[evan]

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...y_keypads.html

A recent usability study found that average cell phone users are far more efficient using physical QWERTY keypads to type messages than they are when using the virtual keypad included with Apple Inc.'s new iPhone. Global consulting firm User Centric, which had previously identified texting as potentially problematic for iPhone customers, said it commissioned the new survey to determine just how easy it is for conventional mobile phone users to transition to text input via the Apple handset's touchscreen keypad. For the the study, the firm brought in a total of 20 participants who said they sent text messages at least 15 times per week -- ten of the participants owned a phone with a QWERTY keypad, and ten of the participants owned a phone with a numeric keypad. During each session, participants were required to use their own phones to copy 12 standard messages that had been created for the study. The participants, none of which had ever used an iPhone, were then provided with one of the Apple handsets and asked to repeat the task. "In general, participants took longer to enter text messages on the iPhone than on their own phone," User Centric wrote in a summary of the study. "Despite the keyboard similarities, QWERTY phone users took nearly twice as long to enter comparable messages on the iPhone compared to their own phone." Specifically, participants were asked to copy 12 standard messages, each of which was between 104-106 characters in length (including spaces). Six of the messages each contained 8-10 instances of proper capitalization and punctuation, while the remaining six messages contained no capitalization or punctuation but had some abbreviations. Participants were given little time to familiarize themselves with the iPhone's touch keyboard ahead of the study and therefore their texting abilities were still at the novice level. Throughout the study, however, User Centric said there were some "limited improvements in keyboard comfort as users progressed through the tasks on the iPhone." "Overall, the findings in the study can be taken as a good representation of what iPhone text messaging is like for a customer who has just bought an iPhone and is using it for the first time," said Gavin Lew, Managing Director at User Centric. "It's important to consider the changes a person has to make when they switch to the iPhone. Some specific observations from the July study are listed below: Detailed Observations of User Text Entry on the iPhone Ergonomic Issues Most participants felt that their fingertips were too large for the iPhone's touch keyboard. Most QWERTY phone users initially used the iPhone by holding it with both hands and typing with their two thumbs. However, by the end of the session, most had decided that it was easier for them to use one index finger to type. Over half of the participants stated that they would have preferred the feel of an actual key to the iPhone's touch keypad. Most participants noticed that there was no tactile feedback on the iPhone keypad. Some mentioned that the feel of the key on conventional phones helps them locate the desired key without having to focus on the actual keypad. General Interface Issues Participants expressed a great deal of frustration with the sensitivity of the iPhone touch keypad. Participants made an average of 11 errors per message on the iPhone compared to an average of 3 errors per text message on their own phone. Although the error rate was alleviated somewhat by the iPhone's self-correction feature, participants were still frustrated. In particular, participants struggled when they were trying to type using the Q & W keys or the O & P keys on the iPhone. 5 out of 20 participants asked if the iPhone came with a stylus. They indicated that they could be more accurate with the stylus rather than their fingers due to the sensitivity of the screen. One female participant tried to interact with the iPhone keypad using her fingernail and was unsuccessful. The space bar, return, and backspace keys presented issues for many participants because these keys were spaced so closely to each other. No one discovered the drag and lift feature of the keyboard, which reduces errors. Many participants said they could not see themselves attempting text entry on the iPhone in distracting conditions. Specifically, participants did not think they could text message on the iPhone safely while driving. Predictive & Corrective Text Issues Only a few participants discovered and correctly learned to use the predictive and/or corrective text features on the iPhone. QWERTY phone users in particular had a tendency to backspace when they were correcting mistakes. Participants did not understand how the predictive / corrective text bubbles worked. 6 out of 20 participants tried to touch the bubble to get the word in the text bubble to appear. Three participants tried hitting the backspace key because they associated the ‘x' on it with the ‘x' in the bubble. It was especially frustrating for participants when they attempted to place the cursor in the middle of a word. None of the participants discovered the magnifying glass feature while text messaging. During a follow-up task that involved correcting a note in the iPhone's Notes application, 6 out of 20 did discover the magnifying glass feature. However, not all participants realized that the feature helps place the cursor in addition to enlarging the text.

What exactly is the point of this study? Of course people unfamiliar with the iphone are going to have some trouble typing at first. Any piece of technology requires some time to get acquainted with it. This so called "study" really seems to be just completely retarded slander on the iphone with absolutely no reason for it whatsoever... but on the other hand maybe it's just me being paranoid at 2:30 in the morning.

[torifile]

Originally Posted by CoachKrzyzewski http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...y_keypads.html What exactly is the point of this study? Of course people unfamiliar with the iphone are going to have some trouble typing at first. Any piece of technology requires some time to get acquainted with it. This so called "study" really seems to be just completely retarded slander on the iphone with absolutely no reason for it whatsoever... but on the other hand maybe it's just me being paranoid at 2:30 in the morning.

I don't think you're just being paranoid. The first thing that popped out at me in reading that was the fact that they hadn't used the iPhone before. It takes some time to get used the the keyboard. Once that happens, grammar and spelling will make it back into our texting. Good times for all.

[Dorian Gray]

Yes, the study has very limited value. If you gave me a phone that wasn't my own but still had a normal keypad, it would take me a while to get used to it. Obviously the iPhone's completely different method of interaction will require a period of adjustment.

Specifically, participants did not think they could text message on the iPhone safely while driving.

This implies that they thought they could safely text on their existing phone while driving. Which is a bit worrying, not least because of what that suggests about their general intelligence.

[BuonRotto]

Who texts while driving?! Oh, I think I've seen that. Luckily, I kept a safe distance.

Yes, it make for some nice FUD.

[zippy]

This is how places like User Centric get noticed.

It reminds me of an article I read on MSNBC a couple of months ago about some kid who did a "study" that showed that iPods were bad for pacemakers. Bear in mind that doctors have been telling pacemaker patients for years not to place electronic devices near their chest area.

But since this kid only tested iPods, and not other electronic devices, it suddenly became newsworthy.

OH NOES!@!! the iPods are killing old people with the pacemakers.....EEK!

Riiiiiight!

[Taskiss]

Global warming will drown us all anyway, what does this matter?

[Banana]

Maybe someone can start a new study studying how much User Centric and other firms actually know something about research methodology.

[Miko]

This study is slanted but the one potential problem I see with the iPhone's interface is the fact that it forces users to look at the screen to do anything, other than unlocking it, adjusting the volume and placing it on mute.

[Banana]

and they don't look at their phone when doing stuff?

My experience has been to contrary; the only time they're are not looking at any phone's screen is when they're on the call.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Banana and they don't look at their phone when doing stuff?

The difference is that it forces you to look at the keyboard as you are typing. The possibility of touch typing is almost completely gone since there is no tactile feedback on the iPhone.

Yes, touch typing (or something very much like it) is possible with itty-bitty keyboards. I can type reasonably quickly on my BlackBerry because it has little QWERTY buttons. Since I know QWERTY well enough and can feel the edges of the keys, I can type with my thumbs without having to slow down to constantly lift them and look at the letters beneath them. I can focus on the output, not the input, just as one should when typing with a full-size desktop keyboard.

[Banana]

Ahh, makes sense now. Thanks for clarifying.

I'd imagine myself getting annoyed if I had to concentrate too much on inputting, have had "semi-touch-typed" with sidekick and blackberry.

[Miko]

Originally Posted by Banana and they don't look at their phone when doing stuff? My experience has been to contrary; the only time they're are not looking at any phone's screen is when they're on the call.

No of course they do, I'm simply saying that with the iPhone it forces you to. For example you have to look at the screen when using the numeric keypad or answering a call. How many times have you been focusing on work or something the phone rings and you just hit the talk key, well you can't do this with the iPhone.

This is just a minor issue but still one inherent to the multi-touch interface. The iPhone just isn't for everyone and that was said since day one. People are even bringing this up regarding the iPod feature, you have to have the darn thing in front of you to see what you're doing.

[Mr Ten]

i noticed you have to look at the phone more as well, but once you get the jist of the letter regions, i'm way faster than ever because you DON'T HAVE TO BE as accurate, which is a blessing for speed even. since it's qwerty, sometimes there are word similarities that come out unintended. i wish the predictive learning would be as smart and active as that on blackberries, as well as the editable dictionary feature.

[Wrao]

My only exposure to the virtual keyboard was playing with it for at least 3 or 4 minutes. Using two thumbs at a decently quick speed, I was unable to get a single letter correct. Using two thumbs at a painstakingly slow speed... I was unable to get a single letter correct.

Using just one finger, however, my typing became errorless, I was even able to do it fairly fast(faster than T9, slower than a real keyboard).

As for texting while driving, you guys are a bunch of prudes.

[psmith2.0]

Depending on how I'm sitting (or lying), I'll do the "one finger really fast" thing (which I've gotten really good at), or the "two thumbs", which I'm pretty okay at too.

But I fly when I hold my phone with my left hand and use my right index finger. It's like popcorn popping!

I can type an e-mail similar in length to this post in fairly short order, while on the standard cell phone way (the whole "text messaging" thing, using a numeric phone keypad) it takes me about two minutes to write one sentence (and I couldn't bring myself to use all the "u", "r" and "2" horseshit, so it was even worse...thank goodness for the iPhone).

And I don't mind looking at the thing when I'm typing. If I'm driving or doing something so important that I need to think about something else like "texting" or whatever, I shouldn't be doing both of them at the same time anyway (we've covered this before, I think)...



I don't think I'm ever so busy or important to the world that I have to be barreling down the freeway and texting someone, sight unseen. And those of you who say you are, you're deluded and should get over yourselves.



Take 30 seconds and pull into a parking lot for your communication tasks so you don't rear-end me at the next redlight.

I love the iPhone keyboard. Having been a QWERTY user for years (and never really taking to, or getting into, that whole "texting" thing on a standard phone), it's a joy.

[Wrao]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Depending on how I'm sitting (or lying), I'll do the "one finger really fast" thing (which I've gotten really good at), or the "two thumbs", which I'm pretty okay at too. But I fly when I hold my phone with my left hand and use my right index finger. It's like popcorn popping!

Have you experimented at all with two fingers? like index and middle on your right hand? I did a little bit, but not long enough to determine if it was easy to learn/use or not.

[psmith2.0]

No, not really. Next time I type something I'll give it a try and see what's what. Probably a timing issue more than anything. I'm okay with the two thumbs on different hands. For some reason, two fingers on the same hand sounds like it might be a struggle, or kinda tricky for some reason. Maybe not...

[BuonRotto]

Originally Posted by Wrao As for texting while driving, you guys are a bunch of prudes.

If by "prude" you mean "intelligent", then yes!

I suspect though, while a raised button will always be faster than a flat surface for typing speed, muscle memory does play a role after a while. I have no doubt that dedicated buttons will be faster, of course. It's just annoying that the iPhone is being measured in near absolute terms. Do you do so much typing on a mobile device that you need a dedicated, immutable keyboard that is otherwise further complicated by secondary and tertiary button functions? Is the loss of typing proficiency such that the gain in screen space and contextual/dynamic inputs do not offset this deficiency? The other option of course is to make a bigger device, and we know how well that goes. It's the whole sum-of-its parts conundrum that's taken a bit academically. Anyway, I'm preaching to the choir. I can't speak too informatively either since I don't actually own one yet, and once mine comes in 2 days, I will feel the need to rationalize my purchase. Sort of a no-win for us who defend Apple's design decision on this front.

[ronmexico]

If you want to text while driving:
If you are right handed, hold the iPhone in your left hand between your thumb and pointer finger. Grasp the 'spoke' of the steering wheel with the left hand between your pinky and ring fingers. Text with your right pointer finger while glancing between the screen and the road...Don't do it while merging or turning.

[Banana]

Banana's hot tips on texting while driving.

Before starting on a trip, place your iPhone in the trunk of the car.

Proceed to your destination.

Upon arrival and after turning off the engine and extinguishing the cigarette, you may remove the iPhone from the trunk.

[neiltc13]

Texting while driving is illegal here. Why on earth would anyone do this and why would any country make it legal to do?

[chucker]

Originally Posted by ronmexico If you want to text while driving: [..] Don't do it while merging or turning.

The world is in a sorry state when this needs to be pointed out…

[zippy]

zippy's tips on texting while driving:

1) Don't do it on any road that I'm on, or I'll run your ass right off of it!

2) I think we're done here.

[joveblue]

Originally Posted by Wrao As for texting while driving, you guys are a bunch of prudes.

I am sincerely hoping that this is a joke, but I can't find any smileys...

If it's not a joke... man I'm glad we don't drive on the same roads...


Jove's friendly tips for texting while driving:
1. Don't.
2. Please die.

[ghoti]

Young man hit by train while SMSing ...

Originally Posted by The Article (Witnesses told Elmwood Place Mayor Richard) Ellison that Smith looked as if he was using his phone to send a text message and didn't see the onrushing train. "The horn was blowing like mad, and the kid was text-messaging," Ellison said.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...390/1077/COL02

[Robo]

I get nervous texting at a red light. No way in hell would I do it while I was driving.

[neiltc13]

Originally Posted by Roboman I get nervous texting at a red light. No way in hell would I do it while I was driving.

You should know better - it's illegal!

[Mr Ten]

you guys are slow, i'm so fast that letters fly. the only problem is being so quick that, for example, my right thumb hits a letter, and before i have time to lift the right thumb, the left thumb is already impacting the glass, ultimately not registering the proper letter since it's not two independent touches to the screen.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by ghoti Young man hit by train while SMSing ... http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...390/1077/COL02

Falls squarely under that whole "thinning the herd/natural selection" thing.

[Wrao]

Originally Posted by zippy zippy's tips on texting while driving: 1) Don't do it on any road that I'm on, or I'll run your ass right off of it! 2) I think we're done here.

It is honestly surprising to me how inept everyone here is at driving, let alone driving and texting. Any decently skilled driver can do both at once without endangering themselves or others. To say otherwise is just being sensational. T9 texting is easy, it takes 3 glances at the phone tops, no worse than changing the radio station.

What's even more laughable though, is the mentality of "I'll run you off the road if you're texting", while I understand that's a joke(sort of), what you advocate(road rage) is far more unsafe than texting while driving.

Of course, I don't maintain long winded conversations with my thumbs every second that I am in the car. But replying to a sent message, exchanging a few notes, psh, that is easy, and not at all a safety concern for me.