[IxDA Discuss] The problem with the iPhone

[Jeff Axup]

Matt,

Sorry but I disagree with "Two thumbs for entry is not efficient and
requires a dual focus of attention." Two thumbs on a wider keyboard is
almost certainly going to give faster text entry rates than any size
keyboard with one finger. This is because the cumulative acquisition time
for keys is less (one thumb can be finding the next key while the previous
one is still being pressed.). I do not have a "dual focus of attention"
either on my touch typing on my desktop, nor on my Sidekick. However, in
defense of this idea, I will say that I tried one of the "butterfly" Nokia's
(that has a screen in the middle of a Qwerty that is split in half), and I
*did* have split attention there. However, talking with people that used it
for a while, they said they soon got used to it.

There have been a lot of attempts to find alternate ways of inputting text
on small devices such as those you mention. Most of them were a) too
difficult to learn b) not that much faster once you learned them c) not
worth the transition cost. Remember the lesson of Graffiti on the Palms. It
is largely gone now. The reason is that it was too difficult to learn and
once people learned it, it wasn't really all that fast. And compared to a
qwerty thumbboard it justifiably lost out.

Qwerty is not a new concept, but to an archaic phone industry stuck on
9-digit number keypads it still seems pretty innovative.

Chris, point taken on the being able to re-map a touch-screen. (and only
show a keyboard when it is needed). What we probably need is a
contextual-hardware-keyboard. It physically rises up out of a flat panel
when needed and then disappears when it's not needed. ;)

-Jeff

On 6/9/07, Matt Theakston <mattcmonfeet at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Jeff -
>
> I had been reading the comments on iphone and was surprised nobody had
> brought up text entry earlier. The fact that we ported qwerty keyboards from
> typwriters to computers is one thing, but on mobile devices it makes even
> less sense. Two thumbs for entry is not efficient and requires a dual focus
> of attention. Touchscreens(or optical joysticks) seems like an opportunity
> to move away from qwerty, perhaps with zone based input, in the style
> of  Ken Perlin's Quickwriting (although i think Microsoft took this for
> "XNav" and then didn't do much with it).
>
> I just remember watching the apple keynote and being annoyed by how people
> were amazed by the texting demo. qwerty is not innovating, its an old
> paradigm, and it needs to change in the mobile space. And i agree, text
> is fundamental to I/O in mobile devices. Apple dropped the ball here i
> think, (or nobody came up with a good enough idea) but they're not alone.
>
> cheers,
>
> Matt
>
> DePaul University
>
> Xnav article:
> http://research.microsoft.com/displayArticle.aspx?id=395
>
> which came from..
>
> NYU Quickwriting:
> http://mrl.nyu.edu/projects/quikwriting/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 6/9/07, Jeff Axup <axup at userdesign.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > A while back there were some threads on IXDA pertaining to the iPhone
> > which
> > I browsed, but never fully engaged with because I was thinking about
> > writing
> > a blog article on the topic.
> >
> > My main argument is that Apple doesn't understand the need for serious
> > text
> > entry, integration with community, or designing an overall mobile
> > experience. However, they have produced a ground-breaking new piece of
> > disruptive technology that is really beautiful.
> >
> > The article is here:
> > The problem with the iPhone
> > http://mobilecommunitydesign.com/2007/06/problem-with-iphone.html
> >
> > Any comments appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Jeff
> >
> > ____________________________________________________________________________
> > Jeff Axup, Ph.D.
> > Principal Consultant, Mobile Community Design Consulting, San Diego
> >
> > Research:    Mobile Group Research Methods, Social Networks, Group
> > Usability
> > E-mail:        axup <at> userdesign.com
> > Blog:           http://mobilecommunitydesign.com
> > Moblog:       http://memeaddict.blogspot.com
> >
> > ____________________________________________________________________________
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>
>


-- 
Thanks,
Jeff
____________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Axup, Ph.D.
Principal Consultant, Mobile Community Design Consulting, San Diego

Research:    Mobile Group Research Methods, Social Networks, Group Usability
E-mail:        axup <at> userdesign.com
Blog:           http://mobilecommunitydesign.com
Moblog:       http://memeaddict.blogspot.com
____________________________________________________________________________