Abstract
In recent years, the research and development of electronic paper (e-paper) has revealed the vision of paper-like display and attracted a great deal of public attention. This research aims to evaluate critical factors of electronic paper on both manufacturing and user sides, and improves the performance of human-machine interactions. As aspect of manufacturing side, this study focuses on screen reflection problem, flexible parameter setting, and background reflectance. To solve screen reflection in reflective-type electronic paper, the practical utility of surface treatment including anti-reflection (AR) series and anti-glare (AG) series were individually investigated. Based on the preliminary findings, we made the integrated evaluation of anti-reflection (AR) and anti-glare (AG) treatment and take manufacturing cost into account. Moreover, we also compared the practical utility of compound treatment of anti-reflection and anti-glare (ARC) with that of single kind of treatment. In addition, users’ age effects on manufacturing parameter setting (e.g. surface treatment, reflectance) were also taken into account. As aspect of user side, this study focuses on the effects of ambient illumination. Both indoor illumination (e.g. 200 lux, 1500 lux, 3000 lux) and outdoor high illumination (e.g. 8000 lux) are discussed and compared. Moreover, the minimum ambient illumination requirement for legible electronic paper display was also investigated in this research.The assessment of electronic paper in the present study focused on legibility and visual fatigue through the method of search task. Subjects were instructed to perform target-search tasks on several paragraphs of pseudo-text. Five experiments in this dissertation were conducted based on the experimental method. As aspect of manufacturing side, the findings of surface treatment indicated that 0.8% AR improved the legibility and reduced visual fatigue significantly among anti-reflection series treatments, and 43% haze and 7.5% haze had the same better visual performance among anti-glare series treatments. Moreover, 43% haze performs better in terms of legibility and can reduce visual fatigue at about the same rate as 0.8% AR. Finally, compared with a single type of treatment, the compound treatment (ARC) exhibited superior properties to effectively reduce visual fatigue. The findings of flexible design showed that bending design of electronic paper is practical. The findings of reflectance setting indicated that enhancing the reflectance of electronic paper to the same level as regular paper (about 80%) was beneficial for human vision. As aspect of user side, the findings showed that reading with electronic paper in appropriate illumination (e.g., 1500 lux) can enhance legibility and limit visual fatigue. In addition, 43 lux and 62 lux were individually the minimum ambient illumination requirements for electronic-paper display in the young and elderly groups.The contribution of this dissertation includes the dimensions of e-paper display manufacturers and users. From manufacturers’ perspectives, these results combine manufacturing development of electronic paper with ergonomic consideration, and provide integrated evaluation. These findings can also help manufacturers to make decisions for some parameter settings in the research and development stage. Furthermore, e-paper manufactures can take cost into account and enhance market competitiveness of e-paper application products. From users’ perspectives, these findings provide useful suggestions to let users read electronic paper in a proper environment. Based on the findings of both manufacturing and user sides, it is expected that e-paper related products will attain a better human-machine interaction.