![]() In contrast, the links on the White House Black Market mobile homepage were far enough apart to tap accurately. More space between them would prevent users from tapping the wrong one. For example, the stacked thin buttons on the mobile homepage of Kate Spade were too close to each other. Lists of links and stacked buttons also often fall victim to touch-target errors because the spacing between the elements is too small. Thankfully, a list view of locations was also available (which ideally should have been the default view). Information about a location was displayed by tapping the corresponding pinpoint. McDonalds’ mobile site: The locator search-results page presented a map with markers too small and close together. In testing, we often see users immediately make a “focus face” when viewing a map on mobile, as they realize it will require effort to use. When many locations are presented in a map view, the markers for each location are so small and densely packed that it becomes nearly impossible to precisely select a particular pinpoint. Maps on touchscreens often cause touch-target errors. Even when an error is avoided, just noticing that an element could be problematic to select adds to the perception that the interface is difficult to use. Not only do small targets take longer to reach, but they also increase the chance of a slip: accidentally tapping a wrong target that is placed too close to the desired one. It took about 10 tries to select the session to get the right-hand screenshot, in which the selected target is shown in orange. For example, a nursing session on March 15 was only 5 minutes, which caused the tap target (a thin yellow bar) to be only 6mm (0.2in) wide and not even 1mm (0.04in) tall. Glow Baby: The yellow and purple bars in the tracking history became nearly impossible to select if a nap or nursing session was very short. Unfortunately, because the visual reflected the length of time the baby was sleeping or nursing, if the session was very short the tap target became too small to easily tap. Tapping on an individual event displayed detailed information, such as the exact time of a nursing session or when baby fell asleep. ( Fitts’ law says that the time to reach a target depends on the distance to the target and the size of the target - thus, smaller targets take longer to reach, because of the added precision required of the user’s movements, than bigger targets placed in the same spot.)įor instance, the Glow Baby app visualized the history of tracked sleeping times, diaper changes, and feeding sessions with various colored bars or icons so users could detect possible patterns in baby’s behavior. When touch targets are too small, users take longer to tap them. The impact area of the typical thumb is even larger - an average of 2.5cm (1 inch) wide! Designing touch targets to account for the physical dimensions of users is basic user-centered design. ![]() Citing dimensions in pixel value doesn’t effectively communicate this physical aspect of touch targets, and quickly becomes meaningless once you consider the vast variety of screen densities for the plethora of devices at our fingertips (pun intended).Ī past study from the MIT Touch Lab found that the average person’s fingertips are 1.6– 2cm (0.6–0.8 in) wide. Note that this is a physical measurement: although our designs may be digital, we use our hands to manipulate these digital elements on a touch screen. Size Mattersīased on a study conducted by Parhi, Karlson and Bederson, for users to quickly and accurately select a touch target, its minimum size should be 1cm × 1cm (0.4in x 0.4in). Designers who prioritize aesthetics over functionally too often forget to create targets that can be easily and accurately selected. But the fat fingers are not the real culprit the blame should lie on the tiny targets. Often, this issue is described as a “fat finger” problem because users’ fingers are larger than the desired targets - clumsy cocktail sausages poking at screens. These moments make us feel like gawky giants in a too small world. Whether these efforts are successes or failures often comes down to a basic, yet critical detail of mobile design: touch target size and placement.Īdequately sized touch targets are critical for using an interface - let alone ease of use! We’ve all experienced frustration caused by small touch targets: visible, yet unresponsive to our taps - or worse, forcing us to accidentally trigger nearby links. Jotting down a note, selecting next week’s meal delivery kits, shopping online, and tracking my child’s eating and sleeping patterns all need to happen one-handed, quickly, while holding this tiny new human. As a new parent, I increasingly find myself using my smartphone as my primary computer.
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