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Touch screens have introduced a new kind of interaction where users no longer need a keyboard, mouse, or any other device to make it work. However, this has also created new usability issues to consider.
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[Dan Gorgone] Touchscreens have introduced a new kind of interaction
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where users no longer need a keyboard, mouse, or any other device to make it work.
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Simply by using a finger or 2, users can hit buttons,
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they can select text, zoom in and out, scroll—and those are just the basics.
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But by adding a new way to interact with your design,
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a new set of concerns has been created
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related to touch and gestures.
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Since mobile devices can be held in one hand or both,
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using a touch interface means that the fingers are very close to the screen at all times.
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While this can speed up interaction, it can also lead to accidental touches or mistakes.
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Users will also have different sized fingers and hands,
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while others may have challenges with their vision and physical dexterity.
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Therefore, trying to click a link, while potentially easier with a touch pad or a mouse,
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can take a bit more focus on a much smaller screen and device.
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[Amit Bijlani] So, we're talking about usability, right? And one of the key components
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when it comes to a mobile interface are buttons.
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There is that fine line where there are too many buttons,
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so you're presenting too many options to the users
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and then there's that fine line when there are not enough buttons.
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There's this whole trend to add gestures—I get it.
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You are using the smartphone that's capable of multitouch gestures or just gestures plainly.
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You can have double-tap, long tap. You can have multiple finger swipes.
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It's beautiful and I think all apps should take advantage of that,
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but the problem with these gestures are sometimes that they are hidden.
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What do I mean by hidden? An app takes great advantage of these gestures,
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so you have swipe left, right, up, down, double-tap—all of these things,
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but you don't know of these until you start swiping.
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I'm not going to open up an app and swipe it all over to figure out what gestures are there.
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You have to walk me through all these gestures
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and explain to me what these gestures can do,
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but where you have to visually indicate that something should be tapped, put a button there.
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Make sure that button is the size of a finger,
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so you're not putting tiny buttons all over the place—
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when you're trying to tap one thing you end up tapping something else.
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[Gorgone] Links and buttons should give some kind of visual feedback
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to show that they've been clicked or pressed.
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Since the early days of the Web, alternate colors could be chosen for active links
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to show that they were clicked by the user.
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These days, many apps have buttons of different shapes and sizes
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that should also clearly show that they've been pressed.
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This can help users confirm they pressed the right button.
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You'll see this in action on many mobile touch keyboards now
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used as a visual aid, since users probably won't be looking at what they're typing,
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but rather what buttons they're pressing.
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Something else to consider—people are using mobile devices everywhere.
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You could count on laptops being on a lap or a desk when they're being used,
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but phones and tablets are being used while walking, sitting,
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laying down, exercising, and much more.
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So what can you do about all this? Well, just like any design,
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we can't guarantee 100% usability or satisfaction
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and we really shouldn't try—attempting to solve every problem
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for every exception is just not worth the effort.
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On the contrary, we can simply try to anticipate
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as many of the usual needs as possible
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and take care of the majority of our users.
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Part of this problem can be solved by using mobile-friendly design frameworks
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that have accounted for many of these issues already
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within its code, design, and best practices.
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Another way to improve your designs is to continue to use them on mobile devices.
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Designers should have regular access to smartphones and tablets,
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so that they can proof their work, and again,
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emulators can be another helpful alternative.
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Either way, becoming used to using these designs yourself
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and testing them with others can give you
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insight into improving your work.
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