Editing Research/new digital reading experiences (section)

=== Audience and devices ===

Our target group is young adults. At this stage of life, reading plays a critical role in developing analytical skills, supporting independent thinking, and enabling engagement with diverse perspectives and complex ideas. It also contributes to how young adults connect with and interpret the world around them.

However, multiple studies<sup>1</sup> indicate a decline in reading within this age group, particularly in reading for pleasure. The growing integration of images, audio, video, and interactive media into everyday digital experiences has shifted attention away from long-form, sustained reading. Early efforts to digitise texts through dedicated devices such as e-readers have since expanded into the pervasive use of mobile phones, where content is accessed continuously, across contexts, in various formats and in highly personalised ways.

Rather than positioning these environments as obstacles, this project explores how the affordances of contemporary media and mobile devices can be leveraged to support and enhance reading enjoyment. By integrating multimodal elements and user-centred interaction design, we aim to reframe reading as an engaging, accessible, and meaningful experience for young adults within their existing digital habits.

<span id="content-design-technology"></span>