Abstract
As the use of touch screen technology increases in everyday situations for all walks of life, universal design should be taken into account when designing products to be used by a wide range of users. This re-search studies the workload associated with touch screen use from a front and parallel orientation for individuals with and without motor control disabilities. The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) was used to assess workload. Participants with a motor control disability (+MCD; n=20) and age-matched participants without a motor control disability (-MCD; n=18) completed a four-digit touchscreen number entry task. Results show that the +MCD group had a higher perceived workload than the –MCD group. The workload demands of the parallel vs. front orientation were higher for both groups across most TLX subscales. The magnitude of the difference in workload between parallel and front orientation was greater for the +MCD group. The results from this study suggest that when the parallel orientation is necessary, careful consideration should be given to designing touch screen interfaces to reduce workload for all users.
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