Apple iPhone: A change in the interaction paradigm

For many decades now, there has been a well developed and understood paradigm by which we physically interact with mechanical and electronic devices. Regardless of the device, its size or shape, when you press a button, you receive feedback from the device from the action of pressing. The ‘press’ paradigm is the default method of interacting with almost any mechanical or electrical object you care to name that requires buttons to operate: a light switch, a typewriter, a push-button telephone, a calculator, a computer.

Further, it makes for an effective paradigm in interaction design within computer applications and on the web, since it mimics the action of real world objects, and it works excellently when combined with physical keys such as those found on a computer keyboard or a pointing device like a mouse.

A valid response to this could be: “Well, duh…”; but it is clear from Apple’s iPhone that their “multi-touch” interface has fundamentally altered the press paradigm permanently for touch screen devices.

This change has probably occurred out of necessity. Rather than using physical keys, multi-touch uses a virtual keyboard on an advanced LCD screen. Instead of a stylus for accuracy (to maintain the press paradigm), multi-touch has the required smarts to minimise the mistakes of human fingers.

Multi-touch employs a ‘hold and release’ paradigm

Instead of receiving feedback from the press of a virtual button on the iPhone, you receive feedback upon hold and release of its virtual buttons. Not a big change when selecting large buttons and controls, but absolutely essential when learning to do more accuracy-dependent tasks, such as typing.

This change requires unlearning the press paradigm to a degree. Since feedback must come from the pause between pressing and releasing a virtual button, users must learn to hold their finger on the screen momentarily until confirmation of the correct key is shown (below). On a regular computer keyboard, feedback is received by physically pressing the key. Not to mention that holding the key down on a regular keyboard would enter duplicate characters.

Typing Problems?

A number of articles made the rounds on the web last year proclaiming that the iPhone was ‘practically useless’ for people who are heavy users of text applications. Thinking from the press paradigm perspective that is a true statement.

By pecking at the virtual keys, even with some practice, users can still be highly error-prone. Once a user learns to slide their finger and release over the desired letter key, for example, they become faster and more accurate.

The Future of Touch Screens

As usual, Apple has looked to the future willing to jettison yesterday’s standards if required. The touch screens of tomorrow need a new interface. One that requires a new paradigm.