Mobile Human Computer Interfaces

In terms of Human Comuter Interfaces (HCI) we've come to expect a fairly standard set of options or in other words, the status quo. But do they really meet our needs and is the concept of the smartphone operating system really being appropraitely considered from a finger friendly perspective? Not really, at least not in most cases.

I am sure some punters will laugh in my face but despite WIndows Phone 8 essentially being an Ugly Duckling of the current crowd, it is one of the better implementations of a User Interface that is specifically designed for use with your fingers. It's generally large tiles (although you can usually select several sizes) allows for easy pressing of desired applications.

Ok, I hear you cry out "But what about iOS???!!" and the other crowd who undoubtedly will argue that Android is much better....

It's undeniable that both operating systems are now a pretty sight and Android in particular, allows for a large amount of flexibility in changing the appearance to suit your needs. But heavy use of text and poor in App design are often a problem. Items such as the back button on the new iOS 7 Safari leaves a lot to be desired  Android doesn't do much better with heavy use of text in its interface that are often difficult to identify as buttons unless you have previous experience (the Save and Cancel buttons up the top right common to most apps is terrible).

Some basic principles of design could really help improve the useability of our finger oriented devices.  Steve Jobs is famously quoted as saying they would not produce a smaller tablet unless you could shrink your fingers. Well our fingers haven't shrunk but the Operating Systems haven't provided us with bigger buttons to press either, regardless of screen real estate.