Touchscreen Mobile Devices Research Articles

Screen as Skin: The Somatechnics of Touchscreen Music Media

In this article I explore the way mobile music devices with touchscreen technology produce new somatechnical figurations that reshape emotional dynamics of music listening. Using research drawn from a cyberethnography of online users from Reddit.com, I argue that the changing relationships between the human-computer interface result in new affective schemas that expand and reconfigure how it feels to listen to music in a mobile setting. In particular, I focus on skin-on-screen contact in order to suggest that the screen acts as a reflexive surface producing intimate relations for the mobile listener. Touchscreens imply the relationship between skin on skin—the skin of our body (in particular the hands) against the skin of the screen. It follows that mobile touchscreen devices suggest a degree of sensuality—in the coming together of bodies, fluids and other organic materials which ‘stick’ to the touchscreen. Reading the mobile touchscreen player as a somatechnical figuration therefore suggests that the listening experience is developing along with the technologies that mediate music to the body in ways that continue to challenge our understanding of bodily borders and in ways that redefine what it means to feel the music. Therefore, the touchscreen-skin is a critical site of affective relations that dramatically reshape what it means to listening to music in a mobile setting; a private and intimate encounter between the user and their counterpart.

Connected cane: Tactile button input for controlling gestures of iOS voiceover embedded in a white cane

ABSTRACTAccessibility of assistive consumer devices is an emerging research area with potential to benefit both users with and without visual impairments. In this article, we discuss the research and evaluation of using a tactile button interface to control an iOS device’s native VoiceOver Gesture navigations (Apple Accessibility, 2014). This research effort identified potential safety and accessibility issues for users trying to interact and control their touchscreen mobile iOS devices while traveling independently. Furthermore, this article discusses the participatory design process in creating a solution that aims to solve issues in utilizing a tactile button interface in a novel device. The overall goal of this study is to enable visually impaired white cane users to access their mobile iOS device’s capabilities navigation aids more safely and efficiently on the go.

Survey on the Text entry methods used in touch screen mobile devices by visually challenged

With the onset of electric and electronic technology, the world has taken a metamorphic change from the mammoth size of an elephant to that of a tiny ant. The coaxial cable bridges encircle the spear which generates them. By far, the mobile phones have been the most advanced invention of the human race, and they have contributed an incredible part in the lifestyle of people of all walks of life. The handy phones (Clarridge, 2009) have succeeded in communication, kindred activities. There is a host of methods by which the visually challenged people use the mobile for their multifarious activities. Our focus here is to recount salient features of diverse interaction approaches followed by this vulnerable segment of society to interact with touch-based mobile phones. Thus, in this document, an earnest effort is made to assess various interaction, methods in terms of several features like the implication of interaction design, design philosophy, concrete usability study measures, favourable factors, divergence in utilisation so as to put them in a nutshell. A case study on the interaction approaches of the visually challenged with mobile phones is also offered here along with an evaluation of the text input time for several text input techniques, though as per the observation there is no major divergence in the text input time.

Survey on the text entry methods used in touch screen mobile devices by visually challenged

With the onset of electric and electronic technology, the world has taken a metamorphic change from the mammoth size of an elephant to that of a tiny ant. The coaxial cable bridges encircle the spear which generates them. By far, the mobile phones have been the most advanced invention of the human race, and they have contributed an incredible part in the lifestyle of people of all walks of life. The handy phones (Clarridge, 2009) have succeeded in communication, kindred activities. There is a host of methods by which the visually challenged people use the mobile for their multifarious activities. Our focus here is to recount salient features of diverse interaction approaches followed by this vulnerable segment of society to interact with touch-based mobile phones. Thus, in this document, an earnest effort is made to assess various interaction, methods in terms of several features like the implication of interaction design, design philosophy, concrete usability study measures, favourable factors, divergence in utilisation so as to put them in a nutshell. A case study on the interaction approaches of the visually challenged with mobile phones is also offered here along with an evaluation of the text input time for several text input techniques, though as per the observation there is no major divergence in the text input time.

ContextZoom: A Single-Handed Partial Zooming Technique for Touch-Screen Mobile Devices

ABSTRACTDespite its ubiquitous use, the pinch zooming technique is not effective for single-handed interaction with touch-screen mobile devices. A novel technique for single-handed zooming on touch-screen mobile devices, ContextZoom, is proposed in this paper. It allows users to specify any location on a device screen as the zooming center and ensures that this intended zooming center remains at the original location after zooming. ContextZoom works as an add-on feature for existing zooming techniques by supporting zooming in/out a portion of a viewport and provides a quick switch between partial and whole viewports, which can be operated with a single hand only. An empirical evaluation of ContextZoom through a controlled laboratory experiment was conducted to compare participants’ performance and perceptions while using the Google Maps’ single-handed (GMS) zooming technique and a button-based (BB) zooming technique with and without ContextZoom. Results show that equipped with ContextZoom, users’ performances with the GMS zooming technique and the BB zooming technique in partial viewport zooming were improved significantly in terms of task completion time and number of discrete actions. Participants also reported higher levels of perceived effectiveness and overall satisfaction with ContextZoom than without ContextZoom while using the GMS zooming technique and reported a similar level of perceived ease of use. On the other hand, ContextZoom increased the completion time but reduced the number of discrete actions in whole viewport zooming, and users did not perceive ContextZoom as a whole viewport zooming tool as well as its counterparts.

The Ergonomic Impact of Swype

Background:Shape writing is relatively new technology for on-screen keyboards that enable users of mobile touch-screen devices to input text by drawing continuous lines. With growth of touch-screen device usage, there has risen the need to investigate potential risks that may occur during prolonged usage. Objective: The biomechanical strain on upper limb muscles were assessed while study-participants used Swype technology on a tablet touch screen device and compared with traditional/regular input methods. Methods: Study-participants performed typing tasks (email and text) using Swype and regular input methods under counterbalanced conditions with sEMG data collected to measure muscle activity during tasks. Results: Email & Text had the same exertion for all muscles except the Extensor. The interaction between task and muscle was significant, F (1.6, 27.5) = 15.39, p < .001, ηp2 = 0.48. The interaction between muscle, task and method was also significant, F (2.19, 37.19) = 3.6, p = 0.03, ηp2= 0.18. Exertion was lower for Swype but with marginal significance. Overall, Email resulted in less dynamic activity than Text with Main effects F(1, 17) = 10.07, p = 0.006, ηp2 = 0.37. Extensor has more dynamic activity than other muscles with main effect F(1.8, 29.9) = 16.51, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.49. Conclusion: Results indicate that Swype presents no more biomechanical strain than regular input for most muscles. Swype may result in less exertion for the Extensor muscles in the lower arm. This may be particularly true for tasks requiring interactions like those found in the email task.

Game-based learning: educational game Azbuka to help young children learn writing Cyrillic letters

A working prototype for a mobile application called Azbuka is presented in this paper. The application is developed in a form of interactive educational game for mobile touch screen devices and is intended to help young children to learn writing Cyrillic letters. An important challenge during the research was the design of the graphical user interface (GUI) and game logic that should be acceptable, intuitive and easy to use for the target users i.e. children without previous training or technological experience. In order to investigate the application's acceptance and its impact on children motivation for learning, the Azbuka application was evaluated in a real case scenario on a selected set of test users. The study results revealed that the children are highly motivated to learn writing Cyrillic using new technologies, which are quickly accepted and adopted.

Parental Mediation, YouTube’s Networked Public, and the “Baby-iPad” Encounter: Mobilizing Digital Dexterity

This study collected a sample of YouTube videos in which parents recorded their young children utilizing mobile touch-screen devices. Focusing on the videos that received the greatest number of views and comments, the paper analyzes the ways in which babies’ “digital dexterity” is coded and understood in terms of contested notions of “naturalness” and the ways in which the display of these capabilities are produced for a networked public. This reading of the “baby-iPad encounter” helps expand existing scholarly concepts such as parental mediation and technology domestication. Recruiting several theoretical frameworks, the paper seeks to go beyond concerns of mobile devices and immobile children by analyzing children’s digital dexterity not only as a kind of mobility but also as a set of reciprocal mobilizations that work across domestic, virtual, and publically networked spaces.

The attitudes, impact, and learning needs of older adults using apps on touchscreen mobile devices: Results from a pilot study

Despite the proliferation in understanding older adults’ acceptance and limitations of Internet technology, the learning needs of older adults living in low Internet usage areas and their acceptance of touchscreen-based apps have lagged behind. This study describes an embedded mixed-method research evaluation of an eight-week touchscreen mobile device training for thirty-nine older adults who were recruited from a community center in a low Internet usage area in southern Taiwan. Among the participants, 20 completed both the pre-test and the post-test and 16 attended the focus group interviews. The design of the training course was based on constructs informed by the diffusion of innovation theory and the technology acceptance model, and it incorporated both a classroom-based and small group tutoring approach. After the training session, the participants reported significantly lower depressive symptom scores compared to baseline. Qualitative interviews reveal the participants’ learning needs related to extended practice, usefulness, and compatibility in adopting touch-screen apps. Findings from this study shed light on the possibility of touchscreen-based apps, including health-, entertainment-, transportation-, and social media-related apps, for improving psychological well-being in older adults with limited Internet experience living in the community. Discussion on their learning needs was also provided.

A new usability evaluation approach for touch screen mobile devices

Satisfaction of new expectations such as product usability and customer feelings are increasing the value of mobile electronic devices. In this study, cell phones, which are widely used among all touch screen mobile devices, are selected and various features which affect the usability of these products are researched in analytical network process (ANP)-technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution-based (TOPSIS) Taguchi method. With the participation of fifteen subjects, usability tests are performed for four equivalent brands of touch screen phones. The relationships and interactions between the criteria affecting the usability of the touch screen phones and the results of the questionnaires are evaluated by ANP. Also, ANP is combined into TOPSIS-based Taguchi method and the most usable touch screen mobile phones with respect to optimal criteria levels are determined with a proposed integrated approach. This study helps the touch screen mobile phone designers focus on the usability that contribute most to the desirable product options. The proposed ANP-TOPSIS-based Taguchi method provides an effective way for facilitating the consumer oriented touch screen mobile phone design process.

Applicability of keystroke dynamics as a biometric security feature for mobile touchscreen devices with virtualised keyboards

Touchscreen-based smartphones with virtualised QWERTY keyboards are becoming increasingly popular and by and by displace the old numerical keypads of normal cellular phones. On traditional desktop computer keyboards, which basically feature the same layout as the virtualised smarthpone keyboards, keystroke dynamics analysis KDA algorithms have long since been successfully used as an additional factor for user authentication. However the question remains whether the algorithms used for desktop computers also achieve good results on touchscreen-based devices. This paper presents the results of an experimental user study on the performance of a KDA algorithm for desktop computers applied on a touchscreen-based smartphone. The results achieved are far inferior than those achieved with a desktop computer keyboard. As will be shown, standard typing characteristics like time between two key events which provide good results for user authentication on desktop computers are not sufficient for building a successful KDA algorithm for virtual touchscreen keyboards. Hence, this paper also identifies additional features that could be incorporated in such an algorithm in order to improve the accuracy of KDA on touchscreen-based mobile devices.

Parental Mediation, YouTube’s Networked Public, and the “Baby-iPad Encounter”: Mobilizing Digital Dexterity

This study collected a sample of YouTube videos in which parents recorded their young children utilizing mobile touch-screen devices. Focusing on the videos that received the greatest number of views and comments, the paper analyzes the ways in which babies’ “digital dexterity” is coded and understood in terms of contested notions of “naturalness” and the ways in which the display of these capabilities are produced for a networked public. This reading of the “baby-iPad encounter” helps expand existing scholarly concepts such as parental mediation and technology domestication. Recruiting several theoretical frameworks, the paper seeks to go beyond concerns of mobile devices and immobile children by analyzing children’s digital dexterity not only as a kind of mobility but also as a set of reciprocal mobilizations that work across domestic, virtual, and publically networked spaces.

Children (and adults) benefit from visual feedback during gesture interaction on mobile touchscreen devices

Surface-gesture interaction styles used on mobile touchscreen devices often depend on the platform and application. Some applications show a visual trace of gesture input being made by the user, whereas others do not. Little work has been done examining the usability of visual feedback for surface-gestures, especially for children. In this paper, we extend our previous work on an empirical study conducted with children, teens, and adults to explore characteristics of gesture interaction with and without visual feedback. We analyze 9 simple and 7 complex gesture features to determine whether differences exist between users of different age groups when completing surface-gestures with and without visual feedback. We find that the gestures generated diverge significantly in ways that make them difficult to interpret by some recognizers. For example, users tend to make gestures with fewer strokes in the absence of visual feedback, and tend to make shorter, more compact gestures using straighter lines in the presence of visual feedback. In addition, users prefer to see visual feedback. Based on these findings, we present design recommendations for surface-gesture interfaces for children, teens, and adults on mobile touchscreen devices. We recommend providing visual feedback, especially for children, wherever possible.

Digitods: Toddlers, Touch Screens and Australian Family Life

Digitods: Toddlers, Touch Screens and Australian Family Life

Rethinking Difference in the iWorld: Possibilities, Challenges and ‘Unexpected Consequences’ of Digital Tools in Literacy Education

Within contemporary literacy classrooms, mobile touchscreen devices are occupying a more prominent place. For children who have disabilities or learning differences, such devices can offer increased participation and access and may also provide social capital to users. We share examples of how iPads and iPods were successfully used in classrooms by children who might be categorized as experiencing various challenges, as well as autobiographical examples we have experienced as parents of children with disabilities. Through these illustrations, we examine the possibilities of ‘new tools’ as well as challenges encountered in changing existing literacy practices.

Improving mobile device security with operating system-level virtualization

In this paper, we propose a lightweight mechanism to isolate one or more Android userland instances from a trustworthy and secure entity. This entity controls and manages the Android instances and provides an interface for remote administration and management of the device and its software. We provide an administrative solution for dynamically modifying, removing or adding multiple Android instances remotely and locally. Furthermore, we present a secure device provisioning and enrollment solution for our system. Our approach includes several security extensions for secure network access, integrity protection of data on storage devices, and secure access to the touchscreen of mobile devices. Our implementation requires only minimal modification to the software stack of a typical Android-based smartphone, which allows easy porting to other devices when compared to other virtualization techniques. Practical tests show the feasibility of our approach regarding runtime overhead and battery lifetime impact.

Neck kinematics and muscle activity during mobile device operations

Neck pain is a significant health problem due to its high incident rates and economic costs. Increased use of touch screen mobile devices is becoming pervasive in the modern society and may further influence this already prevalent health problem. However, our current understanding of the cervical spine biomechanics during the operation of touch screen mobile devices is very limited. This study evaluated the neck extensor muscle activities and the kinematics of the cervical spine during the operation of a touch screen tablet and a smart phone. Three-variables, DEVICE, LOCATION and TASK were treated as the independent variables. NASA TLX revealed that “Gaming” was the least difficult task and “Typing” was the most difficult task. Participants of this study maintained significantly deeper neck flexion when operating a smart phone (44.7°), with the mobile devices set on a table (46.4°), and while performing a “Typing” task (45.6°). Lower levels of neck muscle activities were observed while performing a “Reading” task and holding mobile devices with hand. Lower levels of neck muscle activities were also observed when using a smart phone vs. a tablet, however such change was statistically insignificant. Relevance to industryThe current study demonstrated that users maintain deep neck flexion when using touchscreen mobile devices. In the recent years, there is an increasing popularity of mobile smart devices in various occupational environments. The findings of this study may be useful in implementing human-centered task designs to reduce neck injury risks among mobile device users.

An experiment with content distribution methods in touchscreen mobile devices

This paper compares the usability of three different content distribution methods (scrolling, paging and internal links) in touchscreen mobile devices as means to display web documents. Usability is operationalized in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction. These dimensions are then measured in an experiment (N = 23) in which users are required to find words in regular-length web documents. Results suggest that scrolling is statistically better in terms of efficiency and user satisfaction. It is also found to be more effective but results were not significant. Our findings are also compared with existing literature to propose the following guideline: “try to use vertical scrolling in web pages for mobile devices instead of paging or internal links, except when the content is too large, then paging is recommended”. With an ever increasing number of touchscreen web-enabled mobile devices, this new guideline can be relevant for content developers targeting the mobile web as well as institutions trying to improve the usability of their content for mobile platforms.

Classification of frailty and falls history using a combination of sensor-based mobility assessments

Frailty is an important geriatric syndrome strongly linked to falls risk as well as increased mortality and morbidity. Taken alone, falls are the most common cause of injury and hospitalization and one of the principal causes of death and disability in older adults worldwide. Reliable determination of older adults’ frailty state in concert with their falls risk could lead to targeted intervention and improved quality of care. We report a mobile assessment platform employing inertial and pressure sensors to quantify the balance and mobility of older adults using three physical assessments (timed up and go (TUG), five times sit to stand (FTSS) and quiet standing balance). This study examines the utility of each individual assessment, and the novel combination of assessments, to screen for frailty and falls risk in older adults.Data were acquired from inertial and pressure sensors during TUG, FTSS and balance assessments using a touchscreen mobile device, from 124 community dwelling older adults (mean age 75.9 ± 6.6 years, 91 female). Participants were given a comprehensive geriatric assessment which included questions on falls and frailty. Methods based on support vector machines (SVM) were developed using sensor-derived features from each physical assessment to classify patients at risk of falls risk and frailty.In classifying falls history, combining sensor data from the TUG, Balance and FTSS tests to a single classifier model per gender yielded mean cross-validated classification accuracy of 87.58% (95% CI: 84.47–91.03%) for the male model and 78.11% (95% CI: 75.38–81.10%) for the female model. These results compared well or exceeded those for classifier models for each test taken individually. Similarly, when classifying frailty status, combining sensor data from the TUG, balance and FTSS tests to a single classifier model per gender, yielded mean cross-validated classification accuracy of 93.94% (95% CI: 91.16–96.51%) for the male model and 84.14% (95% CI: 82.11–86.33%) for the female model (mean 89.04%) which compared well or exceeded results for physical tests taken individually.Results suggest that the combination of these three tests, quantified using body-worn inertial sensors, could lead to improved methods for assessing frailty and falls risk.

Enhanced auditory feedback for Korean touch screen keyboards

With the increasing popularity of touch screen mobile devices, improving the usability and the user experience while inputting text on these devices is becoming increasingly important. Most conventional touch screen keyboards on mobile devices rely heavily on visual feedback, while auditory feedback seldom includes any useful information about what is being inputted by the user. The auditory feedback usually simply replicates the sounds produced by a physical keyboard. This paper describes the development of an enhanced auditory feedback mechanism for a Korean touch screen keyboard called the enhanced auditory feedback (EAF) mechanism. EAF has subtle phonetic auditory feedback generated using the acoustic phonetic features of human speech. While typing with EAF, users can acquire non-invasive auditory clues about the keys pressed. In this work, we compare conventional auditory feedback for a touch screen keyboard used in touch screen mobile devices with that of EAF and explore the possibility of using enhanced auditory feedback for touch screen keyboards.