Touchscreen: A Major Development for People with Nonstandard Eyesight!

The touchscreen interface (available on smartphones and tablets for many years) is now available on many new computers. This interface offers the user more flexibility through direct contact and interaction with what is on the screen. No more dependence on keystrokes and mouse clicks. This cutting edge innovation in interface technology is especially profound for users with nonstandard eyesight (blindness or low vision) for several reasons. First of all, for people with low vision using the mouse pointer can be time consuming and a source of general frustration even with screen magnification software. The steps involved in completing simple tasks are literally cut in half. For example, using a mouse to select an icon on the desktop requires the following steps -

1. Finding the desired object.

2. Finding the mouse pointer.

3. Placing the pointer on the object

4. Clicking the mouse while keeping the pointer in place.

Using a touch screen, selecting an icon on the desktop only requires half of the steps -

1. Finding the desired object

2. Touching the object with a finger.

Less steps will result in greater efficiency, accuracy, and satisfaction especially for the user with usable, but nonstandard eyesight.

Secondly, for the user who is totally blind, relying completely on a rather detailed keyboard command structure to navigate the the screen is no longer the only option. Using a touchscreen with a screen reader, the user who is blind can search the screen using a grid pattern or simply swipe directionally on the screen to identify and select the desired object. Physically touching the screen also provides the user who is totally blind a much quicker orientation to the actual layout of various screens enabling them to identify similarities and differences for future reference.

Next, the gestures used for touchscreen computing are very similar to those used on smartphones and other mobile devices already being used by many people with nonstandard eyesight. The transfer from hand held device to computer is a simple matter of logistics. Learning a series of gestures and flexible combinations of gestures is much more intuitive than memorizing a bunch of route keystrokes that may or may not work in a given situation.

Finally, the touchscreen does not conflict with typical keyboard or mouse use; it simply provides the user another option for interacting with the computer and ultimately achieving task completion independently. This is especially true in the case of a totally blind user. As anyone who has used a screen reader with the keyboard seriously will likely attest, many situations arise when a keystroke will not address a specific object or event on the screen. Using a touchscreen, the user has the option to simply locate the object in question using gestures on the screen and touch the object to have it identified by the screen reader.

In summary the touchscreen interface incorporates the sense of touch into everyday device use for everyone. This feature is now available on many desktop and laptop computers. This is an extremely positive development for users with nonstandard eyesight. If you have nonstandard eyesight make sure your next computer has a touchscreen. You’ll be glad you did!