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.

Mobile Screen Magnifier Round Up

Not that long ago I took a look at the Windows Mobile Phone 8 Screen Magnifier in comparison with the iOS Zoom functionality.  Back then I was a bit oblivious to the fact that at long last Android had acquired its own in-built Screen Magnifier (note that I have no idea about Blackberry OS....).  So, now that all three major players in the smartphone and tablet markets have similar functionality, let's line then up and take a closer look at what each has to offer over the other.

 

Android Screen Magnifier

As the newcomer to this particular functionality (at least to my knowledge) Android has some expectations to live up to and a fairly high bar to match.  There are some key and interesting differences between this implementation and the one present on WIndows and iOS based devices even though at first glance, it offers the same feature set.

Unlike iOS and Windows Phone the Android based magnifier does not zoom in on the keyboard.  What?  Yes that's right it doesn't zoom in on the on-screen keyboard.  This may sound odd at first but if you've ever attempted to type while the screen is magnified you can probably recognise that this actual feature comes in handy.  This one works by retaining the screen itself still being magnified (in particularly the text you are entering) while slotting the standard keyboard at the bottom of the screen.

The other odd feature is that when you get a notification in a dialog box the screen automatically disengages the magnifier.  This might seem unusual to start with as well but ends up working favourably as it stops you from remaining oblivious when there is a change in focus in the application which can sometimes occur in iOS (where you might be zoomed in somewhere and not aware of an item requiring your attention somewhere else on the screen).

Apart from this, all functionality is essentially identical to those in Windows Phone and iOS based devices.

iOS Zoom

The iOS Zoom has been around since the first iPad and offers the same functionality as that available on the Windows Phone and Android based devices.  It's key difference here is that it utilises three fingers to implement its functionality.  This can be both good and bad as it's distinct and you won't be setting it off accidentally but it can sometimes be hard to pull off without accidentally clicking on an icon or something you didn't intend to.

Perhaps the most useful distinction here is that the iOS Zoom still retains its kinetic scrolling and flick functionality.  This is handy for reading long lines of text or if you want to quickly go from one side of the screen to the other without zooming out.

WP8 Screen Magnifier

There's nothing really here to set it apart.  About the only thing I can mention here is that the combination of the layout design, capability to enlarge the font sizes in all aspects of the OS and the implenentation of a basic, but well executed magnifier works well.

So which one's for me?

In my view, Android has the edge on the other mobile OS' here.  The way it implements its magnifier is a much more readily useable system that ensures you stay aware of your full screen content while allowing you to zoom in on what's important

Going Silent

So you've acquired yourself a Smartphone....

For most people who are Deaf and Deafblind, the most likely reason you bought one is to do your Text or SMS messaging on in some accessible way (at least more so than a standard cheap phone).  So you have magnification, text-to=seech and if you're lucky, even Voice Recognition that understands what you say but what about your ring tones?

But why do I need a Ring tone?

Well you don't actually....
Until you put your phone on Vibrate, chuck it in your pocket or bag and realise you can't really feel it when it vibrates (especially true if you've got it in your hand bag).  While in silent mode your average mobile will still make a continuous "ring" when a new voice call comes in but your average text message notification makes a weak buzz.  You can't change the intensity or duration either directly or by assigning a different ring tone (IOS will let you set it to repeat up to 10 times).

Which might leave you missing your messages left, right and centre.....

It's a shame so much flexibility in ring tone is available to people who can hear them but how about a bit of vibratory adjustment?

WP8 Magnifier vs iOS Zoom

Both Windows Phone 8 and iOS offer an in-built screen magnifier as part of their accessibility repotoire  Both pretty much do exactly the same thing but Windows Phone 8 uses 2 fingers while iOS requires 3 but there are minor differences that might give one an edge over the other.

iOS Zoom
 iOS Zoom works by utilising a double tap with 3 fingers to activate/deactivate.  From there you are free to utilise other gestures including a 3 finger flick (which dependant on the speed at which you do it will set the screen scrolling at  a particular speed). This is aprticularly handy if you need to zoom in a fair bit and then find a corner of the screen.  Unfortunately when you try to drag with 3 fingers you can sometimes set this off and find yourself nowhere near where you want to be (often requiring a Zoom out and Zoom In again to find where you are).

Using 3 fingers can be a bit inaccurate on a smaller device like the iPhone and this Zoom feature seems more at home on the iPad.  It is quite easy to accidentally "press" a button while you are trying to activate/deactivate or utilise the Zoom.  In terms of clarity the Zoom retains a high level of clear text/graphics even at its highest level of zoom.

Windows Phone 8 Magnifier
The Windows Phone 8 Magnifier, once initiated, works in almost exactly the same way but utilises 2 fingers instead of 3.  At first this does not "work" because you need to make sure you have your fingers slightly spread apart and it is easy to forget to do this (doing it with 3 extended middle fingers tends to spread them apart a litle bit by nature).  But once you get your head around this little trick you will probably find it easier to use 2 as opposed to 3.

A 2 fingered flick has no effect so this gesture appears to be disabled.  WHile I find this a little annoying it tends to work well for phones where small movements are necessary and/or you require much greater control over the position of the zoomed area.

Like the iOS Zoom feature you may also find yourself accidentally generating a "click" instead of 2 finger presses but after a little while and making sure my fingers were seperated I did not have this issue so much with Windows Phone 8.

Overall
Both are good and well implemented and I suspect whichever device you choose, you are likely to be happy with it after a little practise.  For me, the Windows Phone 8 implementation is a slightly better approach for a small screen size (it is also available for Tablets) while I feel the iOS solution is a better approach for larger formats such as the iPad where further scrolling might be required.

Related Topics :
Activating the Screen Magnifier in iOS
Activating the Screen Magnifier in Windows Phone 8

Changing Font Sizes in Windows Phone 8

Fonts on your average Phone/Tablet probably border on the botuse when it comes to legibility (in most likelihood you are becoming familiar with the icon in use and not "really" reading the text).

But Windows Phone 8 will let you adjust the system font size to some extent and this is carried through to most applications and settings menu's (including your SMS messages).

To change the Font Size in Windows Phone 8 :
1. Swipe right to get to your Applications List.
2. Scroll down and select Settings.
3. Select Ease of Access
4. At the top of this settings screen is a slider that lets you increase/decrease the font size.

Font Sizes can be changed in iOS as well.  Click here for more details

Screen Magnifier for Windows Phone

 Windows Phone and Windows in general has been languishing a bit behind in terms of accessibility.  Until fairly recently, Windows Mobile, now called Windows Phone,  has not had access to an in-built screen magnifier.  This functionality has been left to third party software (which sometimes does not work with all programs).

To activate your Windows Phone Screen Magnifier :

1. Open Settings
2. Select Ease of Access
3. Make sure your Magnifier is set to the On position

To utilise the Magnifier now you need to use two fingers.  To start the Magnifier double tap your screen with 2 fingers.  To scroll around the screen drag two fingers across the screen in the direction you want to go.  To zoom in double tap with two fingers then hold and drag both fingers upwards.  To zoom out double tap with two fingers and then hold and drag downwards.