Development of a two-step touch method for website navigation on smartphones.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Mobile Device Usability
• User Interface Design

Background:

• Smartphone hyperlink selection faces usability challenges due to small target sizes and finger occlusion.
• Current touch methods often lead to errors and user frustration during mobile web navigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel two-step touch method, Press and Flick, for improved hyperlink selection on smartphones.
• To compare the effectiveness of the Press and Flick method against the traditional touch method using the GOMS model and user testing.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Press and Flick method, involving an initial press followed by a flick for error correction.
• Comprehensive evaluation using the Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection rules (GOMS) model.
• Empirical user testing to assess performance and subjective satisfaction.

Main Results:

• The Press and Flick method demonstrated significantly lower error rates compared to the current touch method.
• Subjective satisfaction scores were notably higher with the Press and Flick method.
• While effective in reducing errors, the method's impact on interaction count and touch time was influenced by the error rate.

Conclusions:

• The Press and Flick method offers a substantial improvement in smartphone hyperlink selection usability.
• This novel approach enhances the overall user experience for mobile website navigation.
• The findings suggest a viable alternative for overcoming common touch interface limitations.