Assignment 1: Multi-Touch Screens vs. Mouse-Driven Screens

The following resources may be helpful when completing this assignment.

• Dearden, A. (2008). User-Centered Design Considered Harmful
• Norman, D. (2007–2010). Activity-centered design: Why I like my Harmony remote control

Computer applications that run on desktop and laptop computers have, for a long time, been designed to be driven by dragging and clicking a mouse. With the introduction of tablet personal computers, the trend has shifted toward using touch-based screens. We now have access to touch-based TVs, touch-based monitors, touch-based laptops and touch-based tablets. Touch and multi-touch devices provide end users with the ability to interact physically with an application much more naturally.

Imagine that you are the Information Technology Director of a major chain restaurant, and you have been assigned to design a menu ordering application that can run on all devices. Examine whether using a touch-screen monitor, a tablet, or using a mouse to select menu items to place an order would be most efficient. Speculate how employees would interact with these devices and the type of emotional reaction that customers and employees will experience while placing a beverage, appetizer or entrée order.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Differentiate between the interaction types and styles that apply to multi-touch screens and applications running on them.
2. Determine the conceptual model that you would use when designing a product for your restaurant.
3. Describe the key analogies and concepts these monitors expose to users, including the task-domain objects users manipulate on the screen.
4. Determine one (1) utility / tool in an application for touch-based and mouse-drive screens that should be designed with memory retention / recall. Provide a rationale for your response.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note:Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. You may use the resources above or others of your choosing.
6. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
7. Typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
8. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required assignment page length.
9. Include a reference page. Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Describe the relationship between the cognitive principles and their application to interfaces and products.
• Explain the conceptual terms for analyzing human interaction with affordance, conceptual models, and feedback.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in human-computer interaction.
• Write clearly and concisely about human-computer interaction topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using this rubric.