1. CONSIDERING WHERE MOST COMPANIES USE MULTI-TOUCH
A number of uses for the Multi-Touch Interface come
almost instantly to mind. The first is for tablet use. Someone driving
a delivery truck or working with a tablet in some other way is an
obvious candidate for this technology. However, at least as of this
writing, there aren't any tablet devices that are compatible with the
Multi-Touch Interface. Look for this to change, though, as more vendors
release updated devices. At some point, the person working on a
delivery truck will be able to make use of Multi-Touch for business
purposes.
The second use is for mobile devices. Eventually,
Microsoft will get into this area, too, but they aren't there today. As
with the delivery truck scenario, look for vendors to provide
Multi-Touch capability in some of the newer devices they produce.
A third use is industrial applications. In this
case, you can use the Multi-Touch Interface today to good advantage.
Imagine being able to zoom into a problem area so that you can see it
better or pan left or right while wearing gloves or other special
equipment. In fact, industrial applications could be considered the
perfect use for Multi-Touch as it exists today and with the equipment
currently available.
In some situations, a fourth use will be for
artistic work — everything from creating a work of art to modifying a
picture. The more precise the art, however, the less likely it is that
the Multi-Touch Interface will prove productive. For example, you
probably wouldn't use the Multi-Touch Interface for a CAD application,
where precision is essential and the human finger much too wide to
achieve it.
A fifth common use is for presentations of all
types. Someone moving an object on-screen with a finger somehow looks
more friendly than all that futzing with a mouse. It's easier for the
presenter as well. The presenter can maintain focus on the
presentation, rather than on the technology used to enhance the
presentation.
If you limit yourself to these obvious uses, you're
missing the boat with the Multi-Touch Interface. It's important to
consider innovative uses of touch technology. For example, people with
special needs often find it easier to interact with a computer that's
equipped with a touch screen. When you couple the touch screen with a
Multi-Touch Interface, the application that seemed hard to use before
suddenly becomes much easier to use. As the population ages, it will
become more important to consider these alternative uses of a
technology that might not seem so important today.
Using a Multi-Touch Interface could possibly reduce
training costs as well. Teachers often point to the process of learning
to use multiple senses as the most efficient way to learn. That's why
teachers commonly incorporate visual, tactile, and verbal skills when
they teach someone a new skill. Likewise, a user could possibly learn
to use an application faster by applying more senses to interacting
with it.
Of course, the Multi-Touch Interface will
come in handy for schools and for presentations. Being able to grab
precisely what you need on-screen without a lot of thought is important
in real-time learning and discussion situations. No one wants to be
lunging for a mouse or figuring out arcane keyboard shortcuts at such a
time.
2. DEFINING THE USER REQUIREMENTS FOR MULTI-TOUCH
Most businesses aren't going to want to update all
their systems with touch devices immediately, but before you can use
the Multi-Touch Interface, your system has to have a compatible touch
device. Otherwise, users won't be able to perform tasks simply by
touching the screen. The special screen makes it possible for the
system to detect the user's touch and react accordingly.
It's easy to determine whether the device is
compatible. Windows 7 is configured to let you start using Multi-Touch
to perform operating-system-specific tasks immediately after it detects
a compatible device. Unfortunately, as of this writing, there are only
eight compatible devices; you can see them at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-7/Browse.aspx?type=Hardware&category=WindowsTouch&subcategory=All.
Some users are almost certainly going to wonder why their touch device
won't work with the Multi-Touch Interface, so it's important to
determine at the outset which devices work.
Not all versions of Windows 7 support the
Multi-Touch Interface. The user must have the Home Premium,
Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate edition of Windows 7 installed to
use this feature. Because most businesses will likely use Windows 7
Professional, you shouldn't encounter a problem, but you should
definitely check user systems for the correct operating system version.
The Multi-Touch Interface won't work with older versions of Windows
either, including Vista; you must have Windows 7 installed to use it.
As with many new technologies, the user will need to
learn some new skills to work with the Multi-Touch Interface. Depending
on your application, the user will need to learn a host of interesting
gestures (and may get frustrated and use a few other gestures). You can
see some of the required gestures at http://clubhouse.microsoft.com/public/post/659fa6d8-2d13-446e-ab80-a5a23bd4c9e9.
The point is that the user may expect to become productive with the
Multi-Touch Interface immediately, but the reality is that it's going
to take time to practice the gestures in order to master them.
NOTE
One of the most interesting user needs is
training on how to clean a screen. Most users today don't know how to
properly clean their screens. The Multi-Touch Interface necessarily
relies on screen contact, with the resulting smears and other dirt.
You'll need to supply the user with appropriate cleaning supplies and
training before you release a Multi-Touch application to production.
Otherwise, you'll end up with a lot of hard-to-view displays. You can
find cleaning instructions at http://www.cleanlcds.com/.
