Multitap vs QWERTY ?
14 May 2010 - 10:59pm
5 replies
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Anonymous
Hi All
Hope everybody is doing well.
Recently I conducted a usability test a part of which involved testing a multitap vs a full QWERTY keypad on the mobile phone.
Major part was to test the QWERTY.
After the test, I am wondering if it is ok to compare these two ?
Both of them have different interfaces and interactions; hence the type of errors users make will differ with both of them.
Is it ok to test QWERTY considering multitap as a benchmark if we are looking at error rates ?
Thoughts ?
Ananya Vetaal
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Ananya, There's vast difference b/w Multitap or Qwerty Keyborad, after running test cases you wouldnt get any similar result on which grounds results could be compared however if your focus is qwerty then you should compare onscreen or offscreen keyboards, atleast denominator factor should be equivalent in running test cases, If multitap is the focus then probably Iphone multitap or basic Mobile keyboard could be mapped,
Cheers, Pooja R Interaction design
On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 11:50 AM, ananya <av_uit26@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
Of course you can compare multitap versus QWERTY keyboard for text entry. Its just devices used for the same purpose. Speed of typing and error rates are certainly comparable. You will have to acknowledge experience differences in any comparison since you're unlikely to be able to get equally experienced users of both technologies. The fact that different devices produce different types of errors is immaterial to the ability to make a comparison (though valuable data).
Bill
Bill Killam, MA CHFP President, User-Centered Design, Inc. 20548 Deerwatch Place Ashburn, VA 20147 703-729-0998 (Office) 703-626-6318 (Mobile) http://www.user-centereddesign.com
On May 16, 2010, at 8:38 AM, Puja wrote:
> Ananya, There's vast difference b/w Multitap or Qwerty Keyborad, after running test cases you wouldnt get any similar result on which grounds results could be compared however if your focus is qwerty then you should compare onscreen or offscreen keyboards, atleast denominator factor should be equivalent in running test cases, If multitap is the focus then probably Iphone multitap or basic Mobile keyboard could be mapped, Cheers, Pooja R Interaction design On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 11:50 AM, ananya wrote: >> Hi AllHope everybody is doing well.Recently I conducted a usability test a part of which involved testing a multitap vs a full QWERTY keypad on the mobile phone.Major part was to test the QWERTY.After the test, I am wondering if it is ok to compare these two ?Both of them have different interfaces and interactions; hence the type of errors users make will differ with both of them.Is it ok to test QWERTY considering multitap as a benchmark if we are looking at error rates ?Thoughts ?Ananya Vetaal >> (((P >> >
Multi-tap (also known as triple-tap) is a one-handed interaction that can be accelerated with two hands. QWERTY is a two-handed interaction that can be done awkwardly with one hand. Your test results will be seriously affected by whether you put users into a context that facilitates two handed use, like almost every usability lab.
Error rates will obviously differ based on context and task. Each is better for different tasks. Also important is understanding what type of predictive text is on the device. And the design of the buttons. In short, you can compare the error rates between those two specific devices, but they won't generalize to QWERTY vs. triple-tap.
Qwerty is on life support... better use a Dvorak'inspired soft'keyboards (I have some designs, but they are industrial design secrets... for now).
> Multi-tap (also known as triple-tap) is a one-handed interaction that can > be > accelerated with two hands. QWERTY is a two-handed interaction that can be > done awkwardly with one hand. Your test results will be seriously affected > by > whether you put users into a context that facilitates two handed use, like > almost every usability lab. > > Error rates will obviously differ based on context and task. Each is > better > for different tasks. Also important is understanding what type of > predictive > text is on the device. And the design of the buttons. In short, you can > compare the error rates between those two specific devices, but they won't > generalize to QWERTY vs. triple-tap. > >
Life support. Right. QWERTY will last longer than Walt Disney's head, though. To date, I have never ever seen a Dvorak layout in use as the preferred layout for a keyboard (soft or hard). That's a form of "life support" that includes getting up and going for a walk. ("I feel happy!")
The eternal problem with Dvorak and other non-QWERTY designs is having to overcome familiarity. No one wants to switch to a different layout on a single system; unless they can leverage the time put into familiarizing yourself with (learning) the new layout by using it in many/most/all other places, people are not going to opt for the alternate layout. You're going to have to force them, or at least heavily encourage them (default to Dvorak, for example).
Is this a case of "something that offends some critics to a degree such that they will insist for years, despite the success and popularity of the platform, that it’s a fatal flaw that will ultimately doom it"? (John Gruber, referring to the AppStore). (That is: "I love Dvorak, so I'm going to claim that QWERTY is dying dying dead!"
--- Jim
On May 20, 2010, at 6:13 AM, elvenmuse wrote: