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An Assessment Method and Toolkit to Evaluate Keyboard Design on Smartphones

An Assessment Method and Toolkit to Evaluate Keyboard Design on Smartphones

Published on: October 5, 2020

Thumb performance of elderly users on smartphone touchscreen.

Jinghong Xiong¹, Satoshi Muraki²

¹Graduate School of Design, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, 815 8540 Japan.

|August 13, 2016

Summary

Elderly smartphone users fatigue faster on small buttons and with flexion-extension movements. Interface designs should prioritize larger buttons and adduction-abduction motions for better usability and reduced strain.

Keywords:

EMG Elderly Perceived exertion Smartphone touchscreen Thumb

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Area of Science:

Human-Computer Interaction
Gerontology
Biomechanics

Background:

Aging populations require accessible technology interfaces.
Smartphone touchscreen operation involves complex thumb muscle engagement.
Understanding age-related changes in motor control is crucial for design.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate thumb muscle activity during smartphone touchscreen tasks in elderly users.
To determine the impact of button size and movement orientation on user fatigue and performance.
To provide design recommendations for elderly-friendly touchscreen interfaces.

Main Methods:

Electromyography (EMG) was used to measure activity in three key thumb muscles: abductor pollicis brevis, abductor pollicis longus (APL), and first dorsal interosseous (FDI).
Participants performed touchscreen tasks involving different button sizes (3.0 mm vs. 9.0 mm) and movement orientations (flexion-extension vs. adduction-abduction).
Perceived exertion was evaluated alongside performance metrics like tapping speed.

Main Results:

Elderly participants exhibited rapid fatigue and slower tapping speeds with smaller (3.0 mm) buttons compared to larger (9.0 mm) ones.
Flexion-extension movements led to greater fatigue and slower performance than adduction-abduction movements.
EMG data showed significant increases in first dorsal interosseous (FDI) activity for small button tasks and in abductor pollicis longus (APL) for flexion-extension tasks.

Conclusions:

Small touch-buttons and flexion-extension movements increase thumb muscle strain and reduce performance in elderly users.
Smartphone interface design for older adults should avoid small buttons and limit flexion-extension actions.
Optimizing interface elements can enhance usability and reduce physical discomfort for elderly smartphone users.