In the past few years we have seen a substantial increase in the use of touchscreen technologies. From city guides, museum maps, and sales kiosks to the massive supply of hand held touchscreen technologies (iPhone, Droid, iPad, ect.) designers have taken a major interest to understand and design for these platforms.

Touchscreen User Interaction

When designing for a touchscreen the interaction has to be simple and fast as users are often untrained and impatient. This calls for a screen and interaction design, which is considerably different from normal user interface design. Touchscreens are generally operated with a finger or stylus providing a very direct interaction – and until holographic technology the most direct interaction that is possible on computers today. Touchscreens have the potential to be operated very fast for certain operations and should require little or no training, if designed adequately. For these reasons touchscreens have become popular especially for untrained users. Many people believe that touchscreens will replace keyboard and mouse in the future.

Think of the Children ... ::Ahem:: I mean User!

It is important to remember who will be using your application, as it is these people who will make or break your success. Consider who will be the user for the application, whether it be the elderly, teenagers or the professional world. This affects not only the overall look of the screen (the number of icons), but also the complexity of use. Also remember that a person's finger can never be as small as a computer mouse cursor or stylus. Limit the number of icons on your screen so that the wrong icon isn't selected by mistake. Do use icon symbols that don't require a lot of thought to understand. Users who opt for a touch screen don't want to be slowed down by reading--they just want to select and go.

Below is are preliminary design guidelines that take the characteristics of touchscreens, their advantages and disadvantages, into account. Of course, these guidelines will always be refined as our experience with touchscreens grows.

Summary of Touchscreen Characteristics

• Fast application speed
• Click accuracy is reduced when using your finger
• Allows for continuous animations in the interface
• User’s tend to get bored easily
• Best uses: point, select

Uses for Touchscreens

Best Suited to Applications Where...

• Necessity for training is low
• Frequency of use is low
• Accurate positioning is not required
• Little or no text or numerical input is required
• Desk space is at a premium
• The environment may be chemically or otherwise "aggressive"

Not Suited to Applications...

• Requiring training/trained users
• With high-frequency use
• Requiring accuracy
• Requiring a lot of typing

Typical Touchscreen Systems

• Public information systems: Museums, City guides, and Maps
• Kiosk systems: Advertising, POS(point of sale) systems, Product information reference
• Systems requiring pointing and selection only

Key Rules to remember when designing for touchscreens

• Fast: Make your application run as fast as possible. Users are becoming more and more impatient with technology. The quicker a user can perform the intended action the happier they will be with your application.
• Intuitive: Your application should be intuitive. A majority of your users will be untrained and will have to quickly understand how your application works.
• Reduced Choices: The more choices you have on your screen the more complicated and congested your interface will become. If you have alot of content or options try breaking them into sections that the user can easily identify with.
• Guide the User: Whether your application's purpose is simple or complex a well designed application will guide the user through common functions. Whether using descriptions under buttons or intuative buttons/icons. Appeal to the first visit and imagine every user is new to your system by giving them a path to follow.
• Tested: ALWAYS test your application internally before releasing it for public use. This will help you catch embarrassing errors and give you time to test the effectiveness of your interface design.