Skip to content

Strange Systems

Exploring the overlap of virtual and physical

Menu
  • About this site
Menu

Touch interface for good

Posted on June 27, 2009July 5, 2021 by namho
Hong Kong May 22-23, 2009

Touch screen NYC ticket vending machine (photo credit: yuen_long / flickr)

Here’s a comment I posted on Changemakers AshokaTech discussion board in response to question How would you use touch-screen technology for good?

Following our blog post on touch-screen technology, I’d love to hear about your ideas on how we can make such technology work for the social sector, or if you’ve heard of organizations that are already doing so.

The great thing about touch interfaces are in the ease of use. It is intuitive. I moved to Korea two years ago and learning to type in Korean on a keyboard or a cell phone was not without its pain. Computers have a keyboard and mouse as its main input devices, however the use of these have to be learned. Not so with a touch-enabled device.

Touch-enabled devices is closer to how the real world works. You directly press buttons on the screen rather than moving the pointer with a mouse to a graphic that represents a button and click on the mouse that in turn simulates pressing the button on the screen.

Touch devices are intuitive to use. Look at a well designed touch-enabled subway ticket vending machine. The ones in New York thousands of tourists use every day without having ever used them before.

Computers 20-30 years ago were only accessible to those who were trained to use them. Windows (or MacOS) is a big step but it still has a learning curve. Use an iPod Touch for the first time and the learning experience is actually enjoyable. That’s the power that an intuitive touch interface brings.

So the potentials are huge. For those who do not use PCs or laptops everyday it can be a way to overcome the digital barrier. It can be used to bridge the digital divide. For kids, it’s a more intuitive, educational device. For the elderly, its a more humane interface especially for those with arthritis. For developing countries, its a better way for them to access information.

Displays, touch-screens and processing power are becoming cheaper everyday. I spent a whole week without using my laptop while it was in repair, surviving on my iPod Touch. It was possible, and this opened my eyes to the future that will be touch-enabled smaller devices that are as powerful as PC’s, but infinitely more portable and intuitive to use.

I would love to hear more about the actual application in the social sector.

Recent Posts

  • Four Strategies for Going Mobile
  • Mobile storytelling: an evolving story
  • Desperately seeking good kimchi in Seattle
  • iPad as disruptive innovation in education
  • Up close with Ashoka founder Bill Drayton

Recent Comments

  • Maya Bailey on Sugar on Eee PC
  • Chris Motorcycle merchandise on Hanoi and its love of motorcycles
  • Tilly Holmes on Hanoi and its love of motorcycles
  • sj on ChangeON conference presentation
  • Aaron Stewart on Personalization and Mobile Phones

Archives

  • January 2012
  • November 2011
  • September 2011
  • January 2011
  • June 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • March 2009
  • January 2009
  • November 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007

Categories

  • ~everything else
  • architecture
  • book review
  • design
  • hanoi / sustainable future
  • internet culture
  • korea / tourist at home
  • mobile technology
  • sleepless in seattle
  • social change
  • sustainability
  • urbanism
  • user experience
  • web 2.0
  • web design

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
©2023 Strange Systems | Built using WordPress and Responsive Blogily theme by Superb