Spiral tracing on a touchscreen is influenced by age, hand, implement, and friction

Dexterity impairments are well documented in older adults, though it is unclear how these influence touchscreen manipulation. This study examined age-related differences while tracing on high- and low-friction touchscreens using the finger or stylus. 26 young and 24 older adults completed an Archime...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2018-02, Vol.13 (2), p.e0191309-e0191309
Main Authors: Heintz, Brittany D, Keenan, Kevin G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age
Aging
Analysis
Biology and Life Sciences
Computer industry
Digitization
Engineering and Technology
Error detection
Friction
Handwriting
Influence
Interactive computer systems
Kinesiology
Mean square values
Medicine and Health Sciences
Older people
People and Places
Physical Sciences
Reaction time
Reaction time task
Root-mean-square errors
Sensors
Smart phones
Social Sciences
Styli
Touch screens
Young adults
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Summary:Dexterity impairments are well documented in older adults, though it is unclear how these influence touchscreen manipulation. This study examined age-related differences while tracing on high- and low-friction touchscreens using the finger or stylus. 26 young and 24 older adults completed an Archimedes spiral tracing task on a touchscreen mounted on a force sensor. Root mean square error was calculated to quantify performance. Root mean square error increased by 29.9% for older vs. young adults using the fingertip, but was similar to young adults when using the stylus. Although other variables (e.g., touchscreen usage, sensation, and reaction time) differed between age groups, these variables were not related to increased error in older adults while using their fingertip. Root mean square error also increased on the low-friction surface for all subjects. These findings suggest that utilizing a stylus and increasing surface friction may improve touchscreen use in older adults.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0191309