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.

Apples and Lemons

I was helping a friend recently at an Apple store. The problem? An iPad mini that reports the headphones are always plugged in even when they're not and won't play sound through the speaker. This has been an ongoing issue for 6 months which I attempted to fix by updating the iPad to the newer iOS 7....

The problem itself started after plugging in a set of headphones into the headphone jack on the iPad which were then removed an hour later and this issue has occurred ever since.  Headphones were purchased through the Apple store, were plugged in by a sighted person, used for this period of time to listen to music by a child and then removed again by the adult. We finally find out now that the issue is that part of the headphone jack has snapped off in the socket.

And you guessed it...
That VOIDS the warranty. So it would be $250 to repair (outrageous).
The basic story from Apple is that this issue has been caused by a third party product (even though Apple sold this product) and therefore it is not their responsibility, they will not even follow up with the manufacturer of the Headphones to determine if there is an issue that is known by the company about the Headphone jacks being faulty.

This makes me wonder how Blind people feel when they are required to plug cords, cables and all other manner of items into their i-devices? Especially when a lot of people in the Disability sector are using non-standard equipment, or at least equipment that Apple does not even remotely endorse. I guess we all must line up now to get someone "Officially Endorsed" by Apple to plug our equipment in, just in case.....

iOS7 : Designed to Brill

Apple, iOS and it's iDevice range have long since been renowned for their ease of use and in particular, the finger friendly approach to its User Interface Design.  Competing mobile Operating Ystems have long been criticised for lack of optimisation on devices that are primarily for use with your fingers.

Enter iOS7.....

Apart from it's tendancy to have a bright first impression *often with an ongoing after image!) it is more concerning to note some of the more subtle changes in the User Interface that reduces its useability, especially from the perspective a vision impaired user.

Essentially Apple has dumped it's colour coded button system, perhaps most prominent within its own Apps and the Settings application.  Gone are the red cancel buttons and the blue Next/Done button.  Replaced by a small text link that is often hard to located.  This trend is continued in Mail with a white on white on white approach.

Granted, it looks a little more refined (although some claim it looks "childish") it's an odd step for Apple to take.

Unfortunately as someone with a Vision Impairment I cannot seriously consider recommending an iPad/iPhone anymore.  Which is a shame, as Apple has long since been a leader in the accessibility arena.

A Little Bit of Magic

Back when the concept of gesture based input was starting to become popular through Apple's iDevices Steve Jobs was asked a question...

"Would the iMac or MacBook laptop series ever receive a touch screen and utilise gestures?"

Back then the answer was no.  But then again the answer about a smaller iPad was also no, so you never know.....  But what was released was a more cleverly programmed trackpad and the release of two new pointing devices for the Mac.  These were the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad.

Both devices had full gesture capabilities with the trackpad using its entire surface and the Magic Mouse enabling this through a touch sensitive part on the top of the mouse.  Neither had buttons but the whole device would "click" to indicate a mouse click and touch sensitivity was utilised to allow for identification of which "button" you had pressed.

While all in all, it didn't offer anything particularly spectacular it did offer the ability to utilise your accessibility options via gestures on your mouse/trackpad.  But be wary of mice with "touch sensitive" areas, you may find trying to pull the gestures off sees you moving the mouse pointer (or even the mouse itself).

Activating the Screen Magnifier in iOS

There isn't much in the way of 3rd party screen magnification in Apple products as the Apple Magnifier usually works a treat.  iOS devices are no different except for maybe the iPod Nano (if you can double tap with 3 fingers you might get away with it...).

To Activate the Screen Magnifier in iOS devices :

1. Open Settings (The grey icon with Gears on it)

2. Select General (on an iPad this is the default start location for settings)

3. Scroll down until you get to and select Accessibility.

4. Select Zoom and turn it on.

To activate Zoom simply double tap your screen with 3 fingers (note that Windows Phone 8 uses 2).  To deactivate the Zoom simply double tap with 3 fingers again.  To Zoom in double tap with 3 fingers and then hold, drag your fingers up to increase the zoom.  To Zoom out, double tap with 3 fingers and hold, then drag your fingers down.  You can scroll around the screen by swiping with 3 fingers.