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    10 <!DOCTYPE concept

    11   PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DITA Concept//EN" "concept.dtd">

    12 <concept id="GUID-F4F3A37A-AB0C-47B8-A538-C05F1CA73BF3" xml:lang="en"><title>Touch-enabled

    13 vs. touch-optimized</title><prolog><metadata><keywords/></metadata></prolog><conbody>

    14 <section id="GUID-5A2B0210-EE1A-4B8F-A714-F7CA1EC2B1EA"> <p>Rather than being

    15 touch-enabled, certain applications can be touch-optimized, that is, designed

    16 primarily for touch screen interaction. When developing applications for a

    17 touch interface, the first question you should ask is: which interactions

    18 benefit the most from touch UI? While physical strokes and gestures allow

    19 for more natural interaction with objects, the fact that one can apply them

    20 does not mean they are appropriate for every situation. </p> <p>There are

    21 a few good tips when designing applications for touch use. First, it is imperative

    22 that design decisions are based on real, considered touch use cases. Secondly,

    23 as touch functions require a fair amount of discovery from the user, it is

    24 good if only very obvious functions are made touch-enabled. </p> <p><b>Why

    25 to use touch</b></p><ul>

    26 <li><p><b>More flexible:</b> Compared to fixed hardware keys, the interface

    27 can change dynamically. This allows for more flexible configurations depending

    28 on the functionality needs, languages, and so on. Thus a very small screen

    29 can change its buttons as needed. Also, with indirect strokes and gestures,

    30 there are numerous possibilities. No use of physical buttons is required.</p><fig id="GUID-63BE4283-7856-4448-9058-99E286C2EA65">

    31 <image href="GUID-EC366CB0-AFC8-4501-867C-4FBD2CFE6235_d0e71938_href.png" scale="60" placement="inline"/>

    32 </fig></li>

    33 <li><p><b>More intuitive:</b> Manipulating objects directly by touching them

    34 is natural and intuitive. Keyboards, mice, trackballs, and other input devices

    35 are not able to convey as much subtlety as touch can. Direct manipulation

    36 can deliver a lot more meaning to controlling a tool. </p></li>

    37 <li><p><b>More fun:</b> One can design a game in which users press a button

    38 and an onscreen avatar swings a tennis racket. But it can be simply more entertaining

    39 to mimic movements physically, and to see the action mirrored on-screen. Strokes

    40 and gestures encourage play and exploration of a system by providing a more

    41 hands-on experience. </p></li>

    42 <li><p><b>More engaging:</b> Through play, users start to engage with the

    43 interface, first by trying it out to see how it works. </p></li>

    44 </ul><p><b>Limitations of touch</b></p><ul>

    45 <li><p><b>Heavy data input:</b> A hardware keyboard is faster for most people

    46 to use when entering a large amount of text or numbers, and applications which

    47 involve heavy data input are not necessarily ideal for touch devices. Virtual

    48 keyboards are adequate, for example, for messaging applications. Consider

    49 utilizing adaptive methods - such as options and selections filtered according

    50 to what is available on the screen or in a list - and pre-filled items, when

    51 possible.</p></li>

    52 <li><p><b>Reliance on the visual:</b> While the Symbian OS provides

    53 tactile feedback capability, some applications can rely heavily on visual

    54 feedback to indicate actions. Allow for scalability, larger buttons and text

    55 sizes, for example, for visually impaired users.</p></li>

    56 <li><p><b>Reliance on the physical: </b>Touch interface can be more demanding

    57 on the physical context than mechanical keys. Tapping a touch screen button

    58 while wearing winter gloves, or with long fingernails can be difficult, for

    59 instance. The inverse is also true: the more subtle and small the movement,

    60 the less likely it is that everyone will be able to do it. To overcome this,

    61 the most basic use cases, such as answering an incoming phone call, must utilize

    62 large enough elements and straightforward interaction.</p></li>

    63 </ul></section>

    64 </conbody></concept>