Do you prefer reading or listening?

I prefer reading in case of tactical or actionable content and listening in case of high level, strategic, story-based and philosophical type content.

I prefer reading tactical or actionable content because

• It is easy to keep referring until I complete my action item
• Easy to view context and content in one page
• Easy to browse and get to the specific content that I want

I prefer listening in case of story-based, strategic, philosophical type content because

• It is a story, so it is easy to remember when someone narrates it
• An emotional voice makes it enjoyable and easy to remember
• As there are no action items, I can listen when walking or driving
• It is easy to pick up from where I left off, as it is a narration

Hope that helps.

Hi everyone 👋,

Thanks a lot for all of your answers! So to summarise a bit, here is what I understand so far.

It really depends about the:

• Context/environment you are in.
• Person you are (some focus better while reading, other by listening).
• Type of content.
• Time there is ahead of time.

Listening, for sure. I feel like it's easier for me to concentrate when I can write/listen at the same time to help me digest what I'm learning. That's why I prefer podcasts over books.

It depends on the length of the article.
If it's longer I prefer to listen to it (like I do with some Medium posts), especially when commuting, so I can do two things at the same time.

But if it's more technical and not that long I prefer to just sit down with a cup of coffee and read it.

Do you prefer reading or listening?
Reading

In which context would you prefer one instead of the other?

• Reading: learning
• Listening: entertainment

Why?

• Reading: it's faster, you can skip content visually, go back, re-read as much as needed
• Listening: low interaction needed

When I'm trying to absorb information, I prefer reading. It's quicker, and with written content it's easier to skip between sections. I do, however, enjoy listening to podcasts when out walking or biking.

I'm sure you've already thought about this, but I think your service has some cool applications in the accessibility space -- both for people with poor vision and those who have dyslexia, etc.