Recently, the CEOs of both Samsung and LG told audiences at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that their companies would only sell touch screen cell phones after 2012. The number two and three cellular handset OEMs [in terms of volume] believe that touch screen phones will be less expensive to manufacture [key pads and the dome sheets cost about USD $1-2, they wear-out, and they generate ~20% of the RMAs] in the near future. And yet, I think we can all agree, black or white monoliths with virtual "buttons" are not the best user experience on a cell phone.
There are two major types of touch screens: Resistive and Capacitive. Both have strengths and both have weaknesses. [From Wikipedia] "A resistive touch screen panel is composed of several layers. The most important are two thin metallic electrically conductive and resistive layers separated by thin space. When some object touches this kind of touch panel, the layers are connected at a certain point; the panel then electrically acts similar to two voltage dividers with connected outputs. This causes a change in the electrical current which is registered as a touch event and sent to the controller for processing.
"Resistive touchscreen panels are generally the most affordable technology but offer only 75% clarity (premium films and glass finishes allow transmissivity to approach 85%) and the layer can be permanently damaged by sharp/hard objects [ed. like keys in your pocket]. Resistive touch screen panels are not affected by outside elements such as dust or water and are the type most commonly used today." In most resistive touch screens, when the implementation is good - the user experience is adequate. When the resistive touch screen is average [or below], the UX is difficult [with screens maddeningly requiring greater or lesser pressure than is intuitive].
A capacitive "touch screen panel is coated with a material, typically indium tin oxide [ITO], that conducts a continuous electrical current across the sensor. The sensor therefore exhibits a precisely controlled field of stored electrons in both the horizontal and vertical axes - it achieves capacitance. The human body is also an electrical device which has stored electrons and therefore also exhibits capacitance. Capacitive sensors work based on proximity, and do not have to be directly touched to be triggered. It is a durable technology that is used in a wide range of applications including point-of-sale systems, industrial controls, and public information kiosks. It has a higher clarity than Resistive technology, but it only responds to finger contact and will not work with a gloved hand or pen stylus. Capacitive touch screens can also support Multitouch." [Also from Wikipedia] Capacitive touch screens are comparatively more expensive and have difficulty in humid and rainy environments. And in my not-so-humble opinion, the amount of false-positive responses that can be generated on a capacitive screen is extremely challenging to the UX.
So both of the popular types of touch screens have challenges to the UX. Yet adding haptics or tactile feedback to a touch screen enhances considerably the overall UX. Research from the University of Glasgow Scotland [Brewster, Chohan, and Brown 2007] suggests that users reduce errors (20%), increase input speed (20%), and lower their cognitive load (40%) when touch screens are combined with haptics, [vs. non-haptic touch screens]. The same group is currently examining the combination of visual, auditory and touch feedback and the permutations therein. Results are expected later this year.
LG and Samsung both use haptics when deploying touch screen phones and have delivered over 30M such devices in 2008. Nokia has licensed and deployed [and will continue to deploy] haptics.
Opportunities exist for ATMs/kiosks, PNDs, PMPs, automotive, gaming and other devices to deploy haptics and thereby enhance the overall UX. What other devices could benefit from haptics?
G Craig Vachon
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