July 17, 2004
Are Ergonomists Really Consulted in Mobile Phone Design?
Keep hitting the wrong buttons on your mobile phone? That could be because the device itself is just too small, according to an article in ergoweb.
"Our preliminary studies of the latest phones suggest the buttons are only appropriately sized for five-year olds," Ergonomics Society of Australia president Margaret Head told Australia IT. "And if the current trend of shrinking phones continues, soon the buttons will only be big enough for three-year olds."
"Head, who told Australia IT that she doubts any qualified ergonomists are involved in the design process of mobile phones, noted that one of the problems with tiny cell phones, particularly for older users, involves vision. “Human visual acuity decreases markedly after 40,” Head said. "We've identified what we call the high visual fatigue zone, and mobiles definitely lie within this zone."
"Research would confirm that Head is onto something. A study published in 2002 found that the thumb is now the most dexterous digit on people under the age of 25. A recent British report of cell phone use in eight large metropolitan areas found that thumbs are becoming bigger and more muscular possibly due to cell phone use and text messaging.
And just this month, the American Society of Hand Therapists issued a national alert regarding “Nintendo Thumb” – a swelling at the base of the thumb, linked to the dependence on the digit when playing video games – because of the increase in the number of cases of the condition they've seen in children."
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