This diagram shows a patent application recently filed by Apple for an OS X gesturing control panel.
Thanks to macRumours.com
Apple are leading the pack in gestural interface design at the moment, with iPhone, iPod and Macbook Air. (But synaptics, who make most of the the worlds touchpads, are in hot pursuit. They say they expect that “80 to 90 percent of consumer notebooks will have these new multigestures by the end of the year.”)
I’ve found myself sitting at my desk “trying out” these gestures. Would the three-finger paste gesture, above, be easier than the gesture I already use for pasting – Ctrl-V? Note that typing Ctrl-V is a gesture in itself. And when you’re well trained using a QWERTY keyboard it’s pretty easy to remember and perform.
Try it yourself. Tap on the desk. What do you think?
I wasn’t sure at first, but on balance, I think Apple’s gesture for paste is better than Ctrl-V.
Designing the right gesture
What makes touchpad gestures better than key combinations?
- The most valuable gestures seem to encompass “degree” – not just “zoom in” but “zoom in this much”.
- But even for a binary operation like paste or cut, a gesture can be simpler, more comfortable and slightly more memorable than a keyboard shortcut, if it’s chosen to match an analogous real-world action. It will be easier to use if it’s closer to what our caveman brains evolved to cope with.
- The position of the touchpad itself might also play an important role. I find myself wanting to throw out my mouse but keep a modified the mouse mat – a multitouch version connected to my computer. With my left hand on the keyboard and my right hand on the mat, I could mix keystrokes and gestures very comfortably.
New book on gestures
Dan Saffer of Adaptive Path is working on a book called “Interactive gestures: Designing gestural interfaces.” He points out the importance of well-designed gestures. They must be comfortable to perform once or several times. And they mustn’t embarrass the gesturer, or inconvenience people nearby.
The first chapter is available for free and is a good read. There’s also a blog and a wiki.