After a year of research, global collaboration and in-depth analysis, the long-awaited International Usability Partners’ Gesture Study is nearly complete.
The study will be of strong interest to anyone working in the field of touchscreen design but may also be of interest to those who have an interest in technological trends in general. The work could aid any designer who wants to create gestural interfaces that are intuitive and widely accepted across different countries and cultures.
We looked all over the world to capture the intuitive, natural gestures that people make and to evaluate the “understandability” of existing gestures across cultures. We conducted our research in 10 different countries, carrying out in-depth user tests with 40 participants in each country. This is the biggest, most comprehensive research study of touchscreen interface use ever conducted.
The specific questions that we asked are:
- What are the intuitive, natural movements and gestures that can be applied to controlling a touchscreen product?
- Will cultural differences in gestures used in everyday life affect the gestures that people use to control a product?
- Can we identify certain patterns of interaction that differ across cultures?
- Are there differences between the gestures of people familiar with current touchscreen products and those unfamiliar with those products?
Check back here for more info, or email touchscreens@touchthinking.com and we’ll let you know when the study is released. (We will only use your address for this purpose and we won’t share your details or spam you with any other stuff).
Ian Collingwood is MD at Amberlight Partners London. 