Anthropometrics: Important Aspects of Users’ Bodies

This chapter addresses factors that arise from basic characteristics of the human body. While bodies vary in their size, shape, capabilities, and limitations, there are some common factors that are shared and some general guidance that we can apply to design better interfaces and systems. This is a broad topic: the influence of bodies on usability applies to all systems, and is illustrated with examples from desktop, laptop, mobile, and handheld systems. After briefly providing an overview of the issues involved, this chapter covers the importance of the physical setup for computers. We also introduce and discuss the importance of touch and tactile feedback, better known as haptic perception. Haptic perception has become increasingly important with the widespread uptake of touch screen devices and gaming interfaces. We illustrate the importance of haptic perception by considering how people interact with a wide range of devices and systems. The chapter concludes with some implications of the need to consider anthropometric factors when designing interactive systems.

[1]  Christina L. James,et al.  Text input for mobile devices: comparing model prediction to actual performance , 2001, CHI.

[2]  Wei Liu,et al.  Unistroke gestures on multi-touch interaction: supporting flexible touches with key stroke extraction , 2012, IUI '12.

[3]  Colin Potts,et al.  Design of Everyday Things , 1988 .

[4]  Thomas K. Landauer,et al.  Relations between cognitive psychology and computer system design , 1990 .

[5]  P. Fitts.  The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement. , 1954, Journal of experimental psychology.

[6]  Hongan Wang,et al.  Tilt menu: using the 3D orientation information of pen devices to extend the selection capability of pen-based user interfaces , 2008, CHI.

[7]  Paul Bach-y-Rita,et al.  Tactile displays , 1995 .

[8]  J. Gibson.  The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception , 1979 .

[9]  Youngwoo Park,et al.  The roles of touch during phone conversations: long-distance couples' use of POKE in their homes , 2013, CHI.

[10]  R. William Soukoreff,et al.  Text entry for mobile computing: models and methods , 2002 .

[11]  Allen Newell,et al.  The keystroke-level model for user performance time with interactive systems , 1980, CACM.

[12]  Nicola Zonta,et al.  Accessible haptic technology for drug design applications , 2009, Journal of molecular modeling.

[13]  Jeffrey D. English,et al.  Posture and Web Browsing: An Observational Study , 1999 .

[14]  I. Scott MacKenzie,et al.  Extending Fitts' law to two-dimensional tasks , 1992, CHI.

[15]  Christopher M. James,et al.  Sensing the fabric: To simulate sensation through sensory evaluation and in response to standard acceptable properties of specific materials when viewed as a digital image , 2001 .

[16]  Allen Newell,et al.  The psychology of human-computer interaction , 1983 .

[17]  Derek Nowrouzezahrai,et al.  Learning hatching for pen-and-ink illustration of surfaces , 2012, TOGS.

[18]  T. Salthouse.  Perceptual, cognitive, and motoric aspects of transcription typing. , 1986, Psychological bulletin.

[19]  Woodrow Barfield,et al.  Virtual environments and advanced interface design , 1995 .

[20]  Robin Kinkead,et al.  Typing Speed, Keying Rates, and Optimal Keyboard Layouts , 1975 .

[21]  Jonas Fritsch,et al.  Kinesthetic interaction: revealing the bodily potential in interaction design , 2008, OZCHI.

[22]  C. E. SHANNON,et al.  A mathematical theory of communication , 1948, MOCO.

[23]  Bonnie E. John.  TYPIST: A Theory of Performance in Skilled Typing , 1996, Hum. Comput. Interact..

[24]  Christopher D. Wickens,et al.  An introduction to human factors engineering , 1997 .

[25]  L. Kaufman,et al.  Handbook of perception and human performance , 1986 .

[26]  Holger Luczak,et al.  Tactile feedback applied to computer mice , 1995, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Interact..

[27]  Olivier Bau,et al.  REVEL: tactile feedback technology for augmented reality , 2012, ACM Trans. Graph..

[28]  D. Norman.  The psychology of everyday things , 1990 .