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Use of force plate instrumentation to assess kinetic variables during touch screen use

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Abstract

Touch screens are becoming ubiquitous technology, allowing for enhanced speed and convenience of user interfaces. To date, the majority of touch screen usability studies have focused on timing and accuracy of young, healthy individuals. This information alone may not be sufficient to improve accessibility and usability of touch screens. Kinetic data (e.g. force, impulse, and direction) may provide valuable information regarding human performance during touch screen use. Since kinetic information cannot be measured with a touch screen alone, touch screen-force plate instrumentation, software, and methodology were developed. Individuals with motor control disabilities (Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis), as well as gender- and age-matched non-disabled participants, completed a pilot reciprocal tapping task to evaluate the validity of this new instrumentation to quantify touch characteristics. Results indicate that the instrumentation was able to successfully evaluate performance and kinetic characteristics. The kinetic information measured by the new instrumentation provides important insight into touch characteristics which may lead to improved usability and accessibility of touch screens.

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Acknowledgments

The contents of this paper were developed under grant H133E030012 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), U.S. Department of Education. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Trace Research and Development Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Curtis B. Irwin, Thomas Y. Yen, Robert H. Meyer, Gregg C. Vanderheiden, David P. Kelso & Mary E. Sesto

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  1. Curtis B. Irwin
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  2. Thomas Y. Yen
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  3. Robert H. Meyer
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  4. Gregg C. Vanderheiden
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  5. David P. Kelso
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  6. Mary E. Sesto
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Correspondence to Mary E. Sesto.

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Irwin, C.B., Yen, T.Y., Meyer, R.H. et al. Use of force plate instrumentation to assess kinetic variables during touch screen use. Univ Access Inf Soc 10, 453–460 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-011-0218-z

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