Intuitive interaction with multifunctional mobile interfaces

This paper investigates intuitive interaction in the context of mobile phones. The aim is to identify what creates an intuitive interaction with an interface and therefore analyse how features may be designed to maximise the probability of an intuitive interaction. Three experimental studies were conducted. The first study recorded participants’ interaction with unmarked mobile phone button schematics with the aim of relating intuitiveness of interaction to the gestalt laws. It was demonstrated that intuitive interaction is facilitated when interfaces have layouts designed using the gestalt laws. The second study compared interactions using touchscreen and button phones to evaluate the significance of the touchscreen. It was found that participants who had never owned a touchscreen handset were still inclined to utilise the experiential knowledge of existing handsets for all of the tasks performed. The final study used the Immersion® CyberGlove® to record participants’ interactions with a prop in place of a touchscreen phone when carrying out various tasks. The aim was to determine which image schemata were prevalent in the use of a touchscreen handset. Six image schemata were identified, and it was concluded that these image schemata could improve the efficiency of inclusive design if taken into account. This research suggests that individual image schemata can be related to the continuum of knowledge sources in order to create design solutions that take advantage of the user’s basic sensorimotor experience.