Why read?
• People have many motivations for reading
– Sometimes it is a medium
of escape
– Sometimes it’s a way to better
understand yourself
– It can be entertaining
– It can be educational
– It can be a way to pass the time
– Erica: “I’ll read anything.”
Tracy: “Reading is my ‘crack.’
It’s my way of unplugging.”

Reading is not just one activity
• People read in a variety of modes
Work
Fun
Interstitial
BedtimeFocused
Private
Family

Each reading mode has multiple components
Interaction
with othersContentSettingMotivation
• These components get combined in different ways to support each mode

Work
• About gaining knowledge, skill-
building, and problem-solving
• Primarily non-fiction

Fun
• Can be about learning, but is often
about fantasy, relaxation, unplugging
• Fiction or non-fiction

Interstitial
• Takes place on public transit, in waiting
rooms, and during a homemaker’s day
• Books requiring less focus are better
for short bursts and frequent stopping
and starting
• Some books, such as romance novels,
are written specifically for this type of
use

Family
• An entertainment and educational
activity
• A bonding ritual for parents and
kids
• There are variations
– Reading aloud, together
– Same room, private books

Bedtime
• A way of disconnecting from the
world of computers, jobs, family,
etc.
• A quiet environment is important
• A good time to read books
requiring more concentration

Focused
• Reading is primary focus
• No interaction with others,
eliminate distractions

Private
• About getting personal time,
relaxing, self-improvement
• At home, in public but not
interacting

Reading is not just a solitary activity
• In addition to solitary time spent with a book, reading is connected to different
social activities

Book sharing
• People talk about what they’re reading,
make recommendations, etc., as well
as actually sharing books
• The medium for acquiring a particular
book (print or digital) might be
determined by whether or not it is
going to be shared
• Printed books are easily shared
while Kindle books are not
Peter returned to printed books because he
couldn’t share Kindle books with his coworkers

Family reading
• Reading together is a bonding
activity, and provides
entertainment and education
• Tracy and her sons read together
every day. When she reads aloud
to them, she performs different
voices for each character
• As the kids get older, family
reading rituals evolve to include
new ways of sharing the experience
Tracy reading with her son

Public places
• Libraries and bookstores are
public places with social functions
• Erica has strong memories from
visiting libraries as a child with her
mother
• For Tracy, weekly library visits
have led to new relationships with
library staff
• Julie: “I love bookstores. That’s
always our, ‘Oh, we have to kill
an hour before the movie’”
Family browsing in a bookstore

• People use a variety of artifacts, including books, to actively construct and
display their identity
Displaying identity
Julie in her home libraryFrom Leah Missbach’s Teenagers

Outer and inner selves
• A person’s choice of reading and
relationship to books are ways of
communicating identity to others
• People also use what they read
to explore and evolve who they are
Erica’s way of organizing her bookshelf says a
lot about how she sees herself (and wants
others to see her)

Books are a medium for expressing values
• Books carry messages about group
membership and values
• Jeff: “There’s a lot of who you are
sort of floating in the choices that
you make”
Tracy’s older son is reading about weaponry.
She’s not happy about this topic, but values his freed
choose his own interests.

The book reading experience
Memories Sensory
Kinesthetic
Sharing

Books are sensory
• Distinct sensory qualities—texture, weight,
etc.—vary between books, making each
interaction a unique experience
• Jeff: “I used to love the smell of books—
it’s a really weird thing to say, but…there’s
probably some aspect from my childhood”

Reading (books) is kinesthetic
• Reading is typically a relatively quiet activity, but with an
important kinesthetic element
• Several people described the significance
of turning pages
– A relaxing gesture
– An innate part of taking in information and moving forward
– Erica: “Even just the act of physically turning the
page and interacting with it…helps me decompress”

Books are easily shared
• They can be passed along to others
– Borrowing and lending (friends or library)
– Give away to friends
– Donated
– Sold

There are many ways to use a book
Focused
reading
Non-
reading Book interactions
Focused on content,
experience of reading,
or both
• Purposefully seeking
specific information
• “Auditioning” a book
• Comparing information
on non-sequential pages
• Using a book for
reference
Books can be
• Decorative objects
• Objects of
inspiration
• Markers of identity
• Signaling intention
They
can serve these
functions without
being read

Books are significant objects
• The physicality of books gives them
unique attributes
– Erica: “In a way, I almost love books
more than reading”
• There are elements of craftsmanship
– Binding
– Typography
– Pictures and illustrations
– Quality of paper, printing, etc.
• They can be objects of art
– Signed copies
– Galley proofs
– Antiquarian books
Erica displays books on her wall

Books carry memories
• Marks of age and use (i.e., annotations)
record personal experience
– A favorite “dog-eared” paperback
– An inscribed book given as a gift
– A book from a previous time in
one’s life
This book on Thanksgiving has been in Tracy’s
family for several generations

Books are objects of ritual
• Books become props in personal and public rituals
Weekly library visits and living room reading
sessions are family rituals for Tracy and her sons
On Bloomsday in Dublin, fans of James
Joyce relive the events of his novel, Ulysses

Books express aspirations
• We buy books we’d like to read
but will probably never get to.
These books represent vicarious
experiences, expressing what we’d
like to do and who we’d like to be

Books are casual and simple
• They are durable and relatively inexpensive
• Each book is a separate object
• They can be left around the house, tried out with minimal investment, and given
away or traded
Books intermingle with food in Erica’s
kitchen cabinetsTracy’s current bathroom books

Books enable unplugging
• For some people books are a refuge:
a way to unplug and get away from
the ubiquity of computers, screens,
and digital information
• In contrast to the scanning and
multi-tasking typical of computer
use, books afford a slower, more
focused experience
• Erica: “I have a very hard time
reading…sustaining it without
doing something else. It’s a
problem I recognize and have
been trying to break. I could be
sitting on the couch and feel this
need to check my email”
Erica’s bedside table

How Kindle affects reading
New behaviors
• Kindle introduces the idea of
carrying around a “library”
– Never run out of content
– “Real books” vs. “Kindles”
– “Publish” to the Kindle
Old behaviors
• Kindle supports solitary reading
(with different sensory and
kinesthetic aspects from
print reading)
Old behaviors not enabled?
• Kindle does not easily support sharing
• Not the medium of choice for those who
are not “digital natives”

Kindle vs. printed books
• For those who have been using PDAs
or an iPhone for reading, the
Kindle is an improvement
• Julie sees reading a printed book
and reading on the Kindle as
“the same experience”
• Jeff: “If I have a book that I really
like, it has exactly the exact same
experience—I just get lost in the
content—but I’ve always been like
that”
Julie relaxes on the couch with her Kindle

Digital devices don’t afford unplugging
• For readers like Tracy and Erica, who
use reading to unplug/disconnect,
digital reading devices like the Kindle
may signify computer, not book
• Computers, with their speed
and hyper-connectedness,
are in opposition to the
desired reading experience
• Erica: “Computer lifestyle has
seeped into my world so deep
that my attention span is the
attention span of a gnat”
Tracy unplugs with some bedtime reading

Kindle challenges existing navigation behaviors
• It is difficult to go between non-
sequential pages on the Kindle,
or to go directly to a desired spot
(unless one has thought ahead
and bookmarked it)
• Books easily enable flipping back
and forth, comparing non-sequential
pages, using several books at
once, etc.
• Chris: “It’s a lot easier for me to,
actually, to read (a book), and I
think that’s maybe because I do
jump around a little bit ”
Chris prefers the flexible navigation
with books

Kindle provides a different sensory experience
• The Kindle works very well on a functional
level, but some of the more nuanced aspects
of the reading experience are not carried over
• Pressing a button (on the Kindle) is
different from turning the pages of a
printed book
• Peter: “Even though the text on
this Kindle is great…it’s easy on
the eyes, there’s a difference…when
you’re reading paper—the whiteness
of the paper, the black text—there’s
something about that you just can’t
capture”

Easy content acquisition is key
• One of the standout features of the Kindle
is the ability to instantly get more content
• Jeff: “It’s super-addic…super easy to
order stuff, and so by reducing the
barrier to purchase, I buy all kinds of
stuff…
…I was listening to NPR, and
Michael Pollan was on and they
mentioned his book…I was at a
stoplight, I bought the book before
the light turned green…”

Social aspects of reading are not well-supported
• People purchase differently if they are
planning on sharing
• Julie: “If it’s an author we both like,
then I’ll buy the regular book. So we
both have access to the book”
• Peter: “I came to this job where
there were a bunch of people
passing books around and I realized
I had nothing to contribute…
…and I realized, oh, this is so much
fun, to read a book and then pass it
back and talk about it with other
people. I think that’s part of the
experience”

The Gold Standard
• As new technologies emerge, people are willing to give up certain things in
exchange for convenience, price, or to meet a social standard
• The previous technology may still be seen as “the best” – the Gold Standard –
but people’s everyday behaviors reflect the new option
– LPs are better than CDs (or MP3s) for gazing at the cover art
– CDs have more accurate reproduction than MP3s
– Yet, industry experts predict sales of digital music files will equal CD sales by the end
of 2010
• Will it be the same for books?
– Bookstores are best for an exploratory, immersive browsing experience, yet online
shopping has hurt both chain and independent brick-and-mortar book retail
– Will the convenience of carrying 100 books on our digital reader ameliorate the loss
of the sensory pleasures of paper?
– As people grow up with digital books, will people adapt more naturally to the
differences from printed books, and make choices accordingly?

Guiding the transition
• Companies can help consumers make a transition to digital by seeking ways to
mitigate what might be lost, offering increased benefits, and helping to make
new behaviors attractive and pleasurable
Apple emphasized tangible benefits (capacity) and emotional benefits (the inner listening
experience)

The digital reading experience
• Digital readers let people carry far more reading material than physically
possible with printed books
• Readers can effortlessly acquire new content anytime and almost anywhere
• Currently not providing readers with as rich a total experience as books

Different platforms provide different experiences
• Awareness
• Anticipation
• Personal history
• Pick book up
and hold
• Waiting to acquire
• Tactile variety
• Turning pages
• Flipping around
• Annotating
• Bookmarking
• Recommend
• Share
• Lend
• Trade
• Discuss
• Awareness
• Instant acquisition
• Recommend
• Discuss
• Tactile uniformity
• Button press
• Electronic notes
& bookmarks

Books and digital can coexist
• Both the book reading and the digital reader experience have a place in our
lives
Jeff: I don’t think this thing (Kindle)
replaces my paper books, and I’ll
certainly still, if I’m at a bookstore
and I see a really beautiful book…
I’ll buy it”

Has the book been fully explored?
Book designers have used dozens
of techniques to support
navigation or other aspects of the
experience, yet most books do not
make use of those techniques
• Chris: “There’s a lot more that can be
done with this format. I don’t think it
has to go to computers for these
authors to be more creative. They
could take what’s good about books
already…”
Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern
experiments with new approaches to
typography, layout, binding in each issue

How can we create a rich digital reading experience?

How can we create a rich digital reading experience?
1. Include the sensual
2. Support the social side of reading
3. Consider the varied modes and rituals of reading
4. Develop the ecosystem

1. Include the sensual
Provide sensory and kinesthetic elements that deliver the total experience
readers seek

Put the book back into the device
• Design the digital reading device
with more of the tactile and interactive
aspects of books
While only a conceptual piece and
not an a realistic solution, this
Kindle case offers the touch and
gesture of a hardcover book

Give the device its own distinct gesture
• A new gesture (and language that lets people
teach each other about it) helps create acceptance
Texting is immediately recognizable
without seeing the person’s face
or the screen
Gellin’ became a catchphrase to
describe a new behavior layered
on top of the old behavior of
wearing shoes

2. Support the social side of reading
Support and expand the social aspects of the reading experience

• Netflix has many different elements that tell you see what others have
watched in the past, plan to watch in the future, or how they rate have
rated films
Incorporate social networking

• Peer-to-peer sharing brings social interaction
to device usage and encourages product sales
• Communities build
acceptance for new
products and
behaviors
Bring people together
Zune Social is “an online music community powered by what
you and your friends are listening to”
Apple’s rumored peer-to-peer app sharing leverages
the offline behavior of people comparing iPhones

• Shelfari is a social networking site that seeks to replicated the offline social
connectedness of reading

• Sony has just launched Words Move Me, a site that invites people to share their
favorite “literary moments” and then browse the Reader store

Prioritize functionality for sharing
• Zune places functionality for sharing at the top level of its menu structure

Encourage interactions across multiple platforms
• A more open product or service can be more fully integrated into people’s lives

• Support the varied modes and rituals of reading
Work
Fun
Interstitial
BedtimeFocused
Private
Family
3. Support the varied modes/rituals of reading

Reading aloud
• Optimize voices, pacing, emphasis, revealing
pictures, etc. for reading aloud to children

Be friendliest for transit
• Compensate for vehicle motion
• Allow for frequent interruption of eye-gaze
(i.e., highlight last read word)

Support bedtime ergonomics
• Adjust to ambient lighting
• Offer a timer
• Support a range of body/hand/face positions

4. Develop an ecosystem
Harness the “power of many” to support new behaviors and grow the category

• iPod and iPhone are at the center of a vast system
of products, companies, and experiences
The iPod ecosystem

• eBay has created/spawned a
network of products and services
that have made it a powerful player
and grown the auction category
• There are many different ways to engage
with the eBay ecosystem and they serve
as a hub for that extended community
The eBay ecosystem
PayPal solves a specific eBay
problem (how to safely send
and receive money to pay for
online auctions) and becomes a
separate solution to many other
problems around moving money
eBay doesn’t certify third parties that sell on your
behalf, but they make that information available on
their site.
Consignment stores further
expand the ecosystem

• Growth of the ecosystem normalizes new behaviors and creates even broader
opportunities for products, services, and communities
And it just gets bigger and bigger…

For Future Work
• Study other “users” in the system
– Authors, publishers, retailers
– Educators
• Explore other issues
– Ownership of digital content
• Consider more platforms and formats
– iPhone, netbook, Google Books, digital library books
• Storyboard/prototype current ideas and conduct further contextual research

We want your feedback!

More Portigal Consulting?
We can work with
your team to
explore the specific
implications this
work has for your
business
We can work with your
organization to help you
discover and act on
new
insights across other
categories or customer
segments

Portigal Consulting: Reading Ahead Research Findings

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