Improving Reading with QuikScan: Introduction and Experimental Validation

QuikScan is an innovative enhancement to conventional document formatting that employs within- document summaries formatted as numbered list items. QuikScan enables readers to read summaries instead of the detailed content, use the summaries as previews, thereby increasing retention, and use the summaries to quickly find more detailed information in the body of the document. In an empirical study, 38 students at the University of Washington read either a QuikScan or control version of a document dealing with international trade and answered test questions. The QuikScan document showed 13% better comprehension. In a follow- up study measuring retention, results approached significance. When surveyed, users of the QuikScan document indicated that QuikScan improved their reading.